How to put a stop to telemarketing calls (that drain my funds)?

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

With increasing frequency I receive very annoying voice mails on my cellphone from, what I assume is a telemarketer. I say assume because the woman is speaking Chinese (Mandarin?), which I do not speak. I hate phones of all types and have it turned OFF about 98% of the time, so it always goes to voicemail. I suspect the calls are from some racket like the banking or insurance industry, and on one call I caught a "Chase Bank" (now THERE'S a bank with a shady past!)

This is especially annoying because I am on a pay-as-you-go plan with T-Mobile, and each one of these costs me another ten cents. At first I started blocking the numbers, but they simply call from yet another of an infinity of possible numbers, many of then 1-800, and many of them from the HELL A area (area code 213), which, unfortunately is near where I live.

I tried to call T-mobile, but the wait times are astronomical (seven hours estimated). I could have them call me back, but that is a PITA of an option.

Can anyone suggest a way to stop these unwanted calls? I hear the "do not call" list is pretty much worthless? I am also tempted by the "reject all calls" option, but occasionally, I do receive a call that is not totally stupid, annoying, and worthless.

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Cromacster]

I pretty much never answer the phone unless it's a known contact as most of them are spam.  I rely on google voice and visual voicemail to sort through the garbage.

So my advice:

Setup a google voice account with your phone number and set it so all calls go through google voice.

With visual voicemail it makes it much easier to scan for real vs. fake voicemails.

[Chris22]

This is especially annoying because I am on a pay-as-you-go plan with T-Mobile, and each one of these costs me another ten cents.

I'm sure you don't pay for calls that aren't completed (you don't answer).  On most phones, hitting the side volume switch will mute the ringer but NOT decline the call.  Just mute the ringer and let the call go to voicemail; if it's valid they will leave a VM, if it's not you don't want to decline the call and acknowledge yours is a real number (and encourage them to call again). 

[EricEng]

I tried to call T-mobile, but the wait times are astronomical (seven hours estimated). I could have them call me back, but that is a PITA of an option.

That is bizarre.  TMobile is known for stellar customer service, they just changed this up lately to be even better.  I've never waited more than 2-3 minutes.  I now get a personal customer rep so that when I call I get routed to the same small group of them.

Lots of telemarketers now spoof a local area code to trick you, but this works in your favor.  Best way to filter them is for your personal number to be none local rare area code (IE north dakota or something), then get an app that can block calls on that area code.

Are you sure you get charged if you don't answer the call?

[DS]

These calls are getting pretty brutal. I get at least two per day. I never answer, but it's still a notification to clear and potential voicemail to delete. Eating away so much life on useless trash.

If anyone has a real solution against the bots please enlighten us all.

[RWD]

These calls are getting pretty brutal. I get at least two per day. I never answer, but it's still a notification to clear and potential voicemail to delete. Eating away so much life on useless trash.

If anyone has a real solution against the bots please enlighten us all.

Same here. I've received 10 calls in the last 5 days. Never answer but I still have to get out my phone to silence it and they've been more prone to leaving [partially cut-off] voicemails lately. It's especially annoying when I'm expecting the possibility of a call (medical, wife traveling, etc.). I don't have a smart phone so options are pretty limited on my end. My blocked number list is full (not that it was even helping).

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

I tried to call T-mobile, but the wait times are astronomical (seven hours estimated). I could have them call me back, but that is a PITA of an option.

That is bizarre.  TMobile is known for stellar customer service, they just changed this up lately to be even better.  I've never waited more than 2-3 minutes.  I now get a personal customer rep so that when I call I get routed to the same small group of them.

Lots of telemarketers now spoof a local area code to trick you, but this works in your favor.  Best way to filter them is for your personal number to be none local rare area code (IE north dakota or something), then get an app that can block calls on that area code.

Are you sure you get charged if you don't answer the call?

I don't know whether I get charged for an incomplete call, but I'm pretty sure I will get charged 10 cents per minute for a voice mail message.

Can you give me the phone number you call for T-mobile customer service? I hunted and hunted on the website and found one number, but they said the estimated wait time was between 5-7 hours--or they could call me when it's my turn.

I agree with all sentiments here; these fukkers are contemptible parasites on society.

Thanks!

[CheapScholar]

I also hate phones.  I have Ting and pay $15 per month typically and can easily go a week without turning my phone on.  Can you shut off VMs altogether?  If totally out of control, maybe change your phone number?

[seattlecyclone]

Have you considered using Google Voice? I also have a T-Mobile prepaid plan and this saves me money. You get a new phone number from Google Voice that you should give out to anyone you want to call you. When they call that number it will forward to your T-Mobile cell phone, but you'll also be able to answer it from your computer for free if you're near it. Voicemails will also get handled from Google Voice, accessible for free from your computer.

[DS]

I'm guessing T Mobile does the same thing as AT&T - Separate (and worse) customer service for Pay As You Go people.

[EricEng]

I don't know whether I get charged for an incomplete call, but I'm pretty sure I will get charged 10 cents per minute for a voice mail message.

Can you give me the phone number you call for T-mobile customer service? I hunted and hunted on the website and found one number, but they said the estimated wait time was between 5-7 hours--or they could call me when it's my turn.

I agree with all sentiments here; these fukkers are contemptible parasites on society.

Thanks!

611 from a Tmobile phone (this uses minutes from what I read).  From another phone try:  1-877-746-0909

Checking your voicemail with your pay as you go phone also eats into minutes.
https://support.t-mobile.com/thread/143874
https://support.t-mobile.com/thread/130608
It looks like getting voicemail doesn't cost (checking from pay phone does), however if it does you could set it to auto forward to a google voice account which has free voicemail.  You can also just disable voicemail.

To setup to forward to a different number:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4041
**61*1+PhoneNumber#   Turn on forwarding if no reply (CF NRY) to a number

Turn off voicemail:
##61#   Turn off forwarding if no reply

I'm guessing T Mobile does the same thing as AT&T - Separate (and worse) customer service for Pay As You Go people.

This could be the case. 

[Frankies Girl]

Just and FYI, the Chinese calls are a known scam. Scattershot calls that are not targeting anyone specifically - just thousands of robocalls hoping to hit someone that will take the bait... blocking the numbers is pointless as they're spoofed and not the real #.

https://www.npr.org/2018/05/10/609117134/chinese-robocalls-bombarding-the-u-s-are-part-of-an-international-phone-scam

I definitely would look into doing a google voice # and permanently forward your VMs to that number.

[Debonair]

We get these in Taiwan sometimes. One of my co-workers follows the prompts until he gets a live person and starts yelling KMT / ROC propaganda or a rant about Tieniman square and how Mao is evil.

Unfortunately I have no idea how to make them stop, but we get a kick out of him screaming 50's propaganda about liberation the home land from the communists.

[DreamFIRE]

but they simply call from yet another of an infinity of possible numbers, many of then 1-800, and many of them from the HELL A area (area code 213), which, unfortunately is near where I live.

Lots of telemarketers now spoof a local area code to trick you, but this works in your favor.  Best way to filter them is for your personal number to be none local rare area code (IE north dakota or something), then get an app that can block calls on that area code.

Are you sure you get charged if you don't answer the call?

Not only do I see a lot of spoofing of the area code, I see a lot of spoofing of the local exchange prefix to match my cell phone's, so the first 6 digits of the calling phone number are identical to mine.  Of course, I NEVER answer these calls, and most of them come in during the day while I'm at work (I leave my cell at home).

Just in the last week, one of these robocallers has been getting caught by my voicemail.  Fortunately, the voicemail app on my phone lets me start to play the message and delete it quickly without having to call into voicemail.

I have Tello pay as you go, and I have not received any charges for these calls.  I never answer numbers that aren't in my contacts.

I don't see Google Voice being helpful in my case.  I've tried it before, and it adds a few hundred milliseconds of latency to voice calls (yes, real voice calls, not hangouts dialer).