Sales Calls and My Elderly Mother In Law

A question about : Sales Calls and My Elderly Mother In Law

My elderly MIL is plagued with sales calls despite me regeristing her with the TPS. She's very tottery on her feet and takes her ages to get anywhere. Sometimes the phone rings and she's in the bathroom, she has to get to the phone ( which she always thinks is important) just to discover it's a sales call. I've told her to ask them to stop calling her, take her off any list she maybe on, tell them she's not interested, etc etc. still the calls persist! What can I do to stop these bloomin people? She's on BT and I don't feel that 'Caller Display' will help her as she will still have to get to the phone to see who's calling her so she can ignore the call. What else can I try?

Best answers:

• I would recommend getting a device that can block sales calls like Truecall
  It really does work and has been recommended for old people or a BT phone which has cut down version of truecall
  https://www.home-phones.co.uk/cordles...-call-blocker/
  The phone doesn't even ring on blocked numbers
• We had this problem with my late mother.
  So we bought her a set of portable phones for her home, and told her to always take one in the bathroom with her, just in case. After a week or two, it became automatic. She didn't even have to get up from her chair in the lounge when the phone rang.
  Just requires a little forethought.
• BT8500 range includes Truecall blocker.
• The BT8500 is a godsend! Had it 2 months now & not one call has got through. However it will depend on your MILs ability to either input already known numbers (using 1471 to get them off her current phone every time someone rings), or to actively block calls which might/might not get through on the call block phone the first time they ring her. My old Mum is having trouble with these calls - also takes her ages to get to the phone as she also cannot ignore it. But sadly she does not have the mental capacity to understand about blocking numbers if I got her a blocker system. Have to rely on the nuisance callers eventually giving up when they realise they are having a conversation with someone who is not even sure what day of the week it is!
• Thanks for all the replies. Truecall looks an option, but, oh, technology and my MIL don't mix! I did try and have an online chat with a BT Rep as to what services would help my MIL but gave up after half an hour of waiting around for the 'cut and paste' reply from a rep halfway round the other side of the world. This is called progress.....
• Truecall or Callblocker are the only services that will actually help .
  BT stuff is here .
  https://www.bt.com/includingyou/calli...lls.html#more1
• The truecall device or BT phones dont require any extra user interaction to use as a normal phone. She can carry on using them as a normal phone.
  Then when you visit you can check teh call log and block any unknown or dodgy nunbers.
  I have a small while box off ebay. During the call you can simply press block, it cuts them off dead and when they ring back all they get is disconnected.
  Ive had zero calls get through to the phone and actually ring since Oct/Nov time now.
  Usually it was several times a day including some dodgy Bangladeshi number thay used to call early hours of the morning.
  Dont pay for the BT blocking services, they dont work.... I had a refund off them when i was still getting calls.
• Is there an answer machine?
  Set it to 2 rings or less, then she has no need to get up and answer as she won't be quick enough, or turn the ringer off.
  Make sure she has a mobile though if you turn ringer off.
  My answer machine is set to 2 rings before it picks up and now that everyone has to leave a message they have mostly stopped calling.
  From 8 + times a day to a couple a week but still the machine is set same.
  If its important the caller leaves a message, as most are just sales calls they don't leave any message.
• Once truecall it setup and need very little attention thats the whole point of it calls only get through that you allow to if you so wish even with little set up once its plugged into phone socket and phone into truecall is it intercepts calls on your behalf. Its won loads of awards and designed for eldery too
  The BT phoen I showed wrong model but its the BT8500 is also suppose to be good as said.
  Thread on it here
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...ghlight=bt8500
  from Ј25 single phone
  https://www.telephonesonline.co.uk/ca...ult/?q=BT+8500
  You get your life back and not pestered by vermin/scammers
• OK so MIL cannot handle the technology. However if you can initially input all the callers numbers she would want to speak to (friends, family, doctor, plumber, etc) you can then as said above check the unconnected calling list & make them permanently blocked.
  When Mum gets nuisance calls of course it does not stop them calling again but it makes them frustrated at her lack of interaction & they end the call. I suspect as she lives alone in an isolated spot she actually enjoys the human contact! I did get her a couple of handsets so she can keep one by her chair & one by the bed. Anyone who has never dealt with an elderly persons total lack of ability to deal with even simple (to us) technology (like how to pause the TV) has no idea what it can be like. I spent 20 minutes on the phone to Mum last week explaining which stamp to stick on an envelope!
  For BT call blocker to work you must have a caller display phone. The system is free (ie is included) with my BT package for 12 months & thereafter if I agree to further deals.
• I have caller display from my provider, then I use my phone itself (cordless Panasonic) to block the unwanted numbers. It takes time at first, to check through the missed calls and google the numbers to see if they are telepests, but I have now dramatically reduced the number of calls and the phone simply does not ring when the blocked numbers call, so no-one is disturbed at all. Numbers I do want to receive calls from are saved & their name is displayed before I answer.
  I'm with TPS too, but it's not 100% effective alone.
• We've had a BT8500 set for a couple of months now, and it really does screen out cold callers. Had to add the regular numbers to its phone book, but then it just works. We've twice needed to add numbers when they go through the screen, but it's as simple as pressing '1' or '2'. The phones blocked 21 calls last week!
  Only downside is that you can't have a corded phone plugged in to another socket, as it might mess with the system's call handling...