Is there a way of stopping unwanted promotional text messages?
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I mainly get them from these accident "no win no fee" companies. Trouble is - if you actually speak with them they will not tell you where they are calling from, not even the company name! When I pushed this question on the phone (after confirming I was interested) I was "passed on" to a supervisor and then, who'd have thought it, I was cut off.
Trouble is there is no way of tracing them. I did forward the text to a number given by O2 but this seems to have made no difference. I still get them.
Answers (4)
I've received unwanted and uninvited 'short code' texts when abroad and they cost a fortune to receive. I complained to my provider (Vodafone) who said that I must have given someone my number or entered a competition. I have not and am very careful about who gets my mobile number. Vodafone relented and gave me a credit for the charges incurred, but I have yet to find a way to block these nuisance texts. If you respond with 'stop' to the number, you get charged - and probably go onto a suckers list!
You should forward them to the TPS (they deal with mobiles to apparently). I just found this on the Orange website http://www1.orange.co.uk/about/contact/spam/ but I'm not sure if it's just Orange customers. They tell you to forward the text on to 7726 for free. I'm with orange so will try it next time I get one.
Looks like the number is the same for O2 http://protectourchildren.o2.co.uk/ReportSpam.jsp
Have found this on the Vodafone site and will try it next time:
Forward the spam message to VSPAM (87726).
VSPAM is a free spam reporting system set up by Vodafone. It lets us:
Measure how many spam complaints are made by our customers.
Gather evidence of spamming for the regulatory authorities, who are then able to take action. (This may include suspending a service and/ or fining the service provider).
Identify new forms of spamming.
Thanks Mr Wallet!
Thanks for that Orange spam number info, LP, very useful!
No probs Fruitcake. Glad that Mr Wallet asked the question.
Of course you should contact your service provider and tell them to stop soliciting text messages.
Orange have been quite helpful on a business mobile in stopping some stuff but not everything can be stopped. It only takes a few seconds to delete unwanted texts.
When I am in the mood I run a little competion with myself on how longI I can keep some of these companies talking to me (to waste their time !). So far they have all been the ones to hang up on ME !!
Best one was the accident chaser, free injury claim. For some reason they must have thought i had had a car accident but I assumed it was for when i knicked my finger on the bread knife. It actually took them 20 minutes before they asked a question which got me to tell them that, VERY VERY FUNNY.
LOL. Nice. What has been the longest you've kept someone on the phone? If I have a few minutes to spare I'll try that next time.
Ha Ha! My sister got sick of getting calls from a company trying to sell her a conservatory. So the next time they rang, she said she would love to buy one and kept the guy on the phone for ages going through the options, prices, etc. After about half an hour, she told him she lived in a first floor apartment. He didn't ring again!
The problem with spam texts comes if you are abroad. With Vodafone I get texts included in my package, but when abroad each text is charged, so spam can become expensive.
Lol, Feline, I've done that, or I eventually ask them if they do conservatories on stilts!
Good point, Sidesalad.
Man after my own heart IHA, I love trying to get them to deviate from their standard spiel when I've time to play!
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This is the problem Sidesalad. Like you, I'm really careful who I give my mobile number to, and I never enter competitions. I would love to know who sold it in the first place - I'd like to give them a piece of my mind!
I'm careful with my number too, Sidesalad, and I get occasional unwanted texts, they seem to arrive in a little spate, then none for ages.
I've never used the 'Stop' response, thank goodness! Thanks for the warning about that.
Yes, it's exactly the same with spam emails. If you respond and ask them to stop it just confirms that your email adress is a valid one.
Just delete them and ignore them.