Unwanted calls can be a huge pain, whether it is an automated call about a "recent accident", or a salesperson trying to tell you the importance of insuring your pet turtle. They usually come at the most awkward time possible, and can cost you quite a bit of money as well. If you want to stop them, you’re not alone, and we have some helpful advice for you on how to achieve peace in your home, at last.
Related: Top 10 Best Cordless Phones 2024
Invest in a call-blocking phone
The best way to rid yourself of unwanted nuisance calls once and for all is buying a phone with call-blocking features. Most cordless phones nowadays include at least some level of nuisance call-blocking protection. Often this is simply an anonymous call blocker, but our customers tell us that even this makes an enormous difference in practise. Our best buy phone for 2024, the Gigaset C575A, includes exactly that, and consistently receives rave reviews from customers, who call it “well worth the money”, and praise the peace of mind it has given them. It's also equipped with Gigaset's trademark HD sound, so the calls that do get through are that much more of a pleasure to take. The Gigaset C575A also boasts a phonebook that can retain up to 200 contacts, and an answering machine with up to 30 minutes recording time – so you’ll only miss the calls you don’t want from now on, but never those from your friends and family.
If you are looking for a something with a bit more call-blocking power, you may also wish to consider the BT 4600 with trueCall technology. This cordless phone boasts an almost 100% success rate at blocking nuisance calls – impressive if you’ve been inundated with them up until now. It also comes with large buttons and jumbo font, making it a great pick for older people. However, it's worth noting that BT's phones aren't quite up there with Gigaset and Panasonic for sound quality.
Register with the TPS – or report unwanted calls! If a new device is not on the line for you, you can try registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). This free UK service allows you to record your preferences for specific unsolicited sales and marketing calls. The downside of this is that it does not stop all unwanted calls, merely sales and marketing ones. You also need to wait up to 28 days for the registration to become fully effective, and even then you are not guaranteed to be free from nuisance calls. There are also websites where you can report specific calls, but this will not stop all nuisance calls from getting through to you.
Don’t consent to third-party contacts
Lastly, and perhaps most obviously, don’t consent to being contacted if you do not want to be. This, again, won’t stop all incoming nuisance calls, but it may stop some if you refrain from submitting your phone number in online forms. At the end of the day the only truly effective method and avoiding most (if not all) nuisance calls, is call-blocking technology such as trueCall.