Blocking Based on Caller ID

Suggestions & Feedback
1

Hi,

I had an accident in the past year and as a result had some medical bills and unpaid bills.

One company is repeatedly calling me over and over using different numbers, and so blocking doesn’t really work. They are a large credit card company with over 1000 numbers.

I feel bad about not paying them so far, but I am poor and there’s really nothing to discuss. They likely want to talk with me because if I say “I’m not paying you!!!” then they can consider that anticipatory repudiation of the entire contract and more easily sue. I don’t really think there’s any advantage to talking with them right now and they record all their calls. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know talking with them right now makes no sense.

I am only just getting a small amount of financial stability (if that) after a disastrous year and I really need to get my footings before speaking with them. My credit rating will be atrocious no matter what I do.

I have fortunately compartmentalized my life by using different numbers for different situations, but I’d rather not delete this number just yet and am worried it could result in more aggressive collections.

The constant emails (from call to transcribed email) and calls are annoying and demoralizing. There’s nothing I can do and if they have suggested solutions (that don’t involve immediate payment), they could let me know their ideas by written email. The fact that they aren’t doing this suggests they are trying to get me to state my intent on a recorded line rather than really provide any benefit.

I would be willing to pay more for this feature. I’m financially struggling, but voip.ms’s prices are so low, even when I use a ton of features it’s still really affordable. I wish I had discovered this company a long time ago. I know the CNAME is coming in the same every time, and it’s the CNAME I want to block, not the thousands of numbers their collection department uses. The daily voicemail transcripts are also adding to my expenses and costs.

It would be great to have this feature.

1 Like
2

Hello sipper

Thank you for your valuable input; it is always appreciated. This feature has been suggested by other clients in the past, as we understand the concerns regarding the ability to block the CID name. While I am unable to provide an estimated time of arrival or any additional information on this matter, please be assured that all feedback has been forwarded to the appropriate department.

3

I agree, we should be able to block calls based on CNAM. Ooma already offers this, and their CNAM filters are quite flexible.

4

I have used the calling number for friends to bypass the auto-attendant.
You can then send the non-friends to voicemail or play a message to “contact by mail” and simply drop the call.

Do an arranged test call for emergency services before you set this up to capture the number they call you back from.

5

Not sure where you’re located, but take some time to acquaint yourself with laws regarding debts in your state / province and note I am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice. In the USA the statute of limitations for debt vary by state but is typically 3-6 years. The clock starts / restarts with the last payment, part of why they’re so desperate to get you to pay something… Once the statute of limitations has passed, debt collectors will still contact you, but somewhere in things they mail it will say something to the effect or “because of the age or your debt we can’t sue you”.

In the US the FDCPA imposes some limits on the conduct of debt collectors. Do tread carefully as from things I’ve read certain statements might cause them to file a lawsuit more quickly. Don’t acknowledge that the debt is yours / valid. Be careful asking for a debt verification letter. In general the best practice may be to request that they communicate with you in writing (but don’t send them anything with your signature). I’ve had some some aggressive debt collectors call me trying to reach random people I don’t know and have had to tell them to cease and desist. I’m also currently dealing with some debt collectors trying to get money from a deceased relative for a bunch of fraudulent credit card transactions.

I get a lot of robocalls. I use nomorobo to help filter the calls but quite a few make it through. I use the phonebook feature to whitelist people I know. I also use a time condition that sends early morning callers who aren’t in the phonebook to an IVR that tells robo callers to pound sand. Using caller id filtering I also have a number of entire area codes or area code + exchange that I either just hang up on or send to my IVR. I answer a few of the robocalls that get through and send them to a parking lot that plays custom music on hold that’s a mix of sh|#yflute music, death metal, and a recording of a confused old man saying things like “what was that, can you speak up, huh, I don’t think so, what’s your name?, my granddaughter plays the flute would you like to hear her play” over and over.

Much of this would be unnecessary if voip ms / their carriers had fully implemented shaken/stir and it were possible to block or otherwise handle callers with spoofed caller id.

In your specific case I’d try to flush out your phone book so you can filter known callers. Then maybe just send unknown callers straight to one voicemail box with no transcript, email message and delete automatically. Let known callers ring the phone / reach a different voicemail box you actually check. Then you can filter the voicemails in your email based on the CNAM. As needed whitelist additional numbers by adding to the phone book general group.

I’d also suggest you try to remove yourself from as many people search websites as possible.

If you just delete this phone number you may find they start calling your cell phone or other numbers instead. I’ll also note that of all the things I’ve tried simply setting “system: hangup” for a month or two is by far the most effective, more so than messages like “this number is not in service” with the SIT tone, “your call couldn’t be completed due to the earthquake in the area you are calling”, etc.

In summary, I’ve put WAY too much effort into tormenting robocallers because I can’t filter out calls with spoofed caller id.

There are also many instances where I’d love to filter callers from certain CLECs