Jeff Prestridge

Are you driven mad by nuisance calls? There are steps you can take to stem the tide

Nuisance calls are the bane of my life – as are unprompted texts. They assault my mobile at all hours, night and day.

I find the calls so annoying and invasive that I now leave my phone on permanent silent which kind of defeats the object of a mobile (I don’t have a landline at home). No wonder most of my friends have given up on me – ‘unsociable ginga, never answers his phone’.

Of course, my mother, still as matriarchal as she was 50 years ago when I was wearing shorts,  isn’t impressed at all.

Voicemail message one:  ‘Jeffrey, why didn’t you answer my last call?’ (Jeffrey, as opposed to Jeff, is a sure fire sign that mother is annoyed with me.)

Voicemail message two: ‘Jeffrey, where have you been? I’ve been worried!’ (I’m 57, mother, and quite capable most of the time of looking after myself.)

Voicemail message three: ‘Jeffrey, have you got a girlfriend yet ?’ (No I don’t mother dear but if I did you would be the last person on earth I would tell.)

Yes, even a frustrated mother (making her own version of nuisance calls) is better than a phone call from someone I don’t know – and have no desire getting to know – asking me whether I want to unlock my pension or make a payment protection insurance claim.

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