Communications
Bring Back The Human!
Gone are those wonderful days when we used to be able ring up and speak to a human being. Just about every business and organisation, from local authorities, insurance companies, banks, tec companies and even the doctors' surgery, seem to be unable to offer the sort of service we would MUCH PREFERABLY like to see - and answer the bloody phone! The fashion to adopt a run-and-hide policy and present the customer with a next-to-useless, and highly frustrating automated menu, that just gives us the runaround and wastes OUR time, seems to be ever popular and now a well-embedded part of the crap service the ordinary public are expected to put up with. Even worse, when at the end of all that trying to breach the stubborn defences, the no conscience, no empathy, no understand, automated system just cuts you off, leaving you fuming and with smoke coming out of your ears! It is very apparent that many companies lack morals and only care about money. Yes, they don't mind taking your money, but in this world so dominated by greed and the greedy, they seem reluctant to give you the service you would actually like (and actually pay for). Since COVID, it's got even worse, and has now become a trend. Unfortunately, as with all bad behaviour, when one gets away with it, they all think can do it. Perhaps the Government could step in and make it compulsory to offer a human option! Yes! Bring back the human for humans' sake!
An Illuminated Web?
A World Wide Web for all decent people that is free from deceit, infection and criminal activity, to protect children and vulnerable adults alike. Configured in such a way so as to allow all people who wish to be a part of it to operate safely and with confidence, knowing that they are not going to be targeted by criminals, or anyone else, undesirable.
Alternative Phone Numbers to Special Rate and Non-Geographical Numbers
A call for companies to provide national number alternatives to the special rate and non-geographical numbers that many companies currently use. The reason being that many people now pay a fixed monthly fee for free anytime calls, and if companies do not offer a national number alternative, callers can be billed substantially on top of their telephone package agreement for the facility of phoning them. If companies cannot see their way to providing freephone numbers for their customers, this is the least they could do. Some alternative phone numbers for many companies are listed on the Say No To 0870 website.
Abolish Number Withheld
A call to abolish the number withheld facility, which currently gives rise to many instances of people receiving disturbing, abusive and nuisance phone calls; something that would not happen if callers could always be identified. The fact that callers can withhold their number and maintain anonymity actually encourages some people to indulge in this sad and perverse behaviour. We are told that nobody should be able to enter your home through the front door without presenting identification, but we are still allowing people to enter homes without identification, electronically. In this day and age it is not unreasonable to say that if you are not prepared to divulge your number, and identify yourself, you should not be calling in the first place. If, for any reason, you don't want people returning calls on the number you are ringing from, as in doctors' surgeries, etc, it is possible to have an outgoing only phone number, which provides just that facility.
Bar Number Withheld Calls
The telephone service providers do offer a service allowing customers to bar number withheld calls and in some instances this facility can be turned on and off from your own phone by dialling a code. If you are getting nuisance calls of any sort from a caller withholding their number, it may be worth enquiring about this facility. However, currently service providers do charge for this facility and there is some doubt as to whether it is completely effective because callers dialling from a phone that is permanently wired to withhold their number can still get through the block by dialling a prefix of 1470. Once they have done that, they are able to get through to your phone in the normal fashion, so enabling anyone who has their number permanently withheld to be able to still contact you. However, when you dial 1471 there is still no record of who is calling you, just an announcement telling you that the caller's number is not available. Therefore, it appears that paying to bar number withheld calls is a somewhat waste of time and money, because people can still get through to you without exposing their number. The whole issue needs further investigation so as to find a way of stopping people abusing the system and being able to make disturbing, abusive and nuisance calls and the simplest solution is to ban this facility, which is not in step with modern security advice and precautions, and which is so open to possible abuse, altogether.
Unwanted Sales Calls and Telephone Harrassment
A call for the Government to do more to prevent unwanted sales calls, many of which now come from call centres outside the UK. It seems that registering with the Telephone Preference Service isn't enough to stop this kind of nuisance call, as the guilty parties do not give any consideration to it. Whether it be automated announcements about trips to Florida, or people trying to get details about your finances speaking with a hardly recognisable or understandable foreign tongue, or calls about PPI, etc. It's all a pain when your half way through cooking or eating the dinner or doing anything else for that matter. Especially when it's obtrusive and unwanted!
Where the Government have failed to act, BT have stepped in with their call screening phone. If you're invasive nuisance calls are getting too much and you have a few pounds to spare, check this out and rid yourself of the nuisance altogether BT Unveils Call Screening Phone
Windows Live? No, Windows Lie! Cold Calling Computer Scam!!
If you get a call from an Indian gentleman (using the word gentleman very loosely) persistently telling you that your computer is infected and to follow his instructions so he can help you sort the problem out, do not be fooled...
Mobile Phone Mast Sharing Scheme
A suggestion that perhaps mobile phone networks could share the same
transmission masts and so alleviate the need for having four network masts in every location. If it were possible for the
networks to share a common mast, or location, the other three masts can go into areas of low coverage where they would then be of more
use, so helping to achieve an even and uniform coverage of the U.K. for all networks.
Static I.P. Addresses for all Households, Businesses and Data Points
A suggestion that all households, businesses and data points should be issued with static (fixed) I.P. addresses as opposed to dynamic (changeable) ones. The I.P. address is the electronic address assigned to any computer or device connected to the internet. Dynamic I.P. addresses are temporary, they change automatically and are shared between users. If all I.P. addresses are fixed and permanently assigned (as with most businesses), people can easily be identified and can be held accountable for any untoward internet activities that may lead to an I.P. address being blocked, such as sending large amounts of spam. It also means that they cannot 'shake off' the I.P. address and pick up a new one to continue those untoward activities, whilst leaving someone completely innocent to get stuck with the blocked I.P. address. For a more comprehensive explanation of why this hasn't been done already please visit this How-To Geek website page.