BT has unveiled its new call screening phone that allows customers to block up to 80 per cent of all their unwanted calls from nuisance numbers.
The BT6500 phone will automatically block any calls from “international” and “withheld” numbers or those without caller ID, potentially eliminating all PPI claims calls, unwanted sales calls and those irritating silent ones too.
The launch comes after BT announced it receives more than 50,000 calls to their Nuisance Calls Advice Line per month, with 3,392 of those reported being silent calls. 57 per cent of people receiving these calls will have five or more of them a month.
“We know from talking to our customers that nuisance calls cause huge frustration and even anxiety at times. When people feel as though they are being harassed in their own homes they need to be able to take action and block the offending callers,” said Managing Director of the BT Consumer Division, John Petter.
“The BT6500 puts the customer in control of the types of call they receive. We believe this phone gives customers the peace of mind that when the phone rings it should be someone they want to speak to.”
BT6500 Features
BT6500 features a unique customisation call blocking system, allowing users to screen calls from all or a combination of international, withheld and unknown numbers. Customers can also completely block up to 10 numbers, eliminating any repeat offenders.
A “Do Not Disturb” mode mutes the handsets allowing the user to enjoy peace and quiet from time to time, and similar to the iOS function of the same name, can be set to allow VIP callers to be sounded if they happen to ring.
Up to 200 contacts can be stored in the BT6500 memory with names and numbers automatically copied to other handsets around the home.
Parental controls also limit ongoing calls, especially to premium, mobile and international numbers, via a PIN code.
BT6500 Price and Release Date
To receive the privilege of avoiding irritating sales calls customers must pay the price. The BT6500 price is set at £44.99 for a single handset, £69.99 for a twin, £89.99 for the trio or £109.99 for the quad option, although BT customers will receive a discount.
Available to users who aren’t BT customers too, the BT6500 is available now from Tesco, Argos and Amazon.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
