How to Block a Phone Number From Your Home Phone

by Rob Kemmett, Demand Media

Not all telemarketers have to comply with the National Do Not Call Registry; consult the FCC for exceptions.

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Whether it is a telemarketer or an annoying friend you just don't want to talk to anymore, block them from calling your home phone number to prevent them from bothering you any longer. Some telephone service providers offer a call block service. Call block service prevents a specific telephone number from calling your home. Telemarketers can only be blocked by registering with the National Do Not Call Registry. In 2008, the National-Do-Not-Call Improvement Act became law and requires most telemarketers to stop calling your home phone number once you have registered.

Block Phone Number

Step 1

Call your telephone service provider. The phone number can be found on your monthly bill or on the company's website.

Step 2

Request that the phone number which you want to block be blocked from calling your home phone number. Only specific phone numbers are blocked; private calls and other unknown numbers cannot be blocked.

Step 3

Pay the additional monthly fee to subscribe to the service provider's call block service. According to Privacy Corps, the fee averages $3.23 per month or $38.76 per year.

Telemarketers

Step 1

Register for the National Do Not Call Registry to prevent telemarketers from calling your home. Private companies and third parties offering to register you do not have authority to add you to the National Do Not Call Registry. You can only register online at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. Once registered, telemarketers have 31 days to stop calling you.

Step 2

Tell the telemarketer to add you to their company's do not call list. Although telemarketers do not have the authority to register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, they must maintain record of each person that requests not to be called. When you request to no longer be called, the telemarketer must comply and file your request internally. You should no longer receive phone calls from the company they represent. Internal records of do-not-call requests must be kept for a minimum of five years.

Step 3

File a complaint if a telemarketer does not comply with your request and calls you after the 31 day grace period has passed. Call 1-888-382-1222 and follow the instructions given by the automated system. Once filed, your complaint is entered into the FTC's Consumer Sentinel system, which is a secure online database reviewed by over 1,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies. Alternatively, you can register a complaint on the National Do Not Call Registry website.

References

  • Privacy Corps: Call Block Services vs Call ID Manager
  • Federal Trade Commission: Q&A; -- The National Do Not Call Registry

Resources

  • National Do Not Call Registry

About the Author

Rob Kemmett began writing professionally in 2010 and specializes in writing about food and hospitality. Kemmett has worked in various fine-dining restaurants throughout his career and holds an Associate of Applied Science in Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.

Photo Credits

  • Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images