UCL Telecoms

Unwanted Calls

UCL has utilised a government service to register all telephone lines against 'Cold Calling' where a company may call on the off chance that you'll need their services. All UCL lines are registered with the corporate version of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) which means you should not get any unsolicited calls from marketing businesses.

The TPS should stop most marketing calls however, calls from abroad may not be completely be stopped. If you do experience any nuisance calls you can either contact telecoms@ucl.ac.uk or take the issue up with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Silent calls

Silent calls can be very frustrating and unnerving. To make matters worse they are not covered by the TPS scheme. However UCL's lines are registered with Silent Call Gard.

This should stop the majority of silent calls however international incoming silent calls cannot generally be stopped.

Silent calls are generated by systems trying to guess when they will have an operator free. The system pre-dials a number but if you answer and there is not an operator free, the system will hang up the call, leaving you with nothing but a quiet line.

For more information on marketing calls and how to avoid them try http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/what_we_cover/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx.

The services mentioned above can be used on a corporate or personal basis: both home and business numbers can be registered for free.

Malicious and Abusive calls

Should you experience what you feel to be malicious and / or abusive telephone calls or voicemail messages, you should inform your manager as soon as possible and report the matter to either your assigned HR Consultant (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/staff/hr_staff_contacts_cons.php) or the Telecoms Office via email on telecoms@ucl.ac.uk for the attention of the Telecoms Manager who will then contact HR directly.

Repetitive fax calls

Some fax calls can redial if the called party is answered but sent no fax tones, busy, unavailable or out of service and it will attempt several times to deliver the document until it succeeds. This can be frustrating when the machine has the wrong number and you get connected to the strange warbling of fax machine.

If you do get these tones, transfer the call to a local fax. The document will be delivered and the originating fax machine will stop calling you.

Check the incoming fax and if necessary advise the sender of the fax that it has been misdirected.