Options abound for dealing with unwanted phone calls

Question: What can I do to stop health care companies on the East Coast from calling at 4:30 a.m. and waking the sleeping household, or during the day when I’m busy caring for my grandson? All these calls make me, as well as my family, not want to answer the phone.

Question: Every day we get one or two calls at about the same time, from “Unknown Name Unknown Number.” If we answer, there’s only silence on the other end. We are Oceanic customers. Is there anything we can do to stop this?

Answer: Oceanic Time Warner Cable customers can dial *77 on their home phone to block unknown callers (hit *87 to unblock).

That service is included in the monthly billing, said spokeswoman Sandy Davis.

Also available is Voicezone, an online assistance service in which customers can check their call history or, with Road Runner, see caller ID on their PC at home, plus block selective phone numbers, Davis said. Customers can go to www.oceanic.com, sign in to MyServices, then My Home Phone to get to Voicezone.

Hawaiian Telcom customers can call its Nuisance Call Bureau for problems with harassing, illegal, threatening or obscene calls, said R. Scott Simon, executive director of corporate communications.

“When our customers are being called inappropriately, Hawaiian Telcom regards those situations very seriously,” he said.

After finding out the nature of the calls, a specialized team will then either investigate or recommend options to manage unwanted or annoying phone calls, he said.

Some of those options can entail additional charges. Hawaiian Telcom customers can call the Nuisance Call Bureau at 643-7111 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Simon pointed out that “collection calls, automated telemarketing calls and other types of electronically generated calls — even if unwelcomed — are generally not illegal.”

However, they are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, which provides information and guidance on what to do regarding unwanted telemarketing calls: transition.fcc.gov/cgb/

consumerfacts/tcpa.pdf.

Among the rules: Telemarketers must provide their name, the name of the entity on whose behalf they are calling and a contact number or address; are prohibited from making solicitation calls to your home before

8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.; and must comply with any do-not-call request you make during a solicitation call.

First and foremost, you should register your home and cellphone numbers on the National Do Not Call list if you want to stop most telemarketing calls: online at www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222 on the phone you want to register.

The FCC says registration does not deal with prank or harassing calls, suggesting you contact police for those, nor does it stop calls from political organizations and charities or from companies with which you have an existing business relationship or that have your permission in writing to receive their calls.

Complaints about telemarketers who violate FCC regulations can be filed with the FCC, which says it can issue warning citations and fines but does not award individual damages.

Complaints can be filed online at www.fcc. gov/complaints, by calling 888-225-5322 or faxing 866-418-0232, or writing to Federal Communications Commission, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Consumer Inquiries & Complaints Division, 445 12th St. SW, Washington, DC 20554.

Auwe

To irresponsible fans attending events at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Arena. I recently stepped on trash left behind in the aisle, and it was a mess. There are trash receptacles at every exit, so why can’t you discard your trash when leaving? Please show some class and let’s keep the arena a first-class venue. — Disgusted UH Fan

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