YP Letters: The scourge of the '˜cold callers' has made me frightened

I WAS so pleased with Alec Denton’s letter (The Yorkshire Post, September 20) as I had had a terrible day with what used to be called ‘cold calls’.

When I was younger, I simply used to leave my phone in the fridge.

Now I get so furious with these evil, cruel monsters who prey on the old and infirm.

I have wasted much time and, being profoundly deaf, find them a real scourge.

The other day, after another couple, I started to shake and was feeling so ill that I rang Age UK and a lady listened to my sobs and actually called me “darling” several times!

She rang me later after she had studied my complaints.

We have left it that she will research the options more closely and ring me when she can find a way of helping me.

I have spent several months trying to help myself, but now give up.

I have many folk trying to help me in my declining years, all wonderful people, and as I don’t have a phone that shows who is calling, I am afraid of missing someone important so I give up what I’m doing and, clinging on to furniture, scramble my way to the phone, to find it is just another horrible fake person.

Instead of trying to relax and not worry or be anxious, I am made neurotic and even frightened by these unfeeling inhuman beings.

Your paper once gave a good number a year ago, 0303 123 1113.

I still have the cutting from your paper.

It worked well for me then, but when I rang it yesterday it must have proved so popular that you now have to press about six buttons and listen.

That is no good to me as I can’t hear what the robots are saying.

Something about “your registration number” so it must now be a large concern.

The Age UK lady said I was on the ‘Telephone Call Preference’ service – well it isn’t working for me.

Can anyone help?

I think I’ve already written to my MP and, like junk mail, there’s nothing he can do.

Surely the wit of man can do something to help.

From: Adam Doyle, Yeadon.

COME on MPs, who is going to stop the elderly being hassled by nuisance calls?

Instead of Parliament shutting down for the Lib Dem party conference, you could have been debating this and the points raised by Mr Alec Denton.