YP Letters: Easy way to silence the phone pests

WE have been bothered by phone pests for some time, probably because our phone number follows a recognisable series of digits.

The telephone preference service is useless. However, a new telephone with some very clever software has stopped our peace and tranquility being disturbed by the strident sound of a nuisance telephone call on no fewer than 28 occasions in just six weeks.

A letter from the local Trading Standards about nuisance calls recommends a system to intercept them at a cost of £120 plus an annual charge of £25,

I did a little research and came up with a telephone answering machine from a well-known high street retailer that is equipped with an interception system at a cost of £35 with no annual subscription.

It is very easy to set up by entering the name and numbers of the people who you want to talk to. A 12-year-old grandchild would easily help if needed. The system asks callers who are not on your list to name themselves – otherwise they are offered use of the answer machine.

You hear nothing but can see the answer machine light flashing. Not one of the 28 calls stopped by our phone used the answer machine, so they did not really want to talk to us.

Callers who are not on your list but give their names are introduced to you by the machine – you can then choose to talk to them by pressing “1”.

Apparently there is a move to compel companies to make their numbers available via the caller display system, but this will not stop the phone ringing just when you are settling down to watch your favourite television programme.

As I wrote this letter we had a call from one of our most frequent callers. It was blocked and I never heard a thing.

Gadgets ruin childhood

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

MOBILE phones and other electronic gadgets have replaced play in children and conversation in adults.

Every morning I collect The Yorkshire Post from the local shop and see children on their way to school, completely oblivious to the world around them, either texting or gazing at a small screen of an iPhone.

They walk side by side completely ignoring their companions and chattering inanely into the gadget glued to their ear.

I see children in the local park, no longer running around, but sitting hunched over a small screen. No wonder children become obese.

The curse of the gadget is spoiling childhood for our youngsters.

Local councils losing powers

From: Bob Holland, Skipton Road, Cononley, Keighley.

IN my opinion, there is a massive hidden agenda behind the 2016 local elections that take place today.

Local councils are being stripped of their powers by the Government in regard to:

1) The future of all state schools which are forced to become academies without accountability to parents or local elected councils. Hundreds of small rural schools are likely to be closed, say headteachers. This will wreck village communities.

2) Council planning powers are now weakened. The Campaign to Protect Rural England says houses planned on green belt land have risen to 275,000, which is 200,000 more than four years ago. This is a mockery of Conservative pledges to protect the countryside.

The Government has no democratic right to decide any of the above, because they were not in the Tory manifesto of one year ago.

Your readers who wish to protect our way of life should use their votes against Tory candidates.

Protecting pensions

From: Geoff North, Windsor Mount, Leeds.

WITH the travesty of the shortfall in the pension funds for the employees of Tata Steel and BHS, are we again seeing another of the unpleasant faces of capitalism?

The creation of the Pension Protection Fund by the then government after the Maxwell scandal was a step in the right direction.

But is there a danger that this has created a safety net in which aggressive entrepreneurs can raid Pension Funds with impunity knowing that the fund will pick up the pieces?

There must be a case now for legislation to stop these practices by consideration of the following:

1. Ring-fencing pension funds of companies when they are taken over and have them separately administered by trustees, so that funds cannot be withdrawn from them.

2. All companies should have to maintain their funds so 80 per cent of liabilities are covered.

3. All companies should have to insure the shortfall of their liability to the pension fund.

It would also guarantee employees their full pension. I believe this is a requirement in Germany.

I know from personal experience the trauma of losing out on my pension when a company fails.

While the PPF acts as a safety net, it has a relatively low cap that means higher salaried employees lose a considerable amount of money.