Hello?....Hello??....Hello???

The Telephone Preference Service is supposed to protect you from cold calling, which to many people is at best a nuisance and at worst a cause of anxiety or even fear.  But it seems it doesn't work very well - and indeed this is my personal experience.  I am signed up to it, but I still get unsolicited calls on a regular basis - many from overseas, which are not bound by our rules.  So what to do?  Well, for a relatively small fee you can sign up to Caller Display, which allows you to see the number which is calling you, and if you don't recognise it, don't answer it.  For a bit more money, get an answering machine, and let any such call go through to it, and then you can listen to any message at your leisure and with no pressure.  Mind you, if you're feeling particularly bolshie, answer the call but don't say anything, and then put the 'phone down somewhere and let the caller waste their money talking to nobody.