Thetownend.com

Anyone caught the new series that has just started, the first two things that hit me are:

Deborah Meaden has either had botox or a facelift as the fucking huge scrotums under her eyes have now gone

Duncan Bannatyne's blatantly wearing a syrup!

Now, I don't watch this regularly or nowt, but does Deborah Meaden actually have any money? I don't think I've ever seen her invest in anything.

This is horrible, I feel a bit bad for them

How the fuck did they get that horse and horsebox up them stairs!?

Horror muppets.

Apart from anything, if its popular in America that's because they havnt got any taste.

I'd invest in them.

One meeelion pounds

That would sell in the millions to old ladies.

Dragon bidding war :D

I love Dragons Den. I've been excited all day. What was clear, is some of them have sorted out their differences and kept their egos in line. It was good, as ever.

True Call was an excellent idea.

I am gonna buy one. Sick of cold calling.

Seeing that true call thing gave me a fucking brilliant idea for a product. I'm not telling you lot though, you'll nick it.

I thought Trucall was shit. Well not shit exactly but £97 for a fancy dan answerphone. £20 and you have my attention.

Other than the automatic call reject/passthrough what did it do that a answerphone call screening and good CLI phone with phone book can't.

Oh and Ralphy, I assume you have registered your number free with the TPS.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html

Whatever the product, something needs to be done about it because the phone companies arent interested in stopping it.

Nothing more annoying than having your feet up with a beer and the phone rings, some smartarse cunt who thinks people want to hear a recorded message about debt management.

I think that Truecall thing will make millions. But hopefully something better will come out that just stops the recorded messages dead.

I know what you mean, those recorded messages fuck me off. I just wait until it says press 5 or whatever and press it, then leave the phone on the side off the hook until i remember to hang up - i'm gonna cost them every penny i can.

Years ago a member of my family was getting prank calls at all hours of the day by someone trying to harass the family member. It was explained by the phone company, on the quiet, that if the phone were to be left off the hook after these calls were received, then the telephone network continues to consider the call active for a maximum of 5 minutes (or maybe it was 15?), despite the line being dead and charges the caller accordingly.

That True-call box is way too expensive. £100+ retail (£128 on QVC).
I can't believe anyone would pay that for what it does.
I can live with the one nuisance call a week that I get.

Exactly. It would be much better if it instantly recognised any number as being a nuisance number (not just those that have already called you and been stored in the 'block' list) and then just reject the call. The trouble is, a lot of companies withhold their numbers so I can't think of any immediate way that would be feasible. If you could, then that idea would be worth a lot of money.

Exactly, telemarketing calls are pretty much always withheld numbers so it wouldn't even remember the number anyway would it?

Why pay £100 when you can just register with the tlephone preference service?

Also, do a lot of people really get these calls all the time? I thought it was more like once a year or something.

Basically I didn't like the idea because I didn't think people get these type of calls often enough to justify some expensive, convoluted contraption.

Has anyone even got a housephone anymore? I ripped out all the cabling and sockets in my house.

I've never, ever had a cold call :)

The TPS only governs UK companies. Even so registering cut down a hell of a lot of cold calls. Most of them in fact.

As already stated, the issue is what happens when there is a lack of CLI. In effect trucall asks the caller to leave a name then calls you to tell you about it anyway. So you still have to get up to answer a phone call! OK so most cold call people hang at the name prompt, but they would most likely do if an answer phone cut in anywayl


Sadly not really true. OFCOM would be going double mental if the called party could control the calling party's billing! The calling party (the dialler) is King. If they hang up the call ends* as does billing. So unless 'silence' fools the  auto dialler into not hanging up it won't work.

* with exception of operator/emergency calls.

More likely the tech got confused about suspend/resume. This allows the called party to hang up the phone, but resume (continue) the call by picking up again before the "timeout" expires. Provided the calling party hasn't hung up of course.

:( Well it still makes me feel good! :D


I get them almost daily. Some days i've had more than one. It's normally one of 2 companies (both answer messages, one helping me to consolidate my debts, the other helping me to lower my combined gas and electricity bills). It's nice knowing the same 2 ring me lots, because it pleases me no end always pressing the number to go through to discuss it with a supplier of impartial advice.

I knew that it would now.

You could always do what my mates dad used to do. Just say to the caller "can you hold on a minute", then leave the phone off hook to see kow long it takes them to hang up.

I do that :D

I do it with wrong numbers as well. Just give it the "Hold on, I'll just get them for you" and put the phone down on the side and leave it.

Barry, if you press a number then they can start charging you for the call.

That's mental!! How come you get so many and a lot of people get next to none? Someones obvoiusly sold on your details and now as you said there's just one or two companys who just won't quit.

Do you think they are offshore based?

Ive only had my number 12 months and I get about 10 weekly. But I know they try and call during the day as well.

If it wasnt for the internet, I would have it disconnected tommorow. The thing is just a pain in the arse, fucking expensive BT line rental as well.

So have you signed up to the TPS Spencer?

No, Im hoping to move soon (not because of the auto messages!).

Fair enough.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html in case you wish to do so.

Done, easy as that. Thanks.

Are you on commission? I think that's the third time you've pimped their number out.

I did sign up though, cheers.

I get them every day as well,usually when ive fallen asleep on the sofa after a night shift.Not fucking happy.

that telephone screening idea was shit!

I can't believe the dragons were all knocking one off over it.

The bloke didn't have any patents that he mentioned and I doubt he could get any, it just seemed like a number of existing systems put in to one. Added to which he was paying £27 a unit for it and trying to charge nearly £100. That kind of thing shouldn't be costing any more than £10 (even that would be too much) and retailing a lot cheaper. Any company making phones could easily copy the idea and not have to pay them anything. Plus phone providers could do the same thing better for a fraction of the cost.

I don't have a problem with cold calling. I only use my landline for outgoing calls to 0800/0845 numbers, the ringer is switched off so I'll never answer it. I use my mobile for everything else, if I don't know the number I don't answer it.

I loved that mad bloke with the stutter though. Whilst they did a deal, I thought the dragons missed a trick - his chimney pot wind electricity generator was the star of the show for me. It was patented and I could easily see a bunch of them being put on every single new house that is built all over the world. A brilliant and simple idea.

Cold callers piss me off.
I do it for the love of the cause. One man making a stand, getting through one day a time. And if them pen pushers down at city hall don't like it they can take my badge.

Seriously though, given people are getting several calls a day it's worth repeating that something that takes 20 seconds to do can reduce the cold calls by (in my experience) 90%+.

Yeah the TPS thing works quite well. We used to get loads and now get fuck all. I give it the fB mark of approval. 4 Stars!

I'm not 100%, but i think they actually state that it's free, or something along those lines. I'm certainly not charged for them either way.

EDIT: RE:TPS FWIW, I won't bother getting listed against the tps database and what not, because answering the calls and costing them money makes me happier than not getting them. Different strokes...

Haha I missed the intro last week. It's a RECESSION, let's get the fuckers standing outside derelict industrial buildings looking mean and cut down the music to some picked out electric guitar. FUCK YEAH!

Was not expecting the drummers to get investment. Good for them.

daje or whatever he's called is fucking ace.

Poker player :D

There is no way on earth Deborah will invest in this.

There is no way she ever fucking invests in anything.

I missed most the poker pitch going to have a fag. Surely he'd be better off setting up a poker school or something, maybe combining it with the corporate team building thing.

I might be on to something there.

My other idea is a motivational cd read by James Caan. He sounds so nice even when he's ripping into your ideas. Imagine if when you were feeling a bit down you could stick on a JC-CD and listen to him telling you how ace you are.

I'm applying now.

What the hell is this women here for?

I see a bidding war coming on.

This is going to be mental.

possibly the most epic bidding war of all time?

Will Deborah come up with an excuse?

James and Duncan just came in their pants.

this is great.

Bloody good product, I want one. Could have done with that when running my TV cable. Mind you the coat hanger and sellotape worked

Deborah matches Theo's offer knowing that nobody likes her.

Deborahs a right moody cow. I want peter to be my uncle. Hes ACE

And they should mix it up a little. The person on first and last always get an offer

I want James Caan to be my uncle. Then my uncle would be better than your uncle. My nephews uncle is better though.