Using Selective call rejection (Last Caller Barring)

[Billx]

I am referring to the article at, 

https://help-centre.talktalk.co.uk/Telephone/Telephone_Add_ons_and_settings/Using_Selective_call_rej...

I have already turned Last Caller Barring on, within MyAccount.

I want to block a specific incoming telephone number.

There are 2 methods of doing this in the above page.

Neither of them works.

It reports that 'the service requested is not available'.

Is this so?

TalkTalk have already withdrawn Callsafe.

Has this also been withdrawn?

[Billx]

Ok I did contact  0345 172 0088 at 9:00, and was passed to Customer Service & Billing Team.

It turned out to be a very easy procedure, after stressing to the expert, each of the things that had happened before.

It seems the unticking procedure had taken much longer, than it should have.

When I connected, the expert said it was already unticked. So I told her, go ahead and re-tick it

I won't block the number now, I've got other things.  I hope it has gone through correctly now.

One of the bad things of these experts, is that when they done something correctly, the might ask you a thousand times whether there is anything else they can do for you.

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2 

No, I wanted to fully test the webchat facility on Saturday. It wasn't time wasted for me.

I did mention above that I would do the phone alternative on Monday, just as you are now suggesting.

Thanks anyway

[Gliwmaeden2]

Methinks your time might have been better spent trying phone support, rather than Chat, @Billx.

You know that phone support is not available on Sundays, so I would have used the phoning option on Saturday. 

Things are usually far more efficient in a phone call as you can quickly explain the issue, compared with anything involving typed answers.

[Billx]

A bit of a summary of the bot events yesterday

--> Sara (Bot)                                                          13:53 - 14:00 7 mins
--> Info (Bot)                                                          14:00 - 15:05 5 mins
--> Jojie (TalkTalk expert, TalkTalk Technical Support Team)            15:05 - 15:13 8 mins
--> Shiela (TalkTalk expert, TalkTalk Customer Service Team)            15:14 - 15:24 10 mins
--> Leonar (TalkTalk expert, TalkTalk Order Management Team)            15:29 - 15:41 12 mins
--> Rahim (TalkTalk expert, TalkTalk Customer Service and Billing Team) 15:42 - 15:50 8 mins
--> Rohan (TalkTalk expert, TalkTalk Order Management Team)             15:50 - 15:52 2 mins
--> bot system crashed                                                  15:52
--> bot system came on again                                            20:06
--> Sara (Bot)                                                          20:06 - 20:20 14 mins
As I said earlier the session was closed at this point, as Sara the bot just worked out
that it's past working time, which finishes at 7:00 PM on Saturdays, but it was already 8:20 PM.

[TalkTalk Customer Service Team is also called
TalkTalk MyAccount Team, and TalkTalk Customer Service and Billing Team.
Looks like they can't decide what to call their team.

TalkTalk experts are also called Live representatives.]

Yes, I was a bit harsh on Sara the bot, because she was able to get my account details, and log me in.
She did all, in just 7 minutes.
But why did Sara the bot pass me to Technical Support, if Technical Support didn't have a clue?
So, Technical Support passed me to Customer Service, just a random team.
At Customer Service, they thought it would be a good idea to pass me to another random team, Order Management.
At Order Management, they said, no, no, this is a Customer Service matter.
But, no, at Customer Service, they said this is really an Order Management issue. This has to go back.

So, in the end, this army of 5 experts achieved nothing, after me reminding them throughout, of what was important.
All they all knew, was the single keyword 'Last Caller Barring', nothing more.

[Billx]

With the above 2 accounts, you will see that Sara the bot, is not worth wasting any more time with.

So, it will have to be 0345 172 0088 on Monday, and see if they are a bit smarter than Sara.

And if nothing happens there, I will be looking for an email address, to hopefully do some real communication.

That all for tonight, folks

[Billx]

I accidently got reconnected to the TalkTalk chatbot at 20:06, today 2025-11-15

 I was looking at a TalkTalk article and the chatbot reappeared.

Here's the conversation: ( at the end, it prematurely closes itself down, because it belatedly realises the time is past Saturday 7pm (19:00) . I have included a few lines from when I was disconnected in the afternoon, and which were not visible to me then.

You will notice that Sara the bot says 'we will pick-up from where we left off'  at  16:01. At the end you will see that Sara the bot does not pick up anything at all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional conversation today 2025-11-15 20:06

How many teams need to deal with the same issue? Not very good, is it?    Billx – 15:52

Thank you for your patience. I have checked the details, and I apologise for the multiple transfers. I can see you are inquiring about removing the last caller barring, am I correct?   Rohan – 15:53

Are we still connected?       Rohan – 15:56

Are we still connected?       Rohan – 15:58

We haven’t heard from you, so we will keep hold of your conversation for a while. If you need us, please respond back and we will pick-up from where we left off.      Sara – 16:01

Since we've not heard from you for a while, we'll be closing this chat down soon. But you know where we are if you need us. We’d like to thank you for chatting with us today.     Sara – 16:31

Hi there! Welcome to TalkTalk. I’m Sara, your virtual assistant. Shall we quickly go through a few details to get started?

Hello, Sara. You just reappeared. Where were you?     Billx – 20:06

Can you please let me know if you're the account holder?      Yes or No      Sara – 20:06

Yes                                          Billx – 20:06

What is your full name?     Sara – 20:06

Billx                                        Billx – 20:07

Welcome Back, let’s get some final details and get you through to the team. Hello! How can I assist you today? Sara – 20:07

Can you read the rest of the conversation above, first, before we continue?           Billx – 20:08

I'm sorry, but I cannot access or review previous conversations. However, I can assist you with your current query. Could you please let me know how I can help you today?        Sara – 20:08

I want to continue with the previous conversation, because I have already used 2 hours of my time. Billx – 20:10

Could you please provide more details about the issue you're facing? This will help me determine the best way to assist you. For example, is it related to your account, billing, technical issues, or something else?       Sara – 20:10

Just read above. The conversation is all there.  Billx – 20:10

Thank you for pointing that out. Could you please clarify what you need assistance with? For example, is it related to account management, billing, technical issues, or something else? Let me know so I can guide you to the right place.

Sara – 20:11

It will take too long to repeat it. Just read what is above, Sara           Billx – 20:11

I'm here to assist you! Could you please clarify your query or let me know how I can help? If it's related to account and billing, technical issues, cancellations, or anything else, feel free to provide a bit more detail so I can guide you to the right place.  Sara – 20:11

Are you going to waste my time again?    Billx – 20:12

I'm here to assist you as efficiently as possible. Could you let me know what you need help with today? This way, I can guide you to the right place straight away.      Sara – 20:12

We were previously talking about Last Caller Barring. It is not working.     Billx – 20:18

I understand you're experiencing issues with Last Caller Barring, which is related to your home phone service. Let me direct you to the appropriate assistance for this.      Sara – 20:18

We’ll help you manage calling features like Voicemail, Call Divert and CallSafe. Is this what you’re looking for? Yes or No

Sara – 20:18

Yes                                          Billx – 20:19

To begin, please select the Home Phone feature 👇

Anonymous Call Rejection, Voicemail, Caller Display, Call Waiting, Last Caller Barring, Three Way Calling, Call Diverts, Call Safe      Sara – 20:19

Last Caller Barring              Billx – 20:19

A perfect way to stop nuisance callers. You can use this feature to block unwanted numbers. Whenever someone tries to call you from a blocked number, they will hear a recorded message and you won't be disturbed by the call. Note: If you currently use CallSafe then this feature will not be available in My Account. Here's what you can do with Last Caller Barring.       Activate / Deactivate, Selective call rejection                       Sara – 20:19

Activate / Deactivate           Billx – 20:19

Simply log in to My Account Look for Last Caller Barring in the list of Boosts and features. ✅Tick the box to activate the feature ❌Remove the tick to deactivate the feature Save your changes by clicking the Update button at the bottom of the page. Was that information helpful?  Yes or No                   Sara – 20:19

No                                           Billx – 20:19

Looks like we'll need a helping hand with this one. I'll connect you to an expert who'll help with your enquiry.

I'm sorry but all of our experts are offline at the moment, please reach out again when they're back. Opening hours are: Mon - Fri: 8am - 9pm Saturday: 8am - 7pm Sunday: 9am - 7pm                                    Sara – 20:19

Conversation closed by the agent  – 20:20

[Billx]

I was trying to deal with this, this afternoon.

Here is a wonderful chat clown show. Can be regarded as good entertainment.

My conclusion is right at the end, if you want to go there first.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, 2025-11-15

Hi there! Welcome to TalkTalk. I’m Sara, your virtual assistant. Shall we quickly go through a few details to get started?

Get started                            Billx – 13:53

Hi, welcome to TalkTalk. This conversation will be recorded for training and monitoring purposes and may be used in the future to help us deal with your queries quicker. To find out how we will use your data, visit talktalk.co.uk/privacy. This conversation will be available to you for 30 days on the device, please note that if using a shared device this will remain visible on the browser you started the conversation on. You have the option to clear the conversation history by clicking the 3 dots at the top of this window and selecting ‘clear history      Info – 13:53

Can you please let me know if you're the account holder? Yes or No             Sara – 13:53

Yes                                          Billx – 13:53

What is your full name?     Sara – 13:53

Bill                                          Billx – 13:53

Just a quick step to help us identify you and get your account details – this will speed up the process and get you the help you need faster! I'll send a PIN number to you, and I'll need you to share it with me here. Let me check if I have your phone number first.

Please enter the mobile number registered to your TalkTalk account, without any spaces. For example: 07700900000 This is just for verification purposes so we can assist you effectively. Rest assured, your details will not be used for anything else.         Sara – 13:53

No mobile number. Do you want the email address?    Billx – 13:55

That doesn't look quite right. Let's try again...

Please enter the mobile number registered to your TalkTalk account, without any spaces. For example: 07700900000 This is just for verification purposes so we can assist you effectively. Rest assured; your details will not be used for anything else.         Sara – 13:55

I have no mobile phone       Billx – 13:55

What is your email address registered on your TalkTalk account? This is just for verification purposes so we can assist you effectively. Rest assured; your details will not be used for anything else.    Sara – 13:55

billx@talktalk.net                Billx – 13:56

billx@talktalk.net    Is this correct? Yes or No   Sara – 13:56

Yes                                          Billx – 13:56

Perfect. You should receive the PIN in a moment. Once you receive it, please share it here with me. I've not received it

Sara – 13:56

623061                                   Billx – 13:57

Thanks, I'll check this for you now

Great, I’ve checked them and we’re all good 👍, let’s get some final details and get you through to the team.

Hello! How can I assist you today?           Sara – 13:57

Regarding Last Caller Barring       Billx – 13:59

It seems like you might be referring to a feature or issue related to your home phone service. Let me route you to the right place for assistance with home phone services.

It sounds like you need assistance with a calling feature, specifically 'Last Caller Barring.' Let me route you to the appropriate resource for help with voicemail and calling features.

We’ll help you manage calling features like Voicemail, Call Divert and CallSafe.
Is this what you’re looking for? Yes or No           Sara – 13:59

Yes                                          Billx – 14:00

To begin, please select the Home Phone feature 👇

Anonymous Call Rejection, Voicemail. Caller Display, Call Waiting, Last Caller Barring, Three Way Calling, Call Diverts, Call Safe      Sara – 14:00

Last Caller Barring              Billx – 14:00

A perfect way to stop nuisance callers. You can use this feature to block unwanted numbers. Whenever someone tries to call you from a blocked number, they will hear a recorded message and you won't be disturbed by the call. Note: If you currently use CallSafe then this feature will not be available in My Account.

Here's what you can do with Last Caller Barring.

Activate / Deactivate, Selective call rejection     Sara – 14:00

Activate / Deactivate           Billx – 14:00

Simply log in to My Account Look for Last Caller Barring in the list of Boosts and features. ✅Tick the box to activate the feature ❌Remove the tick to deactivate the feature Save your changes by clicking the Update button at the bottom of the page. Was that information helpful? Yes or No  Sara – 14:00

No                                           Billx – 14:00

Looks like we'll need a helping hand with this one. I'll connect you to an expert who'll help with your enquiry.

Great, I'll get you to an expert.      Sara – 14:00

why the delay, Sara?            Billx – 14:04

didn't you hear me, Sara?   Billx – 14:06

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.  Info – 14:08

what's up, Sara?                   Billx – 14:08

try harder, Sara                    Billx – 14:15

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Info – 14:18

try harder, Sara                    Billx – 14:18

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Info – 14:25

try harder, Sara                    Billx – 14:26

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Info – 14:35

try harder. Sara                    Billx – 14:35

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Info – 14:42

try harder, Sara                    Billx – 14:42

keep trying, Sara                  Billx – 14:44

keep trying, Sara                  Billx – 14:47

keep trying, Sara                  Billx – 14:49

Thank you for your patience. All our experts are currently assisting other customers, and we are experiencing longer wait times than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Info – 14:52

keep trying, Sara                  Billx – 14:52

keep trying, Sara                  Billx – 15:00

You are now connected to a TalkTalk expert. They'll review all of the information you've provided so far and will reply to you within 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this window.         Info – 15:05

Good afternoon! You’re now connected to Jojie, a TalkTalk Technical Support Live representative. I apologise for the delay in responding to your chat; this is due to the high volume of chats we are currently experiencing. Could you please provide me with more details about your issue?            Jojie – 15:05

Have you got my MyAccount?        Billx – 15:06

I opened your account and noticed that you have a complaint case regarding your email issue. Could you please let me know if this is still a concern for you?          Jojie – 15:08

hello, Jojie. Have you got my MyAccount?          Billx – 15:08

Yes. But that is not the issue now.             Billx – 15:09

Could you please provide me with more details about your issue now?       Jojie – 15:10

Please listen carefully. I am trying to untick the Last Caller Barring setting in MyAccount. It is not working. Billx – 15:12

Regarding that, since this is the issue of your last caller barring with your MyAccount, I will now connect you to our MyAccount team for further assistance. Please be aware that there may be a wait time before you are connected to the next agent. Please do not close the chat while we help you find an available representative.        Jojie – 15:13

You are now connected to a TalkTalk expert. They'll review all of the information you've provided so far and will reply to you within 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this window.         Info – 15:13

keep trying                            Billx – 15:14

Good afternoon, Bill, and welcome to TalkTalk Customer Service. My name is Shiela, and I truly appreciate you reaching out today. I understand you're having some concerns with the last calling barring. I’ll do everything I can to look into this issue and find the best possible resolution for you. Let’s work through this together and ensure your concerns are fully addressed.   Shiela – 15:14

Hi Bill I am so sorry if you are having hard time about the caller barring no worries, I got you I will do my best to sort this with all the best I can do all I need is a chance.         Shiela – 15:15

go ahead Shiela                    Billx – 15:15

Thanks Bill allow me for a moment          Shiela – 15:16

Hi Bill thank you so much for your kind patience I check here the reason why you are unable to access or issues with your last caller barring since do you since there is a issued order on your account and this need to be sort first for us to know the status of your caller barring            Shiela – 15:22

Which is I need you to connect to our order management team to raise a ticket for this to sort everything     Shiela – 15:22

The reason why I want to untick Last Caller Barring setting is, because Last Caller Barring does not work/ When we are able to untick, we will then set it to ON. Please take note of this.            Billx – 15:22

Yes, please read above Bill that is the reason why it is not working  Shiela – 15:23

How long will this process take?  Billx – 15:24

No worries, bill our team will gonna check this for you.          Shiela – 15:24

How long will this process take?  Billx – 15:24

Order management? This is not a new account.            Billx – 15:27

You are now connected to a TalkTalk expert. They'll review all of the information you've provided so far and will reply to you within 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this window.                     Info – 15:28

keep trying                            Billx – 15:28

Hi Bill, good day. You are through to Leonar from TalkTalk Order Management Team. Thank you for getting in touch with us today. I can see that you are already verified by the other department. Therefore, this conversation is already authenticated, and no further verification is required. I will now proceed to investigate your order/account.     Leonar – 15:29

Hi, This is not a new account. Leonar      Billx – 15:30

Leonar, this is not a new account.             Billx – 15:32

Thank you for waiting patiently.   Leonar – 15:33

I understand that you are chatting with us because you are looking for assistance with the 'Last Caller Barring' feature on your TalkTalk account. We apologise for the inconvenience. No worries, I can look into this for you.  Leonar – 15:34

OK, good                                Billx – 15:35

That is spot on. It is not working. Billx – 15:37

I want to untick the setting, and then re-tick the setting to make it work.      Billx – 15:39

Thank you for your patience. Regarding the 'Last Caller Barring' feature on your TalkTalk account, this matter is unfortunately beyond our scope. Please stay on the line as I will connect you to our customer service and billing team.

Leonar – 15:41

You are now connected to a TalkTalk expert. They'll review all of the information you've provided so far and will reply to you within 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this window.         Info – 15:42

Hello, this is Rahim from TalkTalk customer service and billing department. I can see that you are connected with us regarding the last call barring feature issue. As you are connected with us, I will surely assist you with the best possibilities. Just allow me a moment to get through the previous conversation.           Rahim – 15:42

I want to untick the setting, and then re-tick the setting to make it work.      Billx – 15:43

Thank you for your reply, please do not worry we are here for you, just allow me a moment to get through the previous conversation.         Rahim – 15:43

Currently, the unticking is not successful          Billx – 15:44

Thank you for your reply. I have checked and can see that the last call barring is not active on your account. Would you like me to add this for you?           Rahim – 15:47

At first, Last Caller Barring did not work. Then the unticking did not work.             Billx – 15:48

Yes, off course. Please set it to ON. But it is already marked as ON in MyAccount.            Billx – 15:49

Thank you for your reply. Please do not worry; we are here for you. Just allow me a moment to get this chat connected to the dedicated team who will help you further.          Rahim – 15:50

You are now connected to a TalkTalk expert. They'll review all of the information you've provided so far and will reply to you within 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this window.         Info – 15:50

Hello, good day Bill. You are connected to the Order Management Team. This is Rohan! Let me review your previous conversations so I can assist you more effectively. In the meantime, please stay connected. Rohan – 15:51

How many teams need to deal with the same issue? Not very good, is it?    Billx – 15:52

----------------------End of chat-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Billx’s maths, Total time of this TalkTalk webchat :       15:52 - 13:53 = 2 hours 1 minute

Not long after I started the TalkTalk botchat with the TalkTalk chatbot, I called the TalkTalk telephone bot. So, I ran the 2 bots in tandem. Sometime towards the end of the 2 bot conversations, I got a response on the telephone bot from an agent. I excused myself on the telephone and said that I would like to hang up and continue with the chat call, instead.

After the end of the unfinished chat call, 2 hours 1 minute later , it all came to a crash. I don’t know exactly what happened. The chat call stopped and the links at the top of the chat box, including the transcript link, disappeared. Luckily the chat content had remained in the chat box, and I was able to manually select the whole content, copy it, save it and edit it.

[Billx]

OK @Gliwmaeden2 

[Gliwmaeden2]

Well, what you followed obviously didn't work either, @Billx, which is why the whole thing needs staff support and you can report the issue of the faulty instructions yourself. 

They are all that is available via the forum search engine. 

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2

This is how to get to right screen:
1. Log in to MyAccount
2. click/tap on your avatar
3. click/tap Profile & Settings (NOT Networks & Connections')
4. click/tap My Telephone Settings
This brings one to right screen: 'https://myaccount.talktalk.co.uk/myservices/myservices/view'
where you can tick/untick the 'Last Caller Barring' box and then the Update button.

So what is written in the article, and which you posted here, via your mobile, is not correct:

1. Login to My Account
2. Choose Networks & Connections from the navigation menu then My Telephone Settings
3. Tick the box next to Last Caller Barring
4. Save your changes by selecting the Update button at the bottom of the page

1. To get started, log into My Account
2. Choose Networks & Connections from the navigation menu then My Telephone Settings
2. Choose; Manage home phone Boosts
4. Tick the box next to Last Caller Barring
5. Save your changes by selecting the Update button at the bottom of the pag3

Besides, the instructions are duplicated, for no reason

It would be an idea, if you could remind the article writers.

Thanks

Bill

[Gliwmaeden2]

The type of Last Caller Barring is apparent from the content of the message, and it's a different voice, when you dial 14258, @Billx  - I never said it would be apparent in My Account. 

Hence my comments about whether you were inputting a number using formula instructions that require  # or the pin number formula. That's what distinguishes the newer My Caller Barring from the older type. 

But if you just get the answer that it's not even available, that's a whole different issue.

You would ALWAYS need to dial the number into the phone and wait for the response - never typing it all in ahead of dialling [your post #10 above].

So some of your experimenting couldn't work anyway. 

Posts in this thread are getting delayed showing....so I am going to abandon it. I hope the support agents can sort it out for you. 

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2 

Yes, that's what I did. yesterday evening. Unticked it.

But it has remained ticked today.

Yes I'll get in touch with them directly

Thanks

[Billx]

I don't think the version of the current version is visible on the customer side, @Gliwmaeden2 

I don't know why you asked me that.

[Gliwmaeden2]

So call 03451 720088 or use Chat to get an agent to remove it manually from your account and then try reapplying the boost after the weekend, @Billx.

Obviously nobody can help you with this unless they are Talktalk staff, and you need to get your individual case sorted - it's not a general wider issue.

Notice that there may be two areas that need unticking in My Account to remove / ticking to reapply:

 

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2 

OK, forget the 2 versions.

I now type 14258,

Press the dial button, and wait for a response.

The response is as above. Unavailable.

[Gliwmaeden2]

You are not making it clear what you mean by "versions", @Billx.

There can be only one form of Last Caller Barring available on your line.

So is yours the older or newer software for it?

Within the newer type, you can add the last caller number automatically by following the instructions or you can manually type in the number by following the instructions. 

Is that what you actually mean by "versions"?

Whatever, in reply to your original post, no the service has NOT been withdrawn and works perfectly well using the 14258 number. 

So it's not "down" for everyone and any follow up will need to be specific to your case.

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2 

Yesterday evening, I removed 'Last Caller Barring' from MyAccount', so I could later reset it to ON.

MyAccount gave the response 'It may take a couple of hours for this change to show in My package.'

I checked today, and the 'Last Caller Barring' setting is still ON, i.e. not removed.

So, this setting is not working on my system.

[Billx]

@Gliwmaeden2 

After I dial 14258, It reports that 'the service requested is not available'.

I have tried both versions, by typing 14258, then the code for one or other of the 2 versions, and then pressing the dial button, but I also tried, by typing 14258 only, pressing the dial button, then waiting for its response.

[Gliwmaeden2]

You shouldn't be able to try both, @Billx, as you should only follow the commands being given over the phone after dialling 14258.

It will only be one version or the other, as set up by Talktalk. I used to be on the pin number version. It suddenly turned into the # instruction version a few years ago.

I can't reverse the version, so I don't understand how you can say you are trying both just now. 

[Billx]

Yes, thanks @Gliwmaeden2 

I tried both #version and the pin number version. No luck.