Teenage telephone troubles (1 Viewer)

Hello

I was wondering if there is a device that someone could use on a PC or a box that hooks to the telephone line to block incoming or outgoing local numbers. I have 2 teenage daughters and they tie the phone up day and night all the time. When a call comes in through the callwaiting it goes unanswered, they never tell me when a call comes in. So now I am looking for other means to cut the numbers that tie up the phone line.

what I need is something that when a number is dialed
that it blocks the outgoing call and nothing happens. Also if this is possible when someone calls in and the number is blocked nothing happens or a way to get a recording added like.. were sorry the number you are calling has been disconnected or is no longer in service, If you have found this recording in error please hang up and try your call again. or something in that line.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I have tried time limits, times they can use the phone, But to no avail. They sneek in there bedroom and its a all day all night thing anymore..

Also I want something that they dont know I am doing it.
They are pretty bright and would figure out how to disable it.

I have time warner digital phone and I have my phone system
running on a cable modem. I did have a switch on the wall when they tied the phone line up (flick) and the phone was dead. Well they figured that out and moved the AC cord to the cable modem to another location to where the switch wouldnt work. So when I flipped the switch they would complain and head in the bedroom and was continuing making there calls (LOL) I needs help

You're the parent. Just tell them to stay off the damn phone and punish them if they don't. It's your house, set the rules and enforce them.

It sounds like they have no respect for you or your authority at all.


Why? Are you afraid of them?

If you insist on putting this burden off on someone else, or technological means, then check out something called "Call Intercept" that may be offered by your phone company.

Trust me (LOL) I have tried everything. Now to me the best thing to do is do it so they cant sneek it when I am not around.

Its about like setting what can be watched on TV, Or web sites. The parent has to go in and set up what can be seen and what cant. If you didnt set up guidlines - trust me most kids will watch anything and everything possible.

Hello and thanks Malcom

Time warner digital phone doesnt have any way to
block number incoming or outgoing except for
900 number and such. No services for blocking
local certain numbers that I need..

Make sure that the placement of the phone(s) is so that they wouldn't want to talk about "girl stuff", if you could overhear all their conversations then i'd guess some calls won't be made...

Forget cordless phones, if you have one then throw it out (to eliminate the possibility of sneaking away with the phone).

None of these things will work when you're not around, but you would at least have some control when you're at home.

Hello magnus

Thanks for the Info, I have tried and they end up
with telephones from somewhere????? I tell you I have tried it all (LOL) now going to another extreme of just blocking numbers completely. I will find a way to do this just need
to find the best way to do it

Why not get a second line? Should be about $15 a month, let them share... or make them do chores, or make wallets, or something to earn it.

Hello Bart

I could have doen that before but why should I have to do that. The 2 of them just dont listen and all they do is set on the phone for hours. Thats what I am also trying to change ..

Well hopefully I will find a device or a way to block these numbers incoming and outgoing local numbers.

Dave, is getting rid of the phone line an option? You could get a cell phone for yourself.

The Brady Bunch tried a pay phone once.

When you think about it, that might be a possibility! There is such a thing as private pay phones for business establishments. All the conveniences of a pay phone without it being owned by the phone company.

Allow them to get their own cell phones and don't allow them to use the home phone. Make them pay their own bills, that way if they talk too much they'll have to pay for it.

This won't cure the problem of them being on the phone all the time, but it will at least make them work (pay) for their phone time.

I feel for ya Dave........ You didn't mention their ages.......

I too have a prob with phone lines. My GF stays on the phone for hours and hours and I have found there is no answer to this dilemma. They simply feel it is their RIGHT. We are simple expected to accept it.......

With kids, sad as it seems, it appears that the disrespect for parental authority is very widespread and after it is a "set" deal and the kids reach a certain age, there doesn't seem anything we can do about it.

I too have tried different things and I must say the most troubling thing is the lack of respect shown to others in the household. There simply is no answer to this problem.........as you said, whatever you do gets circumvented......

The passive-aggressive thing to do is stay on the phone line (via another phone on the same line) while the girls are talking on the phone. Sooner or later, they'll get the message, or will be reluctant to talk about "stuff", or you could interject your own comments into their phone conversations, just for fun. Tell them you're waiting for a call, and don't want the call-waiting feature to be ignored since they have demonstrated no respect for you and your access to receive phone calls that you pay for on a monthly basis.

Or, you could pipe the conversations through your stereo system and really get their goat.

But, be the parent, set the limits.

Or, you could pipe the conversations through your stereo system and really get their goat. " Just thinking the same thing Patrick.

Pipe the phone calls through the house.

I love the pay phone idea, make it $1 a call, they wouldn't be calling out very often.

Would VOIP be of any use?? Simply lock out the computer(S) WHEN YOU AREN'T HOME. You can easily set up a call answer on your computer too!

Brent

Remove all the phone jacks from your house except for one in the main room. You can get plain wall covers for less than a $1 apiece. Hook a cordless to the one remaining jack and carry the handset in your pocket. When you leave, take the handset with you. Lock up any other phones.

If they bring one home, they won't have anywhere to plug it into.

Dave, you say that you have already tried everything. What have you tried exactly?

IMHO you need to be a little tougher on your kids.
If my kids constantly refused to answer the call waiting I would get myself a cell phone and cancel the house phone for a month!

That would get their attention.
Have you tried that?

It sounds like your children don't respect you at all.
Not trying to be harsh, just calling it as I see it.

Letting them walk all over you is not the way to gain their respect.

EDIT: Cancelling the phone will make it so that they won't have a line to tap into. They will be without a phone for a month regardless of what they do.

BTW, ^^^^ good post!

That's what I was thinking. They may be excited enough to have cell phones that they'll pay the bill.


With phone systems like this I believe that you can lock out a phone from the master phone. Also, if someone is on the line, and there is an incoming call, caller ID tells you who it is, so you want miss those calls even if no one answers.

I'm sure that for a fee, your phone service/company will block numbers.