We are obliged to let “proper” call centers and survey institutes through. However, you will respect them if you put a star on your phone number in the phone book and thereby make it clear that you do not want any advertising calls. You can do it via local.ch and I believe via our Kundencenter. Simply call up the help pages for the call filter.

Otherwise, simply deactivate Combox or call forwarding to it when you are abroad.

I can’t do anything more. Sorry.

Here we are in a thread that was opened last November, please note the dates of the posts.

My recommendations for using the Search app in this thread refer to domestic use. I specifically mentioned that this app accesses internet data to identify the call centers. This is usually associated with costs abroad. Addendum: The app only “works” in the phone, and not on the Combox.

Regarding the Link Institute, it should be specified that the survey institutes are not blocked by the Swisscom filter even if you have a star in the phone book. As a Swisscom subscription customer, you can enter any telephone number in your own blocked list.

Walter

Thank you again Guido

On the one hand, I understand that you have to “let them through”, but as a pre-paid cell phone user, I should at least have the opportunity to turn off these calls - all the same.

We don’t have our landline number. Our mobile numbers are still registered in a directory - are therefore “invisible” and actually want it to stay that way.
However, it is strange to me that you apparently have to make yourself “public” in order to add the * entry so that you can use it to indicate that you do not want any advertising calls.

It was explained to us at the time (at the beginning of 2017, when we settled back in CH) that our number would not be made public - it was voluntary and if it is not in a directory, no one will know about it.

The same with the pre-paid cell phone number, which is specifically the case here. Pre-paid numbers are never public - we were told this in 2014.

Deactivating Combox doesn’t make much sense, especially when abroad, as desired contacts can no longer reach us and you want/need/should stay connected to them, especially when you’re traveling.

I am of the opinion that there is a need for action on the part of Swisscom…

Kind regards

Esther

@Esther67

If you don’t need your cell phone to ring immediately when someone calls you abroad, it’s actually very useful to redirect all calls directly to Combox in Switzerland.

This will definitely save you the roaming costs for connecting callers to your cell phone abroad in Switzerland, which can be quite expensive depending on the country.

You can usually also have the Combox send you SMS messages, which you can then use to decide whether it is worth it for you to query the Combox from abroad (which is still cheaper than the return trip ) or call back directly.

Depending on your cell phone, direct redirection to Combox works a little differently. What actually always works is the direct network command:

**21*+4186079nnnnnnn#, where 079nnnnnnn is your 10-digit cell phone number. However, you should still send this command in the Swisscom network, for example at the airport shortly before you board.

If you then land back in Switzerland, the corresponding counter-order is:

##21#, and the direct redirection is canceled again.

You can also save the commands you need for your cell phone number directly in your cell phone’s address book and then easily use them routinely:

At the gate you not only switch to flight mode, but shortly beforehand you call “Combox directly on” from your address book, and when you land back in Switzerland, you not only switch your cell phone back on, but also briefly call “Combox directly out.” " so that your cell phone rings again straight away in Switzerland.

It’s about time that swisscom’s pre-paid customers, who have been loyal for years, could also activate a call center block. For the past three days I have been harassed up to seven times a day by different numbers from Great Britain. With prepaid I have to block each call individually. Does anyone know this English company, this English call center?

You can find information about annoying callers at Tellows.ch. Even if you type the phone number into the search field on Google, you will usually find relevant information for chronic troublemakers.

In this thread you will find information that you may have to wait until 2019 until the call filter also works with prepaid. Maybe you can use the “Search.CH” app until then, but it needs some data access.

Walter

2018 is now over and we are already halfway through 2019. I am abroad and pay every time a call center calls me. By the way, even if I refuse or am not available. (Which is illogical in itself) how long do I have to wait to use this filter with my prepaid subscription?

@Stephanb

Then in any case you have to switch off Combox abroad. Then you don’t pay anything unless you answer.

It would actually be very desirable if Swisscom also activated this call filter for prepaid offers.

But if I look outside the box. To date, the other major providers have no such filter at all, neither in the mobile nor in the landline network. Whether, Sunrise, upc, Salt etc… Completely incomprehensible.

Since I was harassed again by a call center despite the star entry, I’m digging up this thread again. It’s perfect that you can easily switch on a call filter with Swisscom! When will it also be available for prepaid customers? At the end of 2017 it was postponed until 2018/2019. What does 2020 look like?

I just read this thread. I also have a Swisscom Pre Paid SIM card.

I get harassed with up to six advertising calls every day. So I wanted to put “Callfilter”. Inquiry via Swisscom chat resulted in: Incompetent know-it-all attitude! Reference was made to the “Cockpit” function. This is where you should set these “call filters”.

But oh wonder: it doesn’t work with a pre-paid SIM card! And that in October 2020! Instead, the “instructions” for “setting a call filter” assume that you have a “full subscription”. There is not even a hint that you cannot use this function as a pre-paid customer. That’s it, I’ll put it this way: awesome….ow!!!!

Greetings to Swisscom

Werner

Install the Local.ch app. Has a built-in ad blocker for calls.

And how does this work with a senior cell phone (not a smartphone) with a prepaid SIM card from Swisscom on which you cannot install an app?

Of course it doesn’t work.

It’s always a problem with senior cell phones. The philosophy of “as simple as possible and as few functions as necessary” is generally not bad, but sooner or later the desire for one or another function/app arises and then you end up with such a device.

That’s why I generally don’t recommend a senior cell phone to people over 80 but rather a SmartPhone from Apple, as these are a little easier and more logical to use than the Androids. And to be honest, I’ve had good experiences. Depending on the person, it only takes a few days to get to know the most common functions, for others it takes longer. In the meantime, in addition to Swisscom, many retirement centers and communities also offer SmartPhone courses especially for seniors. In our village it is always a complete success.

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@hed wrote:

….That’s why I generally don’t recommend a senior cell phone to people over 80 but rather a smartphone from Apple, as it’s a bit easier….

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It’s just a question of budget.

The SE2 also doesn’t cost less than 420 Stutz… not everyone can afford it…

I hear the price as an argument in a maximum of 10% of cases, but there is certainly still an unreported number because not everyone wants to admit that they can’t afford a smartphone. In all other cases it is always the fear of complexity. because you were used to a device with buttons. Nevertheless, I consider it a useful brain training, especially for older people, if they also deal with modern technology and not just crossword puzzles.

Actually, this isn’t about (senior) cell phones or smartphones, but about call filters for cell phones, and in this context then about prepaid and people like that (seniors or not) and cell phones vs. smartphones… Whatever, prepaid Customers or people with a cell phone that cannot be installed with apps continue to look into the tube when it comes to the call filter (or ones).

Hello @Sunnyboy67

You can also activate a call fiter on your cell phone:

Either via the browser or hotline:

https://cockpit.swisscom.ch/Postpaid/CallSettings

I can’t tell you whether this works with every subscription.

Try it.

If the cell phone is connected to WiFi, you have to confirm it with SMS.

And it should also work from the PC, you just have to confirm it with an SMS,

Greetings Lorenz