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Did you get the UK Governments text test Alarm earlier?

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meJess · F
If you make a private agreement with a company for a service why is the government allowed to hijack it without your consent.

Imagine if they decided you had to give ride shares to civil servants for free.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@meJess What do you mean?

The government was not "highjacking" anything!

It called you from your service company, not used your phone to call others; and you do not pay for calls you receive.

This was a blanket alarm call to all suitable portable telephones on all portable telephone networks. It was to test a public alarm system similar to one used in some other countries to warn of potentially damaging weather events and the like.

It was not even a cold call because the test was well publicised in advance.

What you imply is that no-one must be allowed to telephone you, unless and until you have given them explicit, specific consent; because you have paid to be able to telephone them.
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I don't know what [i]number[/i]-G grade service was necessary, and it might not have worked on more basic portable telephones like my 3G instrument I have not linked to the 'Net. Nor was it sent to land-line 'phones. I have just turned on my 'phone for the first time since Friday night, and it shows having received no accompanying text message.
meJess · F
@ArishMell it’s a cold call, just because a company tells you they were going to send you a test of their service to your mobile phone that doesn’t allow them to do so. This should be an opt in not an opt out decision.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@meJess I defined a cold call as one made without notice.

I think you will find any telephone company has a perfect right to send you any communication it wants! Just as anyone does, in fact. In return for you having the right to ring anyone else.

If you have a portable 'phone and do not want to receive any call on it at any time... just switch it off over that time. Simple.

I keep receiving texts advertising [i]x [/i]minutes of free time if I top up by £[i]y[/i] in the next [i]z[/i] days. Since I spend barely £40 a year on it, I don't bother!

BT uses e-mails instead, trying to persuade me to buy some over-priced "smart"-'phone or subscription sports services; neither of which I want nor need.

However both companies are at liberty to send other service calls, and if that includes public-service alarms so be it. No different from the messages I receive from the doctor or dentist. I do not regard them as stealing anything from me, as you seem to fear.

As it happens this was a "call" from the Government, but you cannot necessarily pick and choose in advance who sends what to you. A call-barring service is reactive, by your choice after the fact; but even that might cover only private numbers, not service ones.
Hasmita · M
@meJess Because we live in a democracy which doesn't allow us to define what democracy means😕