Does the iPhone have an option to send a particular number straight to 'voice mail'?

Don't think so. But this doesn't solve the problem. As uno confirmed my suspicions, you can send a text and make it appear to come from ANY number.

The best way forward in dealing with it is to blacklist every number by default (put all numbers in the category of don't vibrate alert, just store) and then for recognised numbers from the phone's address book, alert / vibrate only on those. This is the way forward in my view, and it looks like Andriod has some apps already that do just this, which is nice!

Yep - Android has numerous apps to control/filter your texts/calls.

I've just done a few searches and see Apple seem to be lacking in this...

I thought it was now illegal for the networks to activate an unregistered SIM?

Side issue 1 - you started saying Android but your fingers have since adopted a preferred typing sequence .

Side issue 2 - although I agree this is an issue, General Broadband Chatter? Nowt to do wiv it guv!

There is some sound advice in the responses so far (e.g. don't reply to the text, don't waste your time/money calling the number). One aspect is missing so far.

The process below applies to commercial nuisance calls/texts in general, not just to this particular case.

Any licenced UK telco must have a published complaints procedure, and in order to retain their licence and continue operating, they must take complaints seriously (just ask the Rev Kennard, if you as an AAISP customer haven't already been following his Rants).

Don't expect any telco's (probably outsourced) customer service agents to suggest using this procedure (even if they are trained on the existence of the complaints procedure).

So look up the operator in question (which in this case you already know}, and use their published complaints procedure to complain about the activities of one of their customers. Bear in mind that the offender may be faking the originating number.

Be brief, factual and polite, as it often isn't the telco's fault, but it is almost certainly their responsibility under the rules which govern their business and the contract between them and their customers.

Same goes for nuisance calls from 0845 and other premium/non-geographical UK numbers. If no other options exist (eg PhonePayPlus), use the Ofcom non-geographic number list [1] to find out who issued the number, and complain to them, briefly, courteously and factually.

Complain informally at first, but make it clear that you know what the legal obligations on the telco are.

Eventually the message might get through.

The message will get more effective if the folks abusing any given telco's service start costing the telcos more than the telcos make from them.

I've tried this twice, and twice the calls from the number in question have stopped. May be coincidence, maybe not.

Best of luck.

Btw, give Android a try. PAYG Androids are under £100; last year's low-budget winner was the ZTE Blade/Orange San Francisco, now superceded by the San Francisco II but in the meantime others have allegedly pulled ahead (no recommendations from me).

[1] http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/numbering/index.htm#s...

I tried calling up Vodafone about this issue, soon afterwards. Finally got through to someone. It sounded like he was on the beach, cause I could hear the sea wind in his mic-piece. Then he says "Hi, sorry, all our systems are down just now, so if you require customer support, I suggest you ring back later." No joke, which means, evidently, their systems had indeed gone down, and the fail-safe mechanism had routed my call onto an "on-call" person.

Crikey Charlie. Are Vodafone really that bad now?!

I then called up Orange about it. Couldn't be bothered waiting for their "press 1 for this, press 2 for that.." splurge, so pressed 0 repeatedly (00000...) about six or so times. Got put through to a human operator in about 10 seconds flat. I must remember that trick the next time I'm in a rush and can't be bothered wading through all their automated audio menus.

Thanks for the informative post, much appreciated.

Not sure if any if this will be of use.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_...

I make a point of always reporting it as I believe the problem of text spam is under reported and is a far bigger annoyance than the ICO realises.

Thanks, useful link! Just took 3 minutes of my time to report it. I don't expect much to happen, but it feels better to have submitted the details to them.

In reply to a post by mixt:

It sounded like he was on the beach, cause I could hear the sea wind in his mic-piece.

Very common call center issue, when you have a fan running..... When its too hot.

We have to keep turning ours off whn talking to customers.

There is such a thing as air-conditioning. Seems that also failed then.