Good Evening,

I complained to Co-Op regarding the use of 0844 numbers in both the Bank and Insurance arms, I finally received this response via e-mail:

"Dear Mr XXX

  Thank you for your e-mail received on 24 August 2012 in which you raised
  concerns with our decision to change our customer facing telephone
  numbers. I am sorry that you have had cause to complain.

  We believe the move from the 0845 number is both fairer and offers more
  transparency for our customers.  Call charges to you will be consistent
  and clear whatever time of day you call as there will be no peak and off
  peak charges and calls to 0844 numbers from a BT landline will cost no
  more than 5.1p per minute. Other network charges may vary and calls from
  mobiles vary depending on the network but will be considerably more.
  Therefore, we recommend you contact your phone provider for information
  in this regard.  The 0844 numbers will be accessible from abroad by
  replacing the initial zero with the international country code for the
  UK, +44.

  The new number will be introduced gradually to all our literature that is
  sent to customers and is available in our branches. The call charges are
  also clearly displayed on our website.  Although the numbers are
  changing, all our call centres will remain in the same location.

  However, as a result of feedback received from our customers, we are
  currently undertaking a review of our telephone numbers.  We appreciate
  that many customers will benefit from our new 0844 phone number and some
  will have packages with their phone providers which include preferential
  rates for 0845 numbers.  While this review is ongoing, customers will be
  able to ring either our original 0845 or our new 0844 telephone numbers.

  I note your comment that you feel we should use 03 numbers as they are
  charged at a standard geographical rate.  I can assure that this is one
  of the options which is being discussed as part of the review process in
  place.

  I would like to assure you that we continue to offer a range of free
  channels to service your account, including our branch network, which we
  expanded last year by introducing more than 200 new places to bank, our
  online banking service and our mobile banking application.

  Please be assured that we regularly review all of our policies and
  procedures.  Feedback from our customers plays a vital part in these
  reviews and I therefore thank you for bringing your concerns to our
  attention.

  I trust my letter clarifies this matter for you and you can regard this
  as our final response. However, if you have any new or further
  information, in relation to this complaint, that you would like me to
  consider please contact me on 0843 208 7391.


  If you remain dissatisfied you may refer your complaint to the Financial
  Ombudsman Service.  You must do this within six months from the date of
  this letter.  Further information can be found in the enclosed leaflet.

  Yours sincerely"

Apologies for the length of the response,

I would be most grateful for any idea's as to a suitable reply I can give them.

Thanks in Advance.

While 0844 or 0845 numbers might only be "pence per minute" to call from a landline, calls to 01, 02, and 03 numbers cost most callers nothing at all above their landline line rental cost.

From mobiles, calls to 0845 and especially 0844 and 0843 numbers have an added 'premium' that has to be paid. These calls are often 40 pence per minute from a mobile. From contract mobile phones 01, 02, and 03 numbers cost nothing at all above the mobile line rental cost.

They could avoid all this.

Point them at the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU which states they will have to change to an 01, 02 or 03 number anyway.

By quoting an 0843 number for you to call, he just doesn't get it.

As you can see from the Co-Operative Bank link here: http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/customerservices/contactus/phone-us

They advertise BOTH numbers with a small * - the advice reads: Call charges will depend on your phone provider, please consider this when deciding whether to call 0845 or 0844

Perhaps it should read: Call charges will depend on your phone provider, we had no idea what the charge was when we set the 0844 number up, but we know it's expensive!

I agree with you Ian G,

The "need" for 08 Non-Geographical numbers is solely for a business to direct it's calls and to have a "Non Geographic/UK Wide" presence.  However that does NOT mean that we the general public should have to pay through the nose for those "facilities"

If any company has a "need" to have a Non Geographic number then they should absorb the full cost! They should provide a Geographic Rate alternative, which can be accessed from ANY UK and overseas phone.

We have got into this unfortunate mess, as Ofcom have done SO little to actually manage it.  They have simply left it to the companies supplying these numbers to the business' and the business' themselves!

I can only hope that continued efforts and complaints from members of the public including on here, and the EU Directive will stamp out and sort out this sorry mess for once and for all.

Ian G wrote on Sep 15^th, 2013 at 2:05pm:


I am still unaware as to why the 03 numbers are charged at a per minute rate to the business or end party using the number.  Surely a better scheme would be to charge a monthly fee?! Perhaps this is one reason business' are reluctant to use these numbers and instead keep the 08 numbers and sometimes provide an 01/02 alternative.

It's just a thought.

Ian G wrote on Sep 15^th, 2013 at 3:41pm:


In which case perhaps the companies that have the NGN's need to be better informed!

I used 01618550011 successfully today to contact Co-op Bank Personal account enquiries (including Current Accounts, Savings and Loans)


08448 44 88 44 ==>> 01618550011