A few days ago I entered a number for a branch of Comet in the 'add to list' - but as yet it is not appearing.
Could we have an estimate of how long it normally takes, I realise moderators are busy and this is not a criticism, merely a request.
Thanks

I'm so glad !!  >:(  It could be anything from same day to 3 weeks depending on lots of things !

If you want to check a number there's nothing stopping YOU looking in the Unchecked Numbers list if you're that desperate to see it in print !

You wouldn't believe the DROSS I have to get thru in the unchecked list before they get to the Live database . . . . .
# Blank entries.
# Phone Numbers with NO data.
# Names with 0870/45 numbers ONLY.
# WRONG names with numbers.
# REPEATED entries because I haven't verified it quickly enough.
# Numbers that are TOO long & don't work.
# People posting requested numbers, adding them to the list, for me to discover it's been dead for ages !
# More BLANK entries !
# 8 hours in the working day when people are at work & will talk to you.
# 5 days in a working week (etc., etc.) . . . .
# People asking Silly questions that have to be replied to instead of checking numbers are VALID !  :-X

Why can't I have my name in lights for the numbers I've supplied. I want a medal TOO !!  I wan't, I wan't, I wan't !!  Gimme !  Gimme !  Gimme !

Anyway, why can't I have a day off now & again ??

Just in case you're interested (which you're probably NOT !) I happen to have a business to run as well, & this is end of quarter for VAT, plus end of month (wages, etc.) so when I get a ROUND TUIT it will be put in the Verified List (That is IF IT WORKS or anybody bothers to answer !!).   :'(

Can't I even have a nervous breakdown in peace !?  

Be aware that this contributors warped comments in NO way reflect those of this site. Please view the post as a WHOLE to understand the contributors intent.
Suitably beaten with BIG stick !! http://www.fendeal.btinternet.co.uk/pics/grr10.gif

I simply asked, as I made absolutely clear, a reasonable question and not a criticism of you.

To be then subjected to the tirade of nonsense and called a PRATT by someone who obviously has the manners of a hog (sorry hogs, no offence to yourselves) hardly encourages members to support  this forum.  

You are not alone in having other business interests, my accountants also complain bitterly about 'overload' at our 'year-end' - but they don't give up on their other interests and call people names in spiteful retaliation - for what?? - asking a perfectly reasonable question!

That type of childish ranting should have no place among members, particularly coming from a MODERATOR who is supposed to monitor behaviour on the forum.  The lunatics appear to have taken over the asylum.

If you cannot stand the heat, get OUT of the kitchen!!

ps Business can't be that good if you have time to do a lengthy diatribe like that - or do I suspect you just love the sound of your own voice? ;D

Dave M you're a hero. Thank you for setting up this site and for all the work you do for all of us.I must say that it's extremely satisfying to find the geographic number and dial it on 18866 especially when you can put the phone on speakerphone and let them keep you hanging on for up to 15 minutes until you get through to the right department .Keep up the good work and if it helps to blow off steam once in a while just do it.

OK DaveM, so you have a go at people who don't help us or themselves by not looking in the listings or not giving us addresses etc etc, but omy is a regular member and was asking a legit question.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was 2am.

Reggie.

We are all grateful for the website and info, and the moderators who give time to 'run the show' - and we all need to 'blow off steam' from time to time.

BUT - need the moderator be so vindictive towards a member who asked a perfectly reasonable question?  Please look at the original post I made,  does it not ask the question politely, realises the work the moderators do and specifically says that it IS NOT a criticism?

Why should I be called a pratt?  Who will be next in line? Why should members risk contributing if they may be harangued by a MODERATOR/

Reggie: Sorry but it's Daniels baby - I just lend a hand, & throw in an occasional controversial post (tic).

Omy: You complained about the lack of ACTION lately so I just added some - sorry it just happened to be directed at you. I've amended the post above to massage the wounded pride !!   ;D

DaveM - You really do seem to have a problem, warped mind or not!
However I still reckon people will think twice about adding to this site discussions if they never know when you are going to 'sound off'.
Also very neat to amend the previous post so that nobody coming on the discussion now will realise what ACTUALLY went before.  I know now that I am not alone in thinking you are unfit for the Moderator position until you can curb your anger.

This is not directed at anyone, and I am only new to posting here so I don't know what has gone on before.

Just one point.

If Joe Public can't find a number to save himself 5p a minute then he shouldn't make such a song and dance about asking how long it will take - afterall, people only come here because they have given up trying to find it themselves.

I use a different approach - if a business only gives out 0870 numbers then I find an alternate supplier.

I have an 0800 number on an answerphone but I never answer it because it is cheaper for me to phone people back than to talk to them at 6p a minute plus VAT. (I advertise it as an answerphone so I get really upset when I have paid for the call and there is no message.)

Well, that is my little rant.

bgezine -  just to clarify for you - I had found an alternative number to an 0870 which I wanted to share with the other members by adding to the list.
I went thru the procedure, but after a few days it had not come onto the list, so I posted the question that started this link - being then totally shattered at the reply from the Moderator.
I was only asking for a reply such as "about a week" or similar, so that I could know for future reference (it was my first 'adding to the list').
Instead I am called a stupid pratt, and subjected to the railings of a 'disturbed?' mind.
It will be the last time I attempt to help others through this site if that is the way you are treated, when you ask a perfectly reasonable question!!!

[quote author=omy  link=1096090701/0#10 date=1096458949]bgezine -Instead I am called a stupid pratt, and subjected to the railings of a 'disturbed?' mind.
[/quote]

Omy..I am a fairly new user to this site but still think  this site is a Godsend for the people who like me are trying to save £££'s!! My only concern as you seem to say was your original message was somehow 'modified'??? As mentioned above in the quote...did he really call you a pratt??? :(

If that is the case then I think a serious lobbying effort should be put in place to remove this 'so called moderator' for modifiying your comments #1... and #2 for causing you distress! I am sure I will probably get bumped for this comment but stuff them if they can't take some constructive criticism >:( >:( >:( Pity you didn't copy and paste whatever he originally said to you love!

SORRY BUT REALLY GETS THE DEMON IN ME GOING!!!!!!!!!!


ALL COMMENT MOST WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, exmodel, I can assure you he did say that!
His original 'rant' to me was at 1-53am.
This was edited at 2-37pm (nearly 12 hours later), so all the members who posted (and others, I presume) BEFORE that time would also have seen it - Reggie, Heinz & Dave posted replies, so must have  - so I'm not imagining it.
DaveM himself also accepts he edited to "massage my wounded pride" in his #7 post.

On your other point about advertising, I also mentioned this in my post labelled "Gamekeeper turned Poacher  ", on this site, so we must think along the same lines??
Cheers.

HEINZ YOU GOT THAT ONE DAMN STRAIGHT...DON'T BE FOBBED OFF WITH SULLEN EXCUSE OF WEB PROVIDER PROBLEMS. THESE IDIOTS KNOW EXACTLY WHO THEIR PAYCHECK IS COMING FROM.

AND IF IT MEANS I AM SHOUTING JUST BECAUSE I AM TYPING ALL IN CAPS THEN SO BE IT!!! HYPOCRISY BE DAMNED!! IS THIS A SITE TO HELP OR HENDER PEOPLE LIKE OURSELVES??? BUMP ME IF YOU DARE MODERATOR BUT I SHALL ME ON TO MY MATE, YES, MARTIN LEWIS, WHO I KNOW VERY WELL TO MAKE SURE HIS SITE NEVER RECOMMENDS YOU AGAIN UNLESS YOU COME UP WITH A DECENT ANSWER TODAY AND NOW!!!!!!!!!

I think enough has been said regarding this.

If you were offended, then an apology has been made - accept it and move on.

The whole point of this site is to help each other by providing an alternative to 0870 numbers and the like.


Quote:

It will be the last time I attempt to help others through this site if that is the way you are treated, when you ask a perfectly reasonable question!!!

Why are you still contributing to this site if you feel the way you do.  At the end of the day, this is a free site for the exchange of information, from which we all gain from.


Quote:

If that is the case then I think a serious lobbying effort should be put in place to remove this 'so called moderator' for modifiying your comments #1... and #2 for causing you distress! I am sure I will probably get bumped for this comment but stuff them if they can't take some constructive criticism    Pity you didn't copy and paste whatever he originally said to you love!

 From what I can see #1 has NOT been modified!  As for thinking 'a serious lobbying effort should be made....' .....Why?  It's quite ironic really that this thread is called 'How long to verify a number?', and there are people calling for one of the (very few) people who verifies the numbers to be given the push.  And what  does this achieve?  Do you think that numbers are going to be verified quicker, with less people verifying?

A lot of effort is put in by very many contributors on this site and I'm sure it will continue to succeed.  But please remember nobody is forced to use this site.  Like any other adventure, if you are not pleased with the service offered, you are welcome to seek elsewhere.  Or yes, I almost forgot, there is no 'elsewhere' that I know of!  This is the only site of it's kind, that I've been able to find.

One last word on this, I think enough has been said about DaveM, to lobby for his removal, what a joke!  This isn't Election '04 - he's not accountable to any of us.  He does a good job, so let him consentrate at what he does best here - tracking down alternatives to rip off numbers.

As to the adverts - what's the problem?  You are not forced to follow any link.  And be thankful that they are not pop-ups!!

Too much time has been wasted on this now, let's get back to what this site does best - find the alternatives.

I will try and explain the reasonings behind this, and also the discussions regarding DaveM's reply to the poster original question.

1)  Banner Adverts

My website is not selling advert space to 0870 companies, and they are not sponsoring it.

The site is offered as a FREE service to everyone (including you), and does have running costs - I'm sure most people don't mind what is on a banner advert, if they are getting a free service in return.

Google do not currently have a way to block certain categories of adverts, although I have been manually blocking certain websites myself.  

Google adverts are randomly displayed based on the words used on a particular page, which is why different adverts appear on different pages.  - I have actually had positive comments regarding the adverts for 0870 numbers, that have slipped through my manual blocks.  It actually shows consumers how much money companies can make by using these numbers.

2)  DaveM
SAYNOTO0870.COM is a personal site that is run by myself (Daniel - Administrator).  Although there are a lot of regular visiters contributing to the site (which we are all thankful too), DaveM has been working through the entire database (over 2,000 numbers) correcting, testing, changing categories, and basically tidying up all the entries.

His efforts are greatly appreciated, and he spends hours of his own personal time helping the site, which in turn helps others.

I do agree that his original (non-modified) post may have been seen as over the top, and DaveM has since apologised for this.

I think this issue has been discussed quite a lot now, so lets all try and get on together, as the aim of the site is to help each other, and the forums are here in order to communicate with one another.

Thanks again
Daniel
SAYNOTO0870.COM (Administrator)

Pauld, if the invective had been directed at YOU, would the 'apology' that you say DaveM made have satisfied you?? I think not.
Heinz was correct, the Tony Blair school of apology, and Heinz was one of those who saw the original post and demanded an apology immediately - which was not forthcoming.
However it is over - til' the next time, I suppose.

Yeah OMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...as for the santimonious Pauld...do us a favour and get stuffed mate!!! Rubbish isn't what we want to here, just a clear apology to OMY.

He/she stated his/her case clearly and deserves the apology from the orignial perpetrator who decided on his own behalf to not only alter, but to modifiy his tracks thus covering up his oiriginal sin!!!! Which I might add the other moderator has since admitted!

I agree with the notion of getting on with battling the conglamerates and not  amongst us!!!But at the same time if you ain't got nothing to say intelligent then please shut up!! ENOUGH SAID!!!

OMY has/had a valid point which should be addressed properly and until then this sight remains sceptical at most!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Amen!

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2004 at 5:03pm:

As to the adverts - what's the problem?  You are not forced to follow any link.  And be thankful that they are not pop-ups!!

Well said pauld (aka nit picker deluxe) well what do you expect from someone in Wales? ROFL?

As far as I can see the end of lists adverts are there to supposedly support this site...so answer that one oh great Obi wan Kenaobi!!!??? Or are you soooooooo cheap as to not want to support the site in the first place??? Considering you alledged devotion..........

put up or please shut up!

How long to verify a number??????????...by the time any one reads this thread about as long as a piece of string! Apologies sought, apologies missed...some cretins adding their own insight and some intelligent people adding theirs!!

Time to get back to the scheme of thing before people start to really get nasty on this thread okay? I proppose some sort of truce..at least for the time being...okay girls& guys!!!??

No matter what our differences we are ALL her to save some dosh at the end of the day without petty  differences interfering. Wee or Noi??? Set your differences aside and look at the savings we have ALL made..then be happy! OK?

exmodel, It seems to me by the tone of your last 4 posts that you are not shy with outbursts of insulting talk. You never give up, do you!! It wouldn't surprise me that you are an employee of one of the sites selling 0870 numbers trying to stir up trouble for this very good & helpful site. Now you can have a go at me with your invectives, since you seem to enjoy doing just that. As for DaveM he spends a lot of time working for this site, and he's helped me out several times. But as I said maybe that's your gameplan to wreck the site by attempting to get rid of one of the main contributors to it. And yes I did read the original unmodified post from DaveM. Why don't you just lay off & post something constructive instead of acting like a s..t disturber!!!

Point taken and many apologies to anyone I may have upset. Oh and by the way as I am retired and have been for the past 17 years that hardly qualifies me as an employee of any of those 0870 companies...LOL.

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2004 at 7:37pm:

Well said pauld (aka nit picker deluxe) well what do you expect from someone in Wales? ROFL?

What's wrong with living in Wales? >:(

wrote on Sep 27^th, 2004 at 3:58pm:

DaveM - You really do seem to have a problem, warped mind or not! However I still reckon people will think twice about adding to this site discussions if they never know when you are going to 'sound off'. Also very neat to amend the previous post so that nobody coming on the discussion now will realise what ACTUALLY went before.  I know now that I am not alone in thinking you are unfit for the Moderator position until you can curb your anger.

omy,

I think what you have been subjected to is quite inexcusable and your original query was more than justified given the huge logjam in numbers getting verified quickly.  Also the lead time is a lot more than 2 or 3 weeks in my opinion.  Its really more like 2 or 3 months.

The problem is that the two Daves and Daniel want to keep this site as their baby and are jealous of letting anyone else in through the front door to help them.

There are lots of us willing to help but do they organise a get together in a pub to get to know the other main site supporters, or do they encourage those who have posted the most here in the forum to join them in the number checking process.  No they do not.

So then they feel they are martyrs and that no one else's views are as valuable as their own.

What they really need to do is to get commerical sponsorship from someone like 1899 or 18866 to start paying a person or two to verify these numbers on a more commercial basis.  Obviously the more geographic numbers this site has the more people will use 1899 and 18866 and the more their business will grow.

But the owner of this site hardly ever makes a post now and the two Daves just seem to do more or less as they please although its only really one of the two Daves who seems to have the big chip on his shoulder.

wrote on May 20^th, 2005 at 1:52pm:

The problem is that the two Daves and Daniel want to keep this site as their baby and are jealous of letting anyone else in through the front door to help them.

What tosh you speak! I was asked to be a moderator and number checker by Daniel.

As for DaveM...

wrote on Sep 27^th, 2004 at 2:53pm:

Reggie: Sorry but it's Daniels baby - I just lend a hand, & throw in an occasional controversial post (tic).

wrote on May 20^th, 2005 at 1:52pm:

There are lots of us willing to help but do they organise a get together in a pub to get to know the other main site supporters, or do they encourage those who have posted the most here in the forum to join them in the number checking process.  No they do not.

There are a number of regular contributers, including yourself who I, personally, would like to see on board checking numbers and doing other tasks to maintain the campaign. I have posted my own views on what we should do with the site in How can we improve Saynoto0870?

I have recently put an introduction to the rip-off in the Geographical Chat section, as well as some information on pricing and UK numbering. This is the sort of information I feel that the site is lacking. The forum discusses these topics, but threads get pushed down and the 'meat' (such as what the scam is about) that passing visitors and new members are after is hard to find. The fact that this sort of information isn't the easiest to find may mean that some will simply go away.


wrote on May 20^th, 2005 at 1:52pm:

So then they feel they are martyrs and that no one else's views are as valuable as their own. ... But the owner of this site hardly ever makes a post now and the two Daves just seem to do more or less as they please...

What are you talking about? When have I stopped you putting your views on the site? I've deleted/moved a few posts/threads to tidy the place up.

Dave,

My previous post was possibly a little in haste having belatedly seen the very unfair way omy was treated while ago by the other Dave.  It is rather unfortunate that you and he share the same first name as it makes it rather difficult for the rest of us to remember which of you is which?  Have you ever considered adopting a forum pseudonym to make life easier.  I believe it happens a lot in the telesales world.

Also on checking the unverified numbers section today I was a little annoyed to see my TopUpTv entry merely deleted since that number has now also gone from Directory Enquiries and I didn't keep a copy for myself.   I was told that adding it to Verified section might be difficult but I don't see why as long as it had been listed as the marketing, finance and management office of TopUpTv and not the customer service centre?

You Say Daniel asked you and the other two Daves to help out but he doesn't now seem to ask anyone else to do so or participate much in the forum himself.

A social get together has to be the answer as then he would get to meet the other regulars and size them up and see if they were likely to be of any use to the forum.

I would presume that you and the other Dave knew Daniel previously outside of the forum/website which is why he asked you to get involved?  It seems rather a shame that other keen forum members tend to find it rather difficult to become equally involved.

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2004 at 7:37pm:

Well said pauld (aka nit picker deluxe) well what do you expect from someone in Wales? ROFL?

I'm still wating to hear what's wrong with being in Wales >:( >:( >:(

wrote on May 20^th, 2005 at 5:39pm:

I'm still wating to hear what's wrong with being in Wales >:( >:( >:(

You mean you don't know. ;)

Hi. I've posted a fair few geographical alternative numbers for UGC/Cineworld Cinemas that I know work on two separate occasions and they have never been posted on the main search engine. Could anyone explain why please?

Also what do we do when we find an out of date alternative phone number link, because I've found quite a few now.

Thanks.


Foxy.

I know Dave & DaveM obviously put a lot of work into this site in their own time, and must have limited time available - And many thanks to them for all the time they obviously do spend on this.

Nevertheless, it would be helpful to have some understanding of how / when numbers are verified / moved / deleted / etc..

Two different people (Foxy & nkitson - sorry, haven't worked out how to link to individual messages) have today raised similar issues, and rather than just move Foxy's post to another thread posing related unanswered questions, it would be helpful to see some kind of response, PLEASE.

Otherwise, people get discouraged from contributing and/or people's time is wasted trying numbers known to be no longer in use, etc..

People have given offers to help out with the number checking in the past but effectively they are only met with luke warm enthusiasm.

Basically the numbers remain in the Unverified list forever as far as I can see unless people complain about them remaining there or it is one that Dave, DaveM or Daniel themselves care about.

You can accesss the Unverified List via the non obvious "List Unverified Entries" button at the bottom of the "Search to Find an Alternative Number" page.  This is a big list so anyone using dial up is not going to be very happy.

It would be good to have a statement from Daniel on this matter.

wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 12:51pm:

Basically the numbers remain in the Unverified list forever ...

Yes, I was coming to that conclusion! :(
But it's one thing for the numbers to be there and vaguely searchable - it's another thing then to find out that the numbers are no longer valid and for several people to waste time and consequently lose confidence in the site.


wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 12:51pm:

You can accesss the Unverified List via the non obvious "List Unverified Entries" button at the bottom of the "Search to Find an Alternative Number" page.  This is a big list so anyone using dial up is not going to be very happy.

Thanks.  I had found that out.
Also, after not finding something there by scrolling down the alphabetic list, and then later looking again and finding it after all, I realised that there are at least TWO consecutive alphabetic lists to look through if you do it by scrolling. :-/
Also again, I found out how long the list is and how long it takes to load (even on broadband - ok, my computer's slow as well!), after doing a Ctrl-F to find an entry, finding nothing - and again later finding it after all and realising that the first 'Find' was negative because the list hadn't finished loading! :'(


wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 12:51pm:

It would be good to have a statement from Daniel on this matter.

I endorse that request.

oi its hard to verify the numbers. We dont all have unlimited time. I know I dont, having to visit voters in my ward who are also starting to moan to me about the 0870 rip off.
Im currently working thru the argos and CPW numbers, most of them dont connect or never get answered.

Why dont you volunteer to help clear the list?

I think the Unverified List does have in its favour that you add a number to the system and it is there for use immediately.  OK so some of them don't work but then nor do many of those in the so called Verified List with the passage of time.

The final routing destination of the geographic alternative in large organisations is inevitably likely to change sooner or later and so not lead to the service needed (it is in the nature of the way many NGN call centres are run) so in my view the more alternatives the merrier.

I think the Unverified List should be able to be searched along with the Verified in one query but the Unverified results would show their different provisional status by using a different colour and showing some kind of symbol against them.

Its clear that with the ever growing list of 084/7s in use no one can keep the list pefect so letting it be run by all of the site's users is the best way.  I would also give rights to delete or amend an existing number in the database to the person who originally added it.  Numbers should only be able to be added once logged in under a user name and password.  Then if most of one particular contributors work is found to be suspect those numbers can be easily removed.

Do those sound like some positive suggestions as to how to make more of the knowm alternatives available more quickly?

mc661 wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 1:46pm:

oi its hard to verify the numbers. We dont all have unlimited time.

I don't dispute that - hence my starting with an acknowledgement of the time taken and with thanks in my first message in this thread.  I'm sorry if I caused offence. :'(


mc661 wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 1:46pm:

Im currently working thru the argos and CPW numbers, most of them dont connect or never get answered. Why dont you volunteer to help clear the list?

Thank you!  I had inferred from NGM's previous answer:

wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 12:51pm:

People have given offers to help out with the number checking in the past but effectively they are only met with luke warm enthusiasm.

and earlier comments in the thread, that offers of help from others were not appreciated.  I had actually thought of offering to help when I have time, and have tried to do a little bit in that direction with a few numbers added to the DB or in messages and occasional searching in response to requests.

As I said in my first post, my comments were actually triggered by nkitson & Foxy's posts:

Foxy wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2006 at 11:09am:

what do we do when we find an out of date alternative phone number link, because I've found quite a few now.

My concerns were / are not so much positive confirmation of geo numbers, but removal (or at least annotation) of numbers reported as incorrect or dead, etc..  Presumably even some of those in the Verified List do become out of date.

NGM's latest response has been posted since I started this reply, and follows my own line of thinking (altho' I hadn't actually said this), and I would endorse the gist of his suggestions.

I think positive confirmation of numbers by someone working through them would be a 'nice to have' but is not realistic in view of the size of the DB and the increasing awareness of the issues.

Positive or negative confirmation by someone who has actually tried to use the number would be extremely helpful, would spread the load, and would largely remove tedious formal verification.

I can quite see that when the list was started it was a good objective to have a verified list.  But realistically the site seems to have grown beyond that now, and some 'regulated' updating by all/many users would seem appropriate.  Then DB upkeep could be aimed more at ensuring consistency of company names and information, rather than actual verification of numbers.

I think I might even go further than NGM and suggest that maybe there is no longer any useful purpose in mainly two separate lists - and that the Verified and Unverified lists should be merged, especially as it seems that it is not practical even to keep the Verified list up to date now.

I hope these are some constructive comments. :)

I recommend (AGAIN) a simple (well, it would be) solution:

Just incorporate the verified and unverified lists into one (alphabeticise them all and colour-code the text [red = warning] on those which are not verified).

That's been suggested before but, although a number of members agreed it was a way out of the impasse (this was at a time when the unverified list was considerably smaller than it is now), nothing happened.

As a result, new visitors to the site don't find (possible) alternative numbers.

I added a number for the railway switchboard (for connection to any railway location) a little while back and it hasn't appeared on the list.  I know the number works and was just wondering whether there was a problem with verification?

Hi intercity125,

Unfortunately, the delay with verifying a number can be a while.

A lot of numbers are added each day and as such the unverified list is very long now.  This, associated with checking for duplicates that are already in the main database (or indeed duplicates that are still unverified) can take a while.

bbb_uk wrote on May 6^th, 2006 at 5:14pm:

Hi intercity125, Unfortunately, the delay with verifying a number can be a while. A lot of numbers are added each day and as such the unverified list is very long now.  This, associated with checking for duplicates that are already in the main database (or indeed duplicates that are still unverified) can take a while.

bbb can you define "a while" as in my experience it can be forever.  Dave's normal position is to promote a number to the main database when someone makes a complaint so as to avoid the complainant becoming too upset.

The whole situation with the list of NGN alternative numbers needs to be completely reworked so that it is only a single list but with numbers marked as verified or unverified so the users of them can know what level of confidence in them they can expect.

Another problem not mentioned is that many verified members become defunct due to their withdrawal by the call centres concerned, especially in the case of Sky who are now utterly ruthless in repeatedly withdrawing any NGN alternative number that is uncovered.  But at present there is no way for a number in the so called verified database to be marked as dead by database users or at least reported to DaveM or whoever when this occurs.

The alleged owner of this site Daniel - has made no statements in this forum for weeks or months and it is high time that he did so on this very important issue rather than spending all his time on arranging for new and more lucrative banner ad click thrus. :o

wrote on May 6^th, 2006 at 6:04pm:

The whole situation with the list of NGN alternative numbers needs to be completely reworked so that it is only a single list but with numbers marked as verified or unverified so the users of them can know what level of confidence in them they can expect.

Daniel has already begun working on this now.


Quote:

Another problem not mentioned is that many verified members become defunct due to their withdrawal by the call centres concerned, especially in the case of Sky who are now utterly ruthless in repeatedly withdrawing any NGN alternative number that is uncovered.  But at present there is no way for a number in the so called verified database to be marked as dead by database users or at least reported to DaveM or whoever when this occurs.

I agree (especially at how ruthless Sky are) and although not ideal forum users could post in the relevant thread for the company concerned in the 'Geographical Request' section, or 'Site Related' section and then it will be noticed and the entry then removed/amended (where necessary).

Hi all!

At the risk of being called a rude newbie, how hard is it to get a number checked? I added a phone number for a Toyota garage (both the 0870 and geographical no.) 2months ago and went to search for it again cos I lost it and it's still not searchable!

Pick up phone, dial number, wait for answer "Hello, x. company, how can I help you?". Hang up. VERIFIED.
I typically make 100 phone calls a day and wouldn't mind helping out to verify some of those numbers.

Complaining that you don't have the time to do something because you have a business to run is utter rubbish. If you can't afford the time to do something or are too tired of it, then you should hand over the reigns to someone else who is more willing. Evidentally there are dozens of people on this forum willing to do that, provided that they can win the trust of the website owner. Why not make some of them "provisional number checkers" for the time being? It will free your hands to run your business/own activities more effectively.

Wikipedia.org is THE biggest and most successful free encyclopedia website on earth, you will find EVERYTHING you need to know about ANYTHING there. How did they get this big, you ask? Because anyone can contribute to it, and then their contributions get checked and deleted/added.

Constructive section: NGman made some excellent suggestions which I feel should be used. The idea of having a logging in system for users to be able to alter things should be put in place. If you don't like the idea of giving too much power to the users, then why not add a function to the entries where people can flag it up to be re-verfied?

And before anyone flames me for being ungrateful, I am VERY GRATEFUL for this site. Let me repeat, VERY GRATEFUL, and I do thank the moderators and founder of this website as it's saved me quite a bit of money. But as someone has stated before, this website has grown beyond it's days of being a small site run by a few friends to give cheaper phone calls to the public into a huge database of searchable numbers.

All I can see at the moment is the site slowly degenerating into an out of date dinosaur with a huge list of unverified working numbers and verified non-working numbers. Something needs to be done.

Guys

I now have tried adding an entry "Web Electricals" I have phoned the std number and they answer " Hi Web Electricals" so why does this site not enter it into they database

Do you have to been lodged in to enter numbers.

I understand that it has to be verified but they will not put it on the database.

I did notice that 121 electricals have an entry but that number is no void

>:(

petepots wrote on Jun 24^th, 2006 at 4:34pm:

I now have tried adding an entry "Web Electricals" I have phoned the std number and they answer " Hi Web Electricals" so why does this site not enter it into they database

I have moved the number to the verified list.  ;)


Quote:

Do you have to been lodged in to enter numbers.

You only log in for the forums. Anyone can add a number to the database.


Quote:

I did notice that 121 electricals have an entry but that number is no void

I've updated this aswell.  ;)

To clarify the forum management seem to have no long term plan to ever clear the large backlog of Unverified numbers and most numbers added to the Unverified list will remain there for months unless they are a number for a very important large company or if the contributor of the number makes a public complaint about the number's non appearance in this forum.  If a complaint is made then the matter is normally rectified by DaveM within 24 to 48 hours.  This is not how things should be but it is how they are in practice at the present time.

Also there are a huge number of Verified numbers that are no longer valid and these again never get corrected as there is no automated way for a user of the list who comes across a problem to flag and report it to the forum's management team.

Two of the forum's management team known as Daniel (the forum owner) and DaveM appear to be Missing in Action and have not been heard from for a very long time.  bbb_uk and DaveM are between them doing a stirling job of holding the fort under what must be very trying and difficult circumstances. ;) :-/