:)Hi all,

I heard that the BBC's Working Lunch gave this site a good plug yesterday.  I then watched a replay of the item using the internet from this url: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/4209213.stm  

One piece of information in the programme was some approximate data on where the 8p/minute (approx) for the 0870 call goes:
- BT gets about 1p.
- The place you call gets 2.5p
- The lion's share (4.5p) goes to the company
  that sold the service.

So presumably one reason for the dreadful spread of this iniquitous situation is there are lots of sales folk out there trying to sell 0870 numbers.  I can imagine the sales patter and expect that some well meaning companies are buying the numbers not realising the damage they are doing to their customers or their own reputation - at least with savvy customers.

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this, but I thought it would be of general interest.

Brendan Blake.

A significant amount of the information given on the Working Lunch item was incorrect.

Just as two examples: their statement concerning the maximum amount of revenue per minute being paid to large call-volume end operators was wrong; they ommitted the resurgence of the scam with 07PNS numbers which is now rife again, despite the original Oftel prohibition.

Either they have not done their research properly, or they do not dare to expose the full truth of these abuses! For example, BT let slip in an earlier Ofcom document that a significant portion of their call revenue is now derived from these abuses with NGNs (apparently over 50%); however, when it came to the last 2 Ofcom "consultations" on these issues Ofcom decided, under great duress clearly, to withold the actual scale of this from the public, by means of "redactions"!

To substantiate that infomation given on the Working Lunch programme was incorrect take a look at http://www.call08.com/. You had better do it quickly though before they too remove this information like all the others have done when the heat turned up! (I have copied this site with this statement of call Premiums.)

It yet again shows that my statement concerning the Premiums which high call volume receivers are making being over 4 p per minute is correct. Dave please note!