The BBC may have featured this site in glowing terms, but they are now employing extensive use of 0870 themselves.

WHAT HYPOCRACY  >:(

This is even on Traffic Reports, they expect YOU to pay THEM to ring in and warn others of traffic problems !!!  >:(

If people stop ringing in as a result of this, they will have no traffic reports.

Well said that man! Every time I hear "0870" on the Beeb it makes my blood boil.

grendawkin wrote on Dec 6^th, 2005 at 11:02am:

The BBC may have featured this site in glowing terms, but they are now employing extensive use of 0870 themselves. WHAT HYPOCRACY  >:( This is even on Traffic Reports, they expect YOU to pay THEM to ring in and warn others of traffic problems !!!  >:( If people stop ringing in as a result of this, they will have no traffic reports.

And the ridiculous thing is my local BBC radio station advertises 0500 827 362 as their traffic reports contact number – exactly the same number as given by other counties’ local BBC stations.  In other words, it’s a central system – and probably goes to the same place as that 0870 number!

And the ridiculous thing is my local BBC radio station advertises 0500 827 362 as their traffic reports contact number – exactly the same number as given by other counties’ local BBC stations.  In other words, it’s a central system – and probably goes to the same place as that 0870 number!

And when you want to call that freephone number, where will you be:

A - In your car, and you pull over to make the call (or you're a passenger and make the call without pulling in) using your mobile where 0500 calls may not be included in your inclusive minutes, making it more expensive than geographic numbers, or

B - At home, or at work, where you will have no idea what the traffic is like because you're not driving!!

Seems like the BBC think the answer is B.

It's not just the BBC, my local commercial station advertises 08000 727142 to report traffic problems, which I think is an outside agency who supply the reports to various local stations.

grendawkin wrote on Dec 6^th, 2005 at 11:02am:

The BBC may have featured this site in glowing terms, but they are now employing extensive use of 0870 themselves.

There is nothing new about this.

The BBC has been a relentless serial abuser of 0870 numbers ever since it outsourced all its call centre arrangements to Capita 7 or 8 years ago.

The BBC is one of the most unabashed serial liars about 0870 in all its most pernicious forms.  They always blather on about enhanced call handling etc, etc, assuming that is that you don't encounter one of the staff who still maintain "its only the BT National Rate Sir"