I have been trying to find an alternative number for the Ford RS Owners Club, PO Box 4044 Pangbourne or Reading Berks currently 0118 9841583 this is the alternative geographical number, but when you ring it, it has an answerphone message saying  the number has been changed to 08702406215. What now?

~ Edit by Dave: Thread title amended

How about an email of complaint to info@rsownersclub.co.uk along the lines of:


Quote:

Your New Contact Number There has been a lot of newspaper and TV coverage lately about companies and organisations such as yours using telephone numbers beginning 084x/087x. In most cases, companies and organisations using such numbers earn revenue from each minute that its customers/members are on the phone. These numbers are commonly advertised as being 'local' or 'national' rate and Ofcom, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) and Trading Standards have agreed that describing any number beginning 084x/087x as such is misleading.  The reason is that the cost of the calling these numbers varies and in most cases costs more than calling a normal geographical number (i.e. those beginning 01 or 02).  In fact, it can cost anywhere up to 40p/min (on some mobile networks) to ring these numbers. The newspaper articles about the use of these numbers are available in the following links:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5405620.stm http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2389087,00.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=4086 60&in_page_id=1770 http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2005300000-2006460369,,00.html and a BBC news video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi?redirect=st.s tm&news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&nol_storyid=5410232 As you will have realised by now, this email is a complaint about your number, 0870 240 6215, and the fact that you are imposing additional costs as mentioned in the above newspaper/TV articles on me and not retaining your 0118 984 1583 standard geographical number instead (or at least advertising that with equal prominence). Due to continued use of these numbers and the public's perception (in most cases, justified) that unnecessarily keeping callers on the line is now standard procedure because it results in substantial additional income, Ofcom has announced that a new number range beginning 03x should be available from January/February 2007. This new number range will offer the same facilities/network features like IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Intelligent Call Routings, etc that are available now on 084x/087x numbers EXCEPT these new numbers will not cost consumers any more than a normal geographical call.  In fact, unlike 084x/087x numbers, calling the new 03x numbers will be included in many inclusive call plans. I look forward to receiving your confirmation that you will be reverting to your previous 0118 984 1583 number (and removing the answering machine from that number), advertising that number with equal prominence to the 0870 240 6215 number or switching to use of an 03 number as soon as they are available.

jmear wrote on Dec 20^th, 2006 at 3:47pm:

I have been trying to find an alternative number for the Ford RS Owners Club, PO Box 4044 Pangbourne or Reading Berks currently 0118 9841583 this is the alternative geographical number, but when you ring it, it has an answerphone message saying  the number has been changed to 08702406215.

Was the number listed in the database on this site as I cannot find it now?  :-?

The number has infact been cut off and it is a network announcement redirecting to the 'new' number, as opposed to the company itself answering the call and playing a recorded message.

Thanks to CRUZ for the letter, very helpful, I will save this and send it out whenever I can.
I tried to reply to you directly but "computer says no" ! I am a technophobe and HATE replying on things like this forum because I do not understand how it works. Where is the "REPLY".so that I can reply to people who are answering my question. I do not even know if or where this message is going as it is marked "quote" and not "reply".
jmear