http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=463377&in_page_id=1770

<<
Motorists have spent £9million ringing the DVLA on a premium-rate telephone number, figures have revealed.

They are charged up to 8p a minute to use the controversial 0870 service – which has raked in receipts of nearly £3million in the last 12 months.

The annual sum raked in on the phoneline by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has risen fivefold over the last five years from £656,164 in 2002-3 to £2.89million in 2006-7.

The figures emerged in a parliamentary answer to a question from Tory transport spokesman Owen Paterson.

He said last night: "This is an astonishing rip-off. It amounts to another stealth tax by the Government. It has to stop."

Similar research has shown how the Driving Standards Agency, which administers tests for learners, has collected nearly £3million in call receipts over the last four years, receiving £623,284 last year.

[...]
>>

This is unbelievable! I cant believe they are making so much, I cant see them at the front of the queue for an 03 number, they will either go to 0871 or put tax up again :-(

I love this site, I have been calling the DSA twice a day on the GN and it would have been so much more if I called the advertised 0870 number. instead i get STRAIGHT through to an advisor within seconds and dont have to listen to annoying menus in the knowledge Richard Branson will be rubbing his hands with glee knowing that my phone bill would be a lot more than it normally is.

(BTW: Been calling up to see if there was any cancelation slots for a driving test, I havent been pestering them, Honest) :-D

This story has even made it to this side of the ocean. It seems an even bigger scandal when the costs are quoted in USD:

http://www.thenewspaper.com/

Friday, June 22, 2007

UK Government Bills Motorists $23 Million for Customer Service

UK motorists have paid more than £11.6 million (US $23 million) to the government simply to obtain basic information or conduct transactions using a telephone. Government agencies have turned to 0870 toll numbers to provide telephone services with an 8p (16 cents) per minute charge for citizens while raising big revenue. Since 2003, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has collected £8,793,260 (US $17,554,127) from motorists waiting on hold, according to Department for Transport Under-Secretary Gillian Merron. This annual amount collected grew steadily from 2003 to the present. In the past four years, the amount of cash collected through the telephone toll grew 440 percent. A separate Department for Transport agency, the Driving Standards Agency, generated an additional £2,725,263 (US $5,440,486) in revenue over the same period through its toll number. The Vehicle and Operator Standards Agency also generated £81,090 (US $161,869).

http://www.kerching.tv/2007/06/dvlas_9million_hot_phone_chat.html

DVLA’s £9million Hot Phone Chat

<<
Many a hard-earned pound has been frittered away down erotic phone sex chat lines based in Antigua or Christmas Island. However, now it seems that the DVLA has been getting in on the act as well, albeit without the sex, I presume.

Motorists have, as reported, spent a massive £9million ringing the DVLA via a premium-rate phone line, charged up to 8p a minute for the 0870 service. In the last 12 months alone, the handy little earner has raked in almost £3million for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
>>

Treasure Island!

The rest of the world must be laughing at the British - trussed up chickens to be plucked and feathered by big business and corrupt government.  Time to get a little bit angry, methinks.

nanstallon wrote on Jun 29^th, 2007 at 8:43pm:

Treasure Island! The rest of the world must be laughing at the British - trussed up chickens to be plucked and feathered by big business and corrupt government.  Time to get a little bit angry, methinks.

I believe a similar model to 084/7 is in use by the telecoms industry in several other EU counties including Spain.

However it may be that the use of 084/7 numbers by business in those counries is less widespread as their general public and national newspaper journalists are not so easily taken in as in the UK.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/25m-raised-by-DVLA-calls.4044195.jp

£2.5m raised by DVLA calls

<<
DRIVERS paid more than £2.5 million to phone the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last year, it was revealed yesterday.

Jim Fitzpatrick, junior transport minister, said the money came from 0870 numbers.

He told Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, that the calls raised £2.8 million in 2006-7 and £2.55 million in 2007-8.

He claimed all the lines were "revenue neutral" or raised less than the cost of the service.
>>

http://www.motorstoday.co.uk/DVLA-RINGS-UP-25m-IN-CALL-CHARGES.505.news

DVLA RINGS UP £2.5m IN CALL CHARGES

<<
MORE than £2.5 million was raised in telephone calls to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last year, it has been disclosed.

Junior transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick said all the revenue came from the DVLA's 0870 numbers.

He told shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers the calls raised £2.8 million in 2006-07 and £2.55 million in 2007-08.

In a Commons written reply, Mr Fitzpatrick said the Driving Standards Agency raised £639,000 from 0870 phone lines in 2007-08 and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency raised £62,000 over the same period.

He said all the lines were "revenue neutral" or raised less than the cost of the service.
>>

idb wrote on May 2^nd, 2008 at 1:55pm:

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/25m-raised-by-DVLA-calls.4044195.jp £2.5m raised by DVLA calls << DRIVERS paid more than £2.5 million to phone the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last year, it was revealed yesterday. Jim Fitzpatrick, junior transport minister, said the money came from 0870 numbers. […]

This is the amount of revenue paid from the 0870 numbers. It is not the amount callers paid in premiums above the price of a normal geographical call.

idb wrote on May 2^nd, 2008 at 1:56pm:

http://www.motorstoday.co.uk/DVLA-RINGS-UP-25m-IN-CALL-CHARGES.505.news DVLA RINGS UP £2.5m IN CALL CHARGES << MORE than £2.5 million was raised in telephone calls to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last year, it has been disclosed. He said all the lines were "revenue neutral" or raised less than the cost of the service.[size=14][/size] >>

What on earth does this "Revenue Neutral" mean?

The DVLA say they received £2.5million last year --- yet they are indicating that this £2.5million has been spent in some way on their telephone service.   What have they spent it on?

Dave makes the point well -- the DVLA have received £2.5million but the callers, the public, have spent probably between "£5m and £10milion" on the calls to 0870 numbers.   Where has the balance gone?   To the Telcos of course.   This is a scandal of massive proportion, exploitation of the public by Telcos aided and abetted by the DVLA and the Government.   It must be stopped now.

Source: Daily Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/fairdealfordrivers/2619938/DVLA-makes-9million-from-motorists-who-check-on-licence-applications.html

DVLA makes £9million from motorists who check on licence applications
By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Editor
Last Updated: 9:56PM BST 25 Aug 2008

<<
The DVLA received more than £8.7 million in revenue from phone calls to 'premium' 0870 mumbers made by motorists concerning the renewal of their licence and other related services.

[…]

The disclosure comes after it emerged the same Government body made £9 million in revenue from selling motorists' personal details to wheel clamping companies.

The Daily Telegraph has been campaigning for a fairer deal for motorists at a time when drivers are facing rising fuel prices and changes to vehicle excise duty that will leave most with higher car tax bills.

[…]

Mark Prisk MP, the Conservatives' shadow minister for consumer affairs, said: "Motorists will be shocked that a government agency is making money from their essential calls.

"It is bad enough being fleeced by Gordon Brown at the petrol pumps. To be charged higher phone rates for renewing your driving licence, just adds insult to injury."

A spokesman for the DVLA said it introduced 0870 numbers in 1999 "to address the imbalance that meant customers phoning from other parts of the country paid more than those phoning from near Swansea where we are based".

She continued: "The DVLA is now committed to transferring all its 0870 to 0300 numbers. The cost to members of the public in calling 0300 numbers is expected to be no more than that of calling normal geographic numbers.

"DVLA does not make money from its telephone lines, any revenue collected goes back into providing valuable services to the public."

The spokesman declined to say how much revenue came from the 0870 numbers in other years.

There was outrage earlier this year when it emerged that, for just £2.50, private clamping and car parking firms can buy the personal records of any motorist caught staying too long on their property.

Last year alone, the DVLA earned revenues of £3.7m by selling the names, addresses of more than 1.3 million registered vehicle keepers to private firms. The government body has extracted £9million through the practice since 2002.
>>

It seems the Telegraph are rather slow off the mark in covering a story. ;) ::)

Anyone any idea what the valuable services are that the DVLA so kindly provide for all of us?

jimjim wrote on Aug 26^th, 2008 at 6:06pm:

Anyone any idea what the valuable services are that the DVLA so kindly provide for all of us?

I think its being kind enough to talk to us about having the vehicle excise licenses and registration documents that the government has made it compulsory to have in order to drive.

You might also need to talk to them because you are buying a tax disc straight from them instead of from a Post Office, thus no doubt saving them a £1 or £2 commission they pay to a Post Office to issue each one.  But they still feel they need to charge you for the privilege of buying the disc from them directly, even though that is a more profitable way to sell one than via a Post Office. :-? ::) >:(

I'm still trying to recover from the 5 page letter I have had from the Financial Services Authority saying that after a 3 month consideration of my complaint about their 0845 phone number pointing to COI and Varney advice that they don't intend to get rid of their 0845 number because they need to run things in a business like manner where they minimise their operating costs.  Then they go on to say that neither they or their call centre partner make any money at all on the 0845 number.  So if that is true then why would it cost them more to offer an 01/02 geographic phone number (as they admit technically they could actually do as its in a single location) instead.

NGMsGhost wrote on Aug 26^th, 2008 at 6:50pm:

… Then they go on to say that neither they or their call centre partner make any money at all on the 0845 number. …

So they let the communications provider of the 0845 number keep it all.

Dave wrote on Aug 26^th, 2008 at 6:57pm:

So they let the communications provider of the 0845 number keep it all.

No the communications provider of course then gives it back to them via crooked accounting in the form of cheaper outgoing calls, lower cost switchboard and line rental or a cheaper maintenance contract than they would get if an 01/02 number was used.  But of course they really aren't getting a revenue share are they. ;) ::) :'(

I just want to say thank you for providing the geographic number for DVLA as otherwise my phone bill would have suffered considerably.  I waited sometime for a response even though the call had been answered and then the woman who spoke to me really took her time to provide the information I wanted.  I returned my tax disc and other paperwork for a refund on 16th March and was surprised I had not received even an acknowledgment which is supposed to come within 20 days.  It turns out that means 20 "working days" and the refund does not come for 30 "working days" which is around two months!! Amazing that it takes them that long but of course it means that everyone will get concerned and phone them thus adding to their income unless people know about you site.  So many thanks.  So sad the way government departments have become private companies with their main aim being to make as much money as possible rather than providing a decent service.

sandibee wrote on Apr 16^th, 2009 at 1:12pm:

I just want to say thank you for providing the geographic number for DVLA as otherwise my phone bill would have suffered considerably.

Welcome to saynoto0870.com sandbee.  Its good to hear we managed to save you from being fleeced by the double talk management of the DVLA who have kept on saying they are going to introduce a non premium rate (probably 03) phone number and then never do so.


Quote:

So sad the way government departments have become private companies with their main aim being to make as much money as possible rather than providing a decent service.

Amen to that.  Its good to welcome someone else who is clearly a true devotee to the cause of preventing these ripoffs to the forum.