Source: Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Firms-shamed-for-ringing-up.4130028.jp

<<
Firms shamed for ringing up helpline profits
Published Date: 29 May 2008
By Tanya Thompson
Social Affairs Correspondent

COMPANIES that force their customers to use premium-rate helpline numbers to rake in extra profits have been named and shamed in a new report.

More than 30 firms and government agencies are using more expensive 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 numbers for customer service or technical support lines. It can cost more than double the price of a call to a regular number starting with 01 or 02, according to a report by Which? magazine.

Those shamed include British Gas, Barclays and the internet service provider Tiscali, as well as government bodies such as the TV Licensing and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). Some make millions a year from the windfall, researchers said, while just ten organisations were found to offer 0800 numbers that are free from a land-line.

Firms using premium numbers share revenue from calls with phone service providers – meaning the longer a customer is kept hanging on, the bigger the sum cashed in. For example, the DVLA made £3.4 million from its 0870 number in the last financial year.

Neil Fowler, the editor of Which?, said: "Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed? It's unacceptable.

Check if there's a cheaper phone number or ask the company to refund the call cost – it's the least they can do if you're calling about a faulty product or bad service."

Those praised in the report included Canon, RAC Insurance and Toshiba, which have switched from 0870 to 0800 or a (cheaper) geographic number. BT, which had 0845 numbers for technical support, has switched to 0800.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Consumer Council said it was outrageous that customers were being charged at premium-rate numbers. "Good practice in complaint handling should be easy and fair and accessible to everyone," she said.

[…]

Roll of Honour – the following organisations were identified by Which? as having cheaper customer lines:

• 0800 – free of charge: Apple (helpline), BT, Canon, Churchill, Dyson, Norwich Union Direct, RAC, Scottish and Southern Energy.

• 03: Passport Office (from August).

• 01/02: Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba.

A ten-minute call from a BT landline to a regular number, such as 01, 02 or the new 03 code, costs 40p at most.
>>

Source: ClickAJob

http://www.clickajob.co.uk/news/companies-criticised-for-using-expensive-phone-helplines-9029.html

<<
Companies criticised for using expensive phone helplines
29-05-2008

A new report has criticised a number of major companies and government agencies for using expensive phone helplines to make money at the expense of consumers.

The report published by Which? today names over 30 organisations, including British Gas and Barclays, which are deliberately charging higher rates to make money.

The companies in question use the higher-charging 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 numbers for customer service or technical support lines.

Organisations that use these numbers can share revenue from calls with the phone service provider, and therefore the longer a customer stays on the line, the more money the organisation makes.

Communications watchdog Ofcom introduced special 03 phone numbers last year to stop companies making money out of 0870 numbers.

Which? however, found that none of the companies checked in its survey had switched to the new number.

British Gas, AOL and DVLA made researchers wait the longest on the phone, with one call to AOL being held for 15 minutes at a price of 75p a minute.

Editor of Which?, Neil Fowler, said: "Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed? It's unacceptable that companies and government agencies can make big money from people calling helplines.

"Check if there’s a cheaper phone number or ask the company to refund the call cost – it’s the least they can do if you’re calling about a faulty product or bad service."

In response, DVLA released a statement saying: "It is unfortunate that at peak times there are inevitably delays due to customer demand and these are issues which we are constantly trying to address."

However, the government agency denied it made any money out of the phone calls.

"DVLA is committed to transferring all its 0870 to 0300 numbers. That process is already underway but cannot be completed until Ofcom publishes its new guidance on the issue.

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

Has the DVLA changed its contract so it doesn't receive revenue or this a complete lie?

We have still not established as to why the DVLA must wait until Ofcom "publishes guidance". The point is that Ofcom isn't publishing any guidance is it?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1022602/Customers-helplines-ripped-premium-rate-charges-says-Which.html

Customers who call helplines are ripped off with premium rate charges, says Which?

By Paul Sims

Last updated at 12:40 AM on 29th May 2008

<<
Customers who call helplines are being ripped off by premium rate phone charges, according to the consumer group Which?

It accused firms including Tiscali, British Gas and Barclays, as well as Government agencies, of profiting from people who need advice or want to complain.

It said the DVLA made £3.4million from its 0870 number in the last financial year.

Other companies, it claimed, were still using 0844 or 0845 numbers despite the availability of much cheaper alternatives.

By sharing the revenue from these calls with the service provider they are making millions every year, earning more the longer the customer stays on the line.

Which? named 35 companies which it said were continuing to charge over the odds.

For example, Orange is charging customers 50p a minute on an 09 code to contact its technical support while Nikon and Tiscali moved from 0870 to the equally expensive 0871.

A ten-minute phone call to these lines can cost up to £1.

Energy firm Eon switched from 0800, free from landlines, to 0845 claiming: 'A freephone number is not a service valued by our customers'.

TV Licensing and Consumer Direct, the Government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues, said it would continue to use 0844 and 0845 codes.

A spokesman for TV Licensing said: 'If we provided free phone calls, less money would go to BBC programmes and services.'

Consumer Direct said it had cheaper helplines available, but claimed it would be 'confusing' to publicise them.

The DVLA has said it plans to switch to a cheaper number but has not given a date.

Which? said a ten-minute call to an 0845 number cost 60p, while those calling 0844 were charged 50p. In comparison 01, 02 and 03 numbers charged 40p at the most.

A spokesman for Tiscali dismissed the claims made by Which?
>>

A very good report on this on the 8 am news on Radio 4. They got the facts right which is a big change for any report on this topic by anyone and with the (unforced) admission that the BBC are also at fault but they are putting it right. Hopefully more reports by the BBC today. It will be interesting if it comes up on Working Lunch.

I guess good publicity for the BBC and maybe the BBC will become advocates for change once they are no longer participating in the con.

The story is also the BBC web site, though minus the reference to the BC as culprit. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7424910.stm Good to see a link to saynoto0870 on the page.

Here is the report in full



http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/audio_visual/reports/phones/helplines_news_article_557_139129.jsp

This story was covered by "Breakfast" on BBC1 TV this morning.  It was presented by Declan Curry in the business news slot and significantly he said "that although the BBC currently use 0870 etc they will be moving to 03 numbers by the summer."

Dave wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 12:29am:

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

That's Orwellian-speak for, "DVLA, an Agency already funded entirely by the taxpayer, made an extra £3.4 million last year from calls to its 0870 numbers - but didn't make any money because it spent that money on providing the service for which taxpayers already pay through their taxes."

So, if you get income but spend it, that's not making money then!  I spend all my income every month - so why am I taxed then?

idb wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 4:48am:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1022602/Customers-helplines-ripped-premium-rate-charges-says-Which.html Customers who call helplines are ripped off with premium rate charges, says Which? By Paul Sims Last updated at 12:40 AM on 29th May 2008 << Customers who call helplines are being ripped off by premium rate phone charges, according to the consumer group Which? It accused firms including Tiscali, British Gas and Barclays, as well as Government agencies, of profiting from people who need advice or want to complain. It said the DVLA made £3.4million from its 0870 number in the last financial year. Other companies, it claimed, were still using 0844 or 0845 numbers despite the availability of much cheaper alternatives. By sharing the revenue from these calls with the service provider they are making millions every year, earning more the longer the customer stays on the line. Which? named 35 companies which it said were continuing to charge over the odds. For example, Orange is charging customers 50p a minute on an 09 code to contact its technical support while Nikon and Tiscali moved from 0870 to the equally expensive 0871. A ten-minute phone call to these lines can cost up to £1. Energy firm Eon switched from 0800, free from landlines, to 0845 claiming: 'A freephone number is not a service valued by our customers'. TV Licensing and Consumer Direct, the Government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues, said it would continue to use 0844 and 0845 codes. A spokesman for TV Licensing said: 'If we provided free phone calls, less money would go to BBC programmes and services.' Consumer Direct said it had cheaper helplines available, but claimed it would be 'confusing' to publicise them. The DVLA has said it plans to switch to a cheaper number but has not given a date. Which? said a ten-minute call to an 0845 number cost 60p, while those calling 0844 were charged 50p. In comparison 01, 02 and 03 numbers charged 40p at the most. A spokesman for Tiscali dismissed the claims made by Which? >>

Congratulations to Consumer Direct for one of the most ridiculous statements made on the scam.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7424910.stm

High-cost call 'culprits' named

<<
A consumer group has published a list of companies and government agencies it claims are using phone helplines to make money at customers' expense.

Which? names more than 30 bodies it says are using 0870, 0871, 0844 or 0845 numbers to profit from their callers.

These include Tiscali, British Gas, TV Licensing and the DVLA - which all take part of the cost of each call.

Which? says the DVLA made £3.4m from its 0870 line last year. The DVLA says it plans to switch to a cheaper number.

Organisations using 0870, 0871, 0845 and 0844 numbers are permitted to receive a share of the call charge revenue.

Examples of this include pay-as-you-go internet services, which often use 0845 numbers, and other companies who may use the revenue to fund the cost of keeping call centres open 24 hours.

However, other groups, such as charities, also use 0845 numbers and do not take a share of revenue.

These calls are charged at the standard local call rate of 3.95p/min from a BT landline, unlike calls to 0870, 0871 and 0844 numbers which all cost more.

Ofcom introduced 03 numbers last year, which cost the same as calling an geographic (01 or 02) number.

The watchdog plans to stop organisations making money from 0870 numbers but Which? said none of the organisations it checked with had switched to 03.

Some had simply switched from 0870 to other higher-cost numbers, it said.

The consumer organisation called customer helplines for broadband and utility companies and government agencies to see how long callers were kept waiting to speak to an agent.

It found British Gas, AOL and the DVLA kept people hanging on the longest, with average waiting times of around three minutes.

One call to AOL was held for more than 15 minutes, at a cost of 75p from a BT landline.

Which? is calling for all companies to switch their helplines and technical support lines from expensive numbers to cheaper 03, 0800 or geographic numbers.

Which? said a 10-minute call from a BT landline to a normal geographic line costs about 40p at most while the same call to 0845 or 0844 numbers could cost up to 60p and 50p respectively.???

The organisation's Nicola Frame told BBC News, the equivalent call would cost as much as £1 for an 0870 or 0871 number.

She said: "That doesn't sound like a huge amount, but when you think about how long people are hanging on the phone on some of these phone lines, it really adds up."

Whilst she acknowledged it was up to customers whether they called the higher-cost lines or not, she said it could often be hard to find a cheaper alternative.

However, she said many companies did have cheaper phone numbers and it was worth checking for these before calling, or finding out whether a query could be made by e-mail instead of by phone.

She said customers calling to complain about a faulty product or bad service who were kept waiting a long time on an expensive number should ask the company to refund the cost.

"A lot of the time people who are calling these numbers are making a complaint or asking for some support with the product and really we don't think customers should be paying big sums of money for that sort of help."

Call charges from BT landlines
0800 - free
0845 - up to 3.95p/min
0844 - up to 5p/min
0870 - up to 7.9p/min
0871 - up to 10p/min

HIGHER-COST HELPLINES
0871: Admiral Insurance, Bell Insurance, Elephant Insurance, Diamond Insurance, Nikon, Tiscali
0870: Apple (tech support), Carphone Warehouse/Talk Talk, DVLA, Gladiator Insurance, Lexmark, Philips, Sony, Zanussi-Electrolux
0844: AOL, Orange, Panasonic, Sky, TV Licensing
0845: Barclays, British Gas, Consumer Direct, Direct Line, Eon, Green Flag, Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Miele, Npower, Philips, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power, TV Licensing, Virgin Media

Source: Which?
>>

http://uk.reuters.com/article/personalFinanceNews/idUKNOA93341920080529

The great premium-rate helpline rip-off

By Jennifer Hill

<<
LONDON (Reuters) - Government departments and some of Britain's biggest companies are raking in huge sums of money at the expense of consumers through premium-rate helplines.

Consumer group Which? lists more than 30 organisations in its "hall of shame" of those that use higher-charging telephone numbers for their customer service or technical support services.

They include TV Licensing and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), as well as businesses Tiscali, British Gas and Barclays.

Organisations that use 0871, 0870, 0844 and 0845 numbers share the revenue from calls with the phone service provider -- meaning the longer a customer stays on the line, the more that organisation earns.

Which? researchers found that British Gas, AOL and the DVLA kept people hanging on the longest, with average waiting times of around three minutes. One call to AOL was held for more than 15 minutes.

A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a regular geographic number -- such as 01, 02 or the new 03 code -- costs 40 pence at most. But the same length of call to a 0870 or 0871 number can cost up to one pound.

The DVLA made 3.4 million pounds from its 0870 number in the last financial year. It says it plans to switch to a cheaper number but has not said when.

Industry regulator Ofcom introduced the 03 code, which cost the same as calling a geographic 01 or 02 number, last year.

It plans to stop organisations making money from 0870 numbers. But Which? found that none of the eight broadband companies, five utility firms and five government agencies it probed had switched to 03 numbers, and some had just switched from 0870 to other high-cost numbers.

Neil Fowler, editor of Which? magazine, said: "Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed?

"It's unacceptable that companies and government agencies can make big money from people calling helplines."

Tiscali criticised the findings, saying researchers had failed to do a "thorough job".

"It (Which?) has missed the opportunity to highlight some of the very high rates charged on 0905 and 0906 numbers by Virgin Media and Orange, for example, who charge 25 pence and 50 pence per minute for broadband support," it said in a statement.

"Tiscali customers who take voice services too, which is the majority, pay a discounted 5 pence per minute for technical and billing calls and those who don't, pay 10 pence per minute, which is cheaper than or comparable to most lines in our industry."
>>

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Pull-plug-on-ripoff-numbers.4130550.jp

Pull plug on rip-off numbers, say phone activists

Published Date: 29 May 2008

By Mike Waites Health Correspondent and Jonathan Reed Political Editor

<<
TOP companies and Government agencies are today accused of a high-cost "rip-off" of callers forced to use expensive telephone helplines, prompting renewed demands for the numbers to be scrapped.

Scores of GP practices, three hospitals and three police forces in Yorkshire are among those using telephone numbers which can cost significantly more than ordinary local calls.

In a report, consumer group Which? names and shames businesses and publicly-funded agencies, including the TV licensing authority and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), that use higher-charging 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 numbers for customer service or technical support lines which are branded a "rip-off".

Organisations using the numbers can share the revenue from calls with the telephone provider – and the longer a customer stays on the line the more the organisation earns. Analysis by the Yorkshire Post shows more than 200 GP practices in the region use non-local numbers. Most surgeries in Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley use 0845 numbers while more than 50 surgeries in West Yorkshire have switched to 0844 lines. In contrast, only a handful of practices in Hull, Doncaster and North Yorkshire have adopted the systems.

Callers to the Wakefield-based Mid Yorkshire NHS trust also ring an 0844 number. Patients ringing the NHS Direct helpline and non-emergency callers to West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Humberside police forces ring 0845 numbers.

Telecom regulator Ofcom introduced 03 numbers last year, which cost the same as calling a geographic 01 or 02 number, and plans to stop organisations making money from 0870 numbers.

Which? found none of the organisations it checked had switched to 03 and some had moved from 0870 to other high-cost numbers.

It also called customer helplines to find out how long callers were kept waiting.

British Gas, AOL and the DVLA kept people hanging on longest, with average waiting times of around three minutes. One call to AOL was held for over 15 minutes at a cost of 75p from a BT landline.

Neil Fowler, editor of Which? magazine, called for a move to cheaper numbers.

He said: "Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed? It's unacceptable that companies and government agencies can make big money from people calling helplines."

Campaigner Dave Lindsay of Doncaster, a spokesman for the website saynoto0870.com, said: "Callers should pay no more than the cost of a local call. With the NHS, there's the point of it being free at the point of need."

Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Danny Alexander said: "The Government is profiting from people who often have no choice but to access their services via telephone. It is deplorable of the Government to double-charge people to access services such as the DVLA and Passport Office which they are already funding through their taxes. Ministers should make all essential Government helplines free as soon as possible."

The Yorkshire Post has already revealed the DVLA made £3.5m from 0870 numbers last year while the Department for Work and Pensions made more than £1.4m from 0845 lines over two years.

A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a geographic number costs 40p at most. But the same call can cost up to £1 to an 0870 or 0871 number, 60p for an 0845 number and 50p for an 0844 number.

Hi-tech IT firm NEG, which operates 0844 numbers for GPs, said some patients paid more, some paid less and some the same but that callers from mobiles could pay more depending on their providers' package.

More lines could be used during busy periods. Call duration was shorter, there was no engaged tone and if there was a queue callers were told where they were as they waited.

"We continually measure the service and the perception of the patient, and while there is of course a minority who don't like the system the vast, vast majority appreciate the improvement in service and would not wish to go back to the old way and the old number," said a spokeswoman.

The Mid Yorkshire trust, which runs hospitals in Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury, said its 0844 number cost five pence a minute from any landline in the country and enabled it to deal with more calls at any one time. Extra income earned had been used to improve its telephone systems.

Police chiefs last year urged forces to consider dropping 0845 numbers or at least to make it clear that callers were not being charged at the local rate.
>>

[edit]This story was at the top of the front page and continued at the bottom of the second page.[/edit]

Report on working lunch and ceefax.

Not bad coverage on Working Lunch but could have been better. This site given a plug. ;D

Put their hands up with comment "People in glass houses..." However the excuse was the old chesnut " 0870 used as same cost from where ever you are phoning"  :'( Still at least they owned up and confirmed they were moving.

Re threads above:

Did the reporter not think to challenge NEG to quote an example when their 0844 could be cheaper as claimed?

And the Mid Yorkshire trust quoed the 'calling from anywhere' line which implies that it would be different with an 01 or 02. B*llocks comes to mind. These reporters just don't challenge the rubbish they are told.

Still an excellent day for the cause  ;D

Also NEG said "but that callers from mobiles could pay more depending on their providers' package."

Name one where they don't pay more?

Part of the post in #10 above,(nothing against the poster); -

A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a geographic number costs 40p at most. But the same call can cost up to £1 to an 0870 or 0871 number, 60p for an 0845 number and 50p for an 0844 number.

Were do they get this from?
A 10 minute call from a BT line to 0845 will cost 20p plus the 6p set up fee!

On Working Lunch they put the 0845 cost higher than the 0844 cost. I think they were quoting the amounts you highlight. Odd.

derrick wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 5:47pm:

Part of the post in #10 above,(nothing against the poster); - A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a geographic number costs 40p at most. But the same call can cost up to £1 to an 0870 or 0871 number, 60p for an 0845 number and 50p for an 0844 number. Were do they get this from? A 10 minute call from a BT line to 0845 will cost 20p plus the 6p set up fee!

I think they were quoting Sky's new (outrageous) prices.

Source: Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/may/29/consumeraffairs

Which? exposes high-cost helplines
Ed Ewing
Thursday May 29 2008

<<
The consumer association Which? today accused the DVLA and TV Licensing of overcharging for their telephone helplines.

The two organisations joined more than 30 others that charge up to £1 for a 10-minute call in a "hall of shame", according to the Stop these rip-off calls report. A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a standard 01 or 02 number costs 40p.

According to Which? the DVLA made £3.4m from its 0870 number in the last financial year.

Neil Fowler, editor of Which? magazine, said: "It's unacceptable that companies and government agencies can make big money from people calling helplines.

"Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed?"

Both the DVLA and TV Licensing defended their call charges.

A spokesman for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency said: "DVLA does not make money from its telephone lines; any revenue collected goes back into providing valuable services to the public."

He added: "DVLA is committed to transferring all its 0870 to [cheaper] 03 numbers. That process is already underway."

In a bid to regulate high call charges, Telecoms regulator Ofcom introduced 03 numbers last year. They cost the same as calling a standard 01 or 02 landline number. The regulator also plans to stop organisations making money from the most expensive 0870 numbers.

A TV Licensing spokesperson said there were reasons behind the call charges: "We believe it's fairer for those who want to contact us by telephone to pay for it."

The spokesperson said TV Licensing is funded by the BBC and as such, "has an obligation to keep licence fee collection costs to a minimum."

She said: "In our opinion, 0844 numbers are best for our callers because we can be clear about costs per minute from a BT landline.

"The cost of a three-minute call from a BT landline is 21p - less than the cost of a second-class stamp. They are also fair because all callers with a BT landline pay the capped price irrespective of where they live."

The Which? report identifies some of Britain's biggest companies, including British Gas, Barclays and Tiscali, as among the worst offenders. They all use higher-charging 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 numbers for customer service or technical support lines.

Organisations that use these numbers can share the revenue from calls with the phone service provider - the longer a customer stays on the line, the more the organisation earns.

Which? also called customer helplines to find out how long callers are kept waiting to speak to someone. British Gas, AOL and the DVLA kept people hanging on longest, with average waiting times of around three minutes. One call to AOL was held for more than 15 minutes, at a cost of 75p from a BT landline.
>>


So in the first sentence TV Licensing says it believes that people should pay for calls and that the free market in telephone packages should not extend to calls to it. In the second sentence it says it has an "obligation" to keep these charges to a minimum.

Then there's the nonsense about it costing less than a second class stamp. What has the price of posting a letter, which must be transported and sorted, got to do with the price of electronic telecommunications?

Also the red herring of 'irrespective of where they live again'. The implication being that it would not be 'irrespective of where you live' with an 01 or 02 number which of course is tosh.

Trading Standards have given clear guidance that this sort of phrase should not be used as it is misleading. Doesn't seem to stop anyone from doing so however.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=161366&command=displayContent&sourceNode=258861&home=yes&more_nodeId1=161375&contentPK=20736719

DVLA IS MAKING MILLIONS OUT OF COMPLAINTS CALLS

EMMA JUDD
EMMA.JUDD@SWWMEDIA.CO.UK

09:00 - 29 May 2008

<<
Swansea's Dvla has come top of a list of shame for over-charging people who telephone it to complain.Research carried out by Which? consumer magazine found that the DVLA made £3.4 million from its 0870 number in the past financial year.

It was one of the companies that left customers hanging on for the longest, with an average waiting time of three minutes and 16 seconds.

The magazine says the Morriston-based Government agency plans to switch its helplines and technical support to cheaper 03, 0800, or geographic numbers.



Neil Fowler, Editor of Which?, said: "Why should you pay for the privilege of making a complaint or getting a problem fixed?

"It's unacceptable that companies and Government agencies can make big money from people calling helplines.

"Check if there's a cheaper number or ask the company to refund the call cost - it's the least they can do if you're calling about a faulty product or bad service."

More than 30 organisations are listed in the magazine's Hall of Shame in its June edition, released today.

These include Tiscali, British Gas and Barclays, as well as Government agencies such as TV Licensing and DVLA.

They all use higher-charging 0871, 0870, 0844 or 0845 numbers for customer services or technical support line.

Organisations that use these numbers can share revenue from calls with their phone service provider, which means the longer the customer stays on the phone, the more money the organisation makes.

Ofcom introduced the new 03 numbers last year, which cost the same as calling an 01 or 02 number, and it plans to stop organisations making money from 0870 numbers.

A spokesman for the DVLA said it was aware of the Ofcom report and was moving to comply with the new 0300 guidelines.

He said: "I am sure you will appreciate that we cannot adopt any new number ranges until a definitive Ofcom paper is republished and we are clear on the full implications.

"With regard to refunding the cost of calls to inquirers, DVLA do not reimburse callers for the cost of telephoning the agency. I should explain that a large portion of calls to DVLA are for general information which is already freely available to members of the public from our website and information leaflets."

The spokesman added that the agency did not keep callers on hold to make more money.
>>

Clearly the Which Report and all the publicity it got will have informed just so many more people, but how do we capitalise on this so that it doesn't just become a one day wonder?

PS I met a Doctor the other day who was just absolutely livid about GPs using  the 0844 numbers!

Heinz wrote on May 29^th, 2008 at 8:06pm:

derrick wrote on May 29th, 2008 at 5:47pm: Part of the post in #10 above,(nothing against the poster); - A 10-minute call from a BT landline to a geographic number costs 40p at most. But the same call can cost up to £1 to an 0870 or 0871 number, 60p for an 0845 number and 50p for an 0844 number. Were do they get this from? A 10 minute call from a BT line to 0845 will cost 20p plus the 6p set up fee! I think they were quoting Sky's new (outrageous) prices.

They have specifically stated "from a BT line", I also heard it on several radio news reports and it was on Working Lunch, if they meant to say SKY, then they should have done so, the rest of the prices were correct from a BT line, so why would they mix that one up?

Source: Manchester Evening News

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1051904_weve_got_your_number

We've got your number
Paul Britton
30/ 5/2008

<<
THE MEN today publishes the low-cost alternative phone numbers for the companies who have been named and shamed for using premium-rate lines.

Which? found more than 30 companies and government bodies charging customers by using 0870, 0871, 0844 and 0845 prefixes for customer service, call centre, technical support or bill-paying lines.

It said they are using the higher-rate numbers and share revenue with the phone service suppliers, meaning the longer a consumer remains on a line, the more money the company makes.

Which? also surveyed how long consumers were kept on hold.

The consumer group highlighted Admiral Insurance, Bell Insurance, Diamond Insurance, Elephant Insurance and broadband providers Tiscali, who all use highest rate prefix 0871 numbers. Numbers with this prefix can charge up to 10p per minute.

Carphone Warehouse, which has offices in Warrington, Philips, Sony and Apple technical support services were named for using 0870 prefixes.

Big-name companies

Other big-name national companies included AOL, Sky, Barclays, Direct Line, which has offices in Quay Street, Manchester, Orange, TV Licensing and the DVLA.

The Which? study revealed the DVLA made £3.4m from its 0870 number in the last 12 months.

British Gas, which has a call centre in Stretford, and Virgin Media, with offices in Wythenshawe, were included in the list for using the less expensive 0844 and 0845 numbers.

But all the companies have freephone and local numbers which are not advertised.

The DVLA, British Gas and AOL Broadband were found to have kept consumers hanging on the line the longest.

One call, to AOL Broadband, was kept on hold for 15 minutes.

Many of the local companies called into question have now defended the use of the numbers, saying they use the cheapest 845 option.

"Self-service"

A British Gas spokesman said: "We're offering our customers more ways to self-service, via the internet for example. It's important to stress that our emergency numbers for the public who may need to report a gas leak, are free - 0800 number. We use 0845, which is one of the cheapest chargeable rates - allowing us to strike the right balance between accessibility and customer service, which has improved by 85 per cent."

A spokesman for Virgin Media said they do have 0800 numbers which are sales numbers.

But the spokesman added: "We do use 0845 for customer services but that is optional. We give customers the choice."

"Our customers can get through to us for free by dialling 150."

Jennifer Culley, spokesman for Direct Line, said they introduced 0845 numbers several years ago to ensure their customers paid only local rates for calls.

She said: "A decision was taken not to use 0800 (freephone) numbers as the provision of such a service must be reflected in the cost base and, in turn, the premiums charged.

"Determined to keep our premiums amongst the most competitive in the market, Direct Line chose instead to negotiate with suppliers in order to get the best possible deal for our customers, and in doing so continues to pass on the benefit of local rather than national rates directly to them."

Review

And Warrington-based United Utilities companies vowed to constantly review their rates. It currently uses a 0845 number for bill payment and enquiries but calls are charged at local rates, a spokesman said.

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Direct Line's reason for switching to 0845 is now not relevant, as has been in the case since 2004. I don't expect companies like this to switch back to geographicals because it will probably change its justification to one of providing a single number nationally, rather than providing different geographical numbers for different offices. I expect 03 will get the thumbs down because it will cost them for incoming calls.

There's an article in today's Independent on Sunday which is along the lines of the others, so I won't post it in full, but here's a link to it:

http://www.independent.co.uk/money/invest-save/which-names-30-firms-in-its-hall-of-shame-837635.html

derrick wrote on May 30^th, 2008 at 3:30pm:

They have specifically stated "from a BT line", I also heard it on several radio news reports and it was on Working Lunch, if they meant to say SKY, then they should have done so, the rest of the prices were correct from a BT line, so why would they mix that one up?

They are quoting the official non BT Together discount non discounted rates for calling 0845 and 0870.  These are only still paid by people on the BT Light User Scheme.

Interesting how Which can get so much publicity once they choose to come out against these numbers while we individually have managed to get so comparatively little over the years.  Unfortunately the National Press will generally only print press releases from large established national bodies.  There is very little independent minded investigative journalism on the national newspapers it would seem.

Presumably if Which had repeatedly spoken out against these numbers 10 years ago and never taken up using them itself then the whole despicable con could not have got going.

I suspect the articles by Which and others now are the product of the culmination of years of lobbying by members of this group.  The BBC and ITV humiliation over its 09 phone call cons has also been very helpful in starting to change the balance.

Of course Ofcom still allows 0845 and 0870 to be called Local Rate and National Rate by numerous telcos. :o >:( :'(

Received my gas bill today from British Gas and they have changed from a 0845 number to 0800 number 0800 048 0202

jimjim wrote on Dec 18^th, 2008 at 2:34pm:

Received my gas bill today from British Gas and they have changed from a 0845 number to 0800 number 0800 048 0202

Clearly this is a well intentioned move on their part except what about the 40% of calls now from mobile phones so where is their new 03 number for calling them from those? ::)