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Citizen's Advice Bureau (Read 35,182 times)
Ed_Stirling
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Citizen's Advice Bureau
Aug 18th, 2005 at 11:41am
 
Hi a frequent viewer now a newbie...

Just noticed that the Citizen's Advice Bureau have now gone to 0870!!!!

There is even a message on one of the old numbers advising you to ring the new 0870 number.

It's getting worse!
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End bad things... if you want to!
 
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mikeinnc
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Ofcom - quis custodiet
ipsos custodes?

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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #1 - Aug 18th, 2005 at 3:09pm
 
...and you can bet London to a brick that if the Ofcom proposals for 0870/0845/0871/0844 are introduced, it will get FAR worse! (see postings on this site)

You ain't seen nothing yet!!

I despair for you all.........  Embarrassed
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Smasher
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #2 - Aug 19th, 2005 at 1:44pm
 
If we had the power to act just like those violent and empty-headed animal rights extremists, we would have eliminated Non-geo numbers in no time. Angry
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nutellajunkie
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #3 - Aug 19th, 2005 at 8:12pm
 
look on their site, all local numbers are still there.. Im sure someone can take a note of them *all* and keep them for here Wink
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Call 0800/0808/0500 with no credit! True unlimited talk/text/data. PM for recipe.
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Barbara
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Citizens' Advice Bureaux
Reply #4 - Nov 16th, 2006 at 11:48am
 
Having a need to contact the above, I tried my local one with a geo no but this is permanently engaged, has no message facility & does not reply to emails (it is supposed to be one of the best so what did I expect?!)   I then tried to get numbers for other nearby offices, Cambridge & Braintree, to discover that the former has an 0844 no & the latter an 0870!   I was appalled.   The woman at the regional office in Cambridge was unaware of the cost implications and shocked when I told her and said she will pass it on to senior managers.   How can this fit with guidelines about public organisations, particularly those such as CAB which are frequently the only option for the poorer members of society, and how do they justify what are premium rate numbers?   What about COI guidelines or do they get out of it as they are technically, I believe, a charity not a government department?   I did mention this website but felt I should just ensure forum users are aware & can perhaps add their protests as I could not find any other threads on this subject.
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bbb_uk
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Re: Citizens' Advice Bureaux
Reply #5 - Nov 16th, 2006 at 7:33pm
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they thought their new numbers were 'local' or 'national' rate.

You'd be surprised at how many consumers, businesses think this still applies.  It's only those in the 'know' working for telecom companies that really know the truth but are scared to say anything because it may result in fewer sales of these numbers.
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lompos
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Citizens Advice Bureau
Reply #6 - Apr 7th, 2007 at 10:22pm
 
Interesting explanation about one of the possible uses of donations to the CAB (from their website):

Quote:
£60 will keep our volunteer hotline on 08451 264 264 (which receives 3400 calls annually) running for a day.


They claim it is costing them £15,600 a year to maintain the 0845 number, (assuming it operates 5 days a week)!

Any comment out there considering that the person who takes the average 13 calls a day is almost certainly also a volunteer?
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zenla
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Citizens Advice Bureau now using 0870
Reply #7 - Aug 2nd, 2007 at 10:19am
 
i wanted to call me local Citizens Advice Bureau this morning and find they are using 0870 numbers for
all their offices, this service is used by poor and low income people.
there are not alternatives to this number yet.
maybe this need a petition to number 10 also?

regards

Z
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Heinz
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #8 - Aug 2nd, 2007 at 1:38pm
 
In less than 6 months, the cost of calling 0870 numbers will be the same as calling geographical numbers.

Watch 'em join the "We're moving to 0871 xxx xxxx to enhance the service we provide" brigade.
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After years of ignoring govt. guidelines & RIPPING OFF Council Tax payers using 0845 numbers, Essex County Council changed to 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015
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longusername
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #9 - Aug 2nd, 2007 at 2:40pm
 
What is the best thing to do about this?

Should we write to the trustees?
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/ourtrustees.htm

Should we write to the executive directors?
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/ourexecutivedirectors.htm

Should we make freedom of information requests for the advice they may have been given by fraudulent telecoms consultants as in the Oldham Leisure case and for the economic costs and benefits which led to this decision?

Should we try to reason with people in positions of responsibility and appeal to their better judgement?

Should we write to our MPs?

Aren't CABs publicly funded and, if so, don't they have any public accountability?

Can we band together to draught a single letter which presents the facts and then send it to multiple parties. What would be the best strategy?

Any ideas?
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pw4
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Re: Citizens Advice Bureau now using 0870
Reply #10 - Aug 2nd, 2007 at 2:51pm
 
zenla wrote on Aug 2nd, 2007 at 10:19am:
i wanted to call me local Citizens Advice Bureau this morning and find they are using 0870 numbers for all their offices

It is the intention of the national umbrella charity, Citizens Advice, to set up a single national telephone number. Citizens Advice doesn't appear to be publicising a single number at this time, nor is there any indication of the code that might be used, and there is no indication that this is intended to replace numbers for individual Citizens Advice Bureaux - that wouldn't make any sense, citizens often need to speak to the advisor at their local bureau that is dealing with their issue.

A cursory check shows that for individual Citizens Advice Bureaux the situation hasn't changed over the past few months and is still a mixed picture. Some use 0870 numbers, some use 0844 numbers, and others use geo numbers. I note that in some cases neighbouring bureaux share an 0870 number, which indicates that it was adopted for the routing facilites. If you think that they opted for the 0870 - and might change to an 0871 - for revenue generation, one would ask: for whose benefit, given that the bureaux are operated by volunteers? The inconsistent approach indicates that individual bureaux do not have the benefit of centralised advice on the issue and may be unaware of the cost implications. Citizens Advice says:

Quote:
Help us change

We can’t do this on our own, we need resources and we need your help. Perhaps you are able to:
...
...
* Provide technical advice and/or support?
* Share your experience and/or expertise?
...

so there may be the opportunity for those with the knowledge to support the bureaux with their expertise.
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pw4
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #11 - Aug 2nd, 2007 at 3:05pm
 
longusername wrote on Aug 2nd, 2007 at 2:40pm:
What is the best thing to do about this?

If you mean "What is the best thing to do about Citizens Advice Bureaux using 0870 numbers for all their offices" I would suggest that the first thing to do is to check the facts. My cursory investigation suggests that it is not true.

Quote:
Should we write to the trustees?
and
Should we write to the executive directors?

Be aware that (AFAIK) Citizens Advice supports individual bureaux, it doesn't govern them.

Quote:
Should we make freedom of information requests for the advice they may have been given by fraudulent telecoms consultants

I don't think FOI applies to charities.
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« Last Edit: Aug 2nd, 2007 at 3:06pm by pw4 »  
 
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longusername
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #12 - Aug 3rd, 2007 at 3:58am
 
Quote:
If you mean "What is the best thing to do about Citizens Advice Bureaux using 0870 numbers for all their offices" I would suggest that the first thing to do is to check the facts. My cursory investigation suggests that it is not true.
Mine suggests it is.
Cambridge 0844 848 7979
Newcastle-under-lyme 0870 126 4049
Hillingdon 0870 126 4021
Please check the name of this site.

Quote:
Be aware that (AFAIK) Citizens Advice supports individual bureaux, it doesn't govern them.
Do you have any evidence for this?

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lompos
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Re: Citizen's Advice Bureau
Reply #13 - Aug 3rd, 2007 at 9:32am
 
For information, the picture in London is quite varied.  The majority of CABs have 0870 numbers, some 0845 numbers, but quite a few still have geographic numbers.

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daddygeorge
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Citizens Advice Bureau
Reply #14 - Jun 6th, 2008 at 1:41pm
 
I was reading a Post on this site about the LibDems 'Faceless Britain Campaign.  At one major meeting, a 'sympathetic attendee was the Citizens Advice Bureau.  Imagine my surprise to find that when I tried to ring my local CAB..... it has only an 0844 number to contact them.  Admittedly their minicom number is a local Northampton number but this, in my view is disgraceful.  If it wasn't so sad it would be hilarious.
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