Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
SAYNOTO0870.COM

<---- Back to main website

 
Home Help Search Login Register

Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotline (Read 16,112 times)
Smasher
Senior Member
****
Offline



Posts: 346
UK
Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotline
Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:38am
 
This follows from the below topic...
BIRD FLU REPORTING

The Mail on Sunday has published an article on P15 about the 0845 number which cost 75p for a 2 1/2 minute call to report a dead starling.  I'll try and link to it in a while, for those of you who didn't but the Mail today - I bought it for the 10,000 points voucher available for test-driving a new Ford... Grin

Update

I have now located the online articles - sorry for the delay  Wink  Both articles appear together in today's paper.  

Revealed: how callers to the bird flu hotline pay triple the national rate

One dead starling, two-and-a-half minutes on the phone and a 75p bill

Smasher Cool
Back to top
« Last Edit: Apr 16th, 2006 at 2:56pm by Smasher »  
 
IP Logged
 
trevord
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 248
West Sussex, UK
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #1 - Apr 16th, 2006 at 3:25pm
 
How can an 0845 number be charged at 30p per minute (I assume they mean from a BT line) as the Mail article alleges?
Also, aren't all revenue-sharing calls over 10p per min meant to be on 09 numbers regulated by ICSTIS?

Did OfCom really say:
Quote:
"Do they want people to call? Charging for a number is actually a disincentive to call it. There are some services where it is appropriate for them to charge for services but in our view, not many."
as reported?
Doesn't sound like OfCom!!
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Dave
Global Moderator
*****
Offline



Posts: 9,902
Yorkshire
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #2 - Apr 16th, 2006 at 8:06pm
 
This must have been a mobile they were calling from, surely!

But it goes to show that the author of that article appears not to understand that it's not the government that sets the rate for that 0845 inparticular, but it depends on what the provider charges.

The international alternative is 020 7238 6951 and goes through to the same menu as the 0845 number.

The first article says that the helpline is answered in Workington.
Back to top
« Last Edit: Apr 16th, 2006 at 8:11pm by Dave »  
 
IP Logged
 
NonGeographicalMan
Ex Member


Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #3 - Apr 16th, 2006 at 10:40pm
 
trevord wrote on Apr 16th, 2006 at 3:25pm:
How can an 0845 number be charged at 30p per minute (I assume they mean from a BT line) as the Mail article alleges? Also, aren't all revenue-sharing calls over 10p per min meant to be on 09 numbers regulated by ICSTIS?


All 0845 numbers are charged at the same single peak daytime rate to BT Together customers and another single peak daytime rate to BT "Standard" rate customers who are in fact totally non standard and on its "Light User" scheme.  The only difference is that some 0845 numbers qualify for Friends and Family discount and others do not.  The other difference is in the Off Peak rates for 0845 which are violently more expensive than BT Option 1's 6p for 1 hour.

As to costing 30p per minute this can only be achieved on a Pay As You Go mobile phone as on a BT landline the most they will cost you are either 3p per minute in the day time on BT Standard and 4p per minute on BT Options 1, 2 and 3.   Of course if you call the 0845 number on BT Option 3 for 15 minutes and pay 45p that's still infinity percent more than if the call could have been made using an 01 or 02 number for free on BT Option 3.

These two women reportesr are clearly not clued up or informed like the Mail's two regular telecoms reporters (Sean Poulter and Dennis Rice) who know exactly what they are talking about.

Of course the cost of calling an 0845 number on a mobile with many providers compared to what the call would have cost to an 01/02 number is still a cause for massive outrage.  For instance on my Vodafone SmartStep tariff a 30 minute offpeak call to an 01/02 number will cost 15p but a 30 minute call to an 0845 number will be £3.00 or 1,900% more!

As to useless wasters, liars and permed hair do wearers Ofcom, who are apparently quoted as saying
Quote:
it wants to stop the practice of 0845 numbers being advertised as 'local rate' - because 0870 and 0845 numbers can cost nearly three times as much as a national or local call.

then why does the said entirely bloody useless, deceitful and hijacked regulatory organsiation not use its "backstop powers" under the Telecommunications Act 2003 to prevent telecoms providers such as BT from still listing 0845 numbers as being "Lo-Call" on every one of its phone bills.

Either Ofcom are totally incompetent (unlikely) or they are two faced liars and charlatans who are at the back of allowing all these scams to continue whilst pretending that they they actually care if a newspaper telephones them to get a quote.

~ Edited by Dave: Fixed quote box
Back to top
« Last Edit: Apr 16th, 2006 at 10:48pm by Dave »  
 
IP Logged
 
derrick
Supreme Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 1,124
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #4 - Apr 17th, 2006 at 11:58am
 
Could it be that someone has misplaced the decimal point?
B T option 1 daytime  0845 2½ minute call costs 7.5p,  but if you forget the . it will look like 75p Roll Eyes
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
bbb_uk
Global Moderator
*****
Offline



Posts: 2,041
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #5 - Apr 17th, 2006 at 12:44pm
 
derrick wrote on Apr 17th, 2006 at 11:58am:
Could it be that someone has misplaced the decimal point?
B T option 1 daytime  0845 2½ minute call costs 7.5p,  but if you forget the . it will look like 75p Roll Eyes
I agree derrick, it sounds as though the decimal point has been missed off - it would obviously explain the 30 (3.0p) as well.  Either that, or it they are referring to calls from mobiles!
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Smasher
Senior Member
****
Offline



Posts: 346
UK
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #6 - Apr 17th, 2006 at 1:24pm
 
derrick wrote on Apr 17th, 2006 at 11:58am:
Could it be that someone has misplaced the decimal point?
B T option 1 daytime  0845 2½ minute call costs 7.5p,  but if you forget the . it will look like 75p Roll Eyes


This happens a lot in hospitals - you'd be surprised how many nurses but more worryingly, doctors, can't multiply/divide by 10, 100, 1000 without moving the decimal point the "wrong way".   Shocked

Oh well, I suppose it's a headline in our favour... Huh

We can't be too mad at the authors - the article was written by two women, after all... Grin Cheesy Wink  

(private joke)
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
a very nice man
Supreme Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 705
England
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #7 - Apr 18th, 2006 at 11:10pm
 
"We can't be too mad at the authors - the article was written by two women, after all...      

(private joke) "

Be careful of what you say. They were inflating the size of the item for our benefit!
You ask any woman - size does matter Grin
Back to top
 

Wooden balance bikes for only £35 + postage. www.easycyclers.co.uk
WWW  
IP Logged
 
NonGeographicalMan
Ex Member


Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #8 - Apr 18th, 2006 at 11:20pm
 
a very nice man wrote on Apr 18th, 2006 at 11:10pm:
Be careful of what you say. They were inflating the size of the item for our benefit!

You ask any woman - size does matter Grin


I think you may be straying dangerously into not such a nice man territory here. Wink

Speaking of which although you seem to have made many sensible contributions so far to this forum I wonder what persuaded you to pick a forum name likley to be such an obvious hostage to fortune and/or so easily open to potential criticism? Huh

Certainly when I am dealing with Ofcom the last thing I want to be thought of as being is "nice".  Tough, strong-minded, determined, opinionated, committed ,relenteless and so on yes but Nice with Ofcom is a complete No No as Ofcom and all its telecoms industry cronies simply walk on people who might perhaps be described as merely being nice! Shocked
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
a very nice man
Supreme Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 705
England
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #9 - Apr 19th, 2006 at 11:05am
 
********  ALERT  ***********

**** TEMPORARY NAME CHANGE ****

*** A VERY NICE MAN IS TO BE FORMALLY KNOWN AS "MAD (YOU LOOKING AT ME?)RIP YOUR THROAT OUT, AXE MAN ***

*** THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY WHILE HE DEALS WITH OFCOM, GADDAFFI, BLAIR AND THE GIRLFRIEND'S MOTHER ***

(Second thoughts, we'll leave her mother out of this, I'd rather face Gaddaffi!)
Back to top
 

Wooden balance bikes for only £35 + postage. www.easycyclers.co.uk
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Dave
Global Moderator
*****
Offline



Posts: 9,902
Yorkshire
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #10 - Apr 19th, 2006 at 5:20pm
 
I added a comment on the bottom of the page Revealed: How callers to the bird flu hotline pay triple the national rate and e-mailed one of the authors saying that the 30p/min is misleading and that they might like to print the international alternative I posted above. This has not appeared on the page, and neither have I received a response.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
trevord
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 248
West Sussex, UK
Gender: male
Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #11 - Apr 19th, 2006 at 10:19pm
 
Quote:
I think you may be straying dangerously into not such a nice man territory here. Wink
I wonder what persuaded you to pick a forum name likley to be such an obvious hostage to fortune

On a related topic, NGM, I've often wondered why you are Non-Geographical Man - which could imply you are in favour of non-geographical numbers - rather than Geographical Man!   Grin Grin
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
NonGeographicalMan
Ex Member


Re: Mail on Sunday - Article: 0845 Bird-Flu Hotlin
Reply #12 - Apr 19th, 2006 at 10:37pm
 
trevord wrote on Apr 19th, 2006 at 10:19pm:
On a related topic, NGM, I've often wondered why you are Non-Geographical Man - which could imply you are in favour of non-geographical numbers - rather than Geographical Man!   Grin Grin


Aha you have picked on my achilles heel although I don't think NonGeographicalMan is quite as inherenty loaded with perjorative meaning and antagonism provoking values as aVeryNiceMan tends to be.

The name was picked to express the fact that I at that stage seemed to spend my whole life being confronted by a requirement to call these NonGeographical numbers every day (despite Ofcom's and OFTEL's assurances that they were only used by a small number of special value added services) and thus I truly felt that I was indeed that NonGeographicalMan!  NonGeographicalMan is not a character who likes NonGeographical Numbers but rather one who hates them with such a passion that his life is consumed by them and thus forcing him ironically to turn into that NonGeogaphicalMan for whom his whole existence is dedicated to the war with NonGeographical numbers.

Perhaps with the benefit of hindsight I should have adopted the forum name of simply SayNoTo0870 but anyhow its all too long ago now with nearly 2,000 posts in the forum and the die is now cast and cannot be changed.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: bbb_uk, Forum Admin, DaveM, Dave, CJT-80)

Website and Content © 1999-2024 SAYNOTO0870.COM. All Rights Reserved.
Written permission is required to duplicate any of the content within this site.

WARNING: This is an open forum, posts are NOT endorsed by SAYNOTO0870.COM,
please exercise due caution when acting on any info from here.


SAYNOTO0870.COM » Powered by YaBB 2.5.2!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2024. All Rights Reserved.


Valid RSS Valid XHTML Valid CSS Powered by Perl Source Forge