irrelevant wrote on Sep 21^st, 2007 at 7:12pm:


I won't be any advertising anything though will I.  Only providing information.

I suppose it depends how good a friend of the directors of the ASA you are and how often you take them out to lunch in terms of which big businsss complainants about private individuals they listen to.

That always assumes that your caller was receiving external, e.g. BT, engaged tone and not an internal engaged tone. Redialling for that would cost the call set-up fee and the minimum charge.
Now there's a way for them all to make (even more) money; none of this tying up of costly circuits.

Tks NGMsG. I hardly dare suggest that said lady takes this up with OfCom. I recall that Oftel took a dim view of such applications of tone.

BBC Breakfast TV carried a report by Graham Satchell today, that some doctors are using 0844 numbers to make patients pay for their new phone systems.

A lady patient, who had lost a leg due to cancer and has to call her doctor frequently, showed her phone bill and complained that calls to her doctor are not included in her prepaid call package.   She said calls to a doctor should be a local call on a local number.

MP Howard Stoate who is a practicing GP was interviewed and was very critical of doctors using 0844.

The practice manager at Coldharbour Surgery in South London said that "using Surgeryline they have done away with the engaged tone when people phone in."

Satchell said that doctors receive 2p per minute from calls to pay for their phone system.

Satchell reported that this contravenes the NHS priciple that NHS services should be "free at the point of use".

Satchell reported that the Gov't said that doctors should look at using the new "03" numbers instead.

The presenters said there had been many comments to the programme about this and they were split between being very critical of doctors, and some comments from a doctor, or doctors, saying that the report was just criticising doctors unfairly.   They only read out one comment at 7.15 from a doctor, and read out no comments at 8.20.

I had hoped that the BBC would put the Satchell report on their Breakfast TV website together with comments received.    It is not available at present, as far as I can see.    

I called the BBC, using the number in our database for the BBC swtchboard, to ask about this.    I didn't want to call their programme number which is of course 0870 ....      The nice receptionist asked me if I was making an enquiry or a comment about an item on "Breakfast".    I said it was an enquiry so she read out the 0870 number.   I said "well, its more of a comment really" so she read out the same 0870- number!    I said I cannot dial 0870 numbers, can she put me through to the programme staff.    She said no, she could only refer me to the 0870 number.    We then had an extended exchange of views during which she became less "nice" and rather heated and ultimately put the phone down on me.   I remained polite and even throughout.

Thats the BBC for you.

loddon wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2007 at 10:28am:

I think an FOI asking the BBC's plans for its 0870 contact numbers post 1st Feb 2008 is the most appropriate route at the moment.

And then depending on the response (for instance if they intend to move to 5p per minute 0844 or won't say what their plans are) to that FOI a complaint to the BBC Trust's directors would no doubt be the best route to take.

Complaining to the BBC via its normal channels is a waste of time as its main feedback call centre is run by Capita who take a cut on the 0870 numbers.

It was I that added the Belfast geographic number for reaching BBC Information to the database but unfortunately after cheerfully putting calls through to the Capita run BBC Information call centre that operates in a BBC Belfast building without question for some months the switchboard operators were then suddenly given strict instructions from on high that on on account are they to any longer do this and to instead direct callers to the 0870 numbers.