I have finally lost my patience with the BBC and their rather two faced Mr Michael Stock (the man nominally responsible for introducing 03 numbers but in fact also the man responsible for fighting to the last to keep their 0870 numbers and who has still let Question Time hang on to 0871, BBC licensing to 0844 and BBC local radio stations to 0845).
After he failed to do anything to honour his promises to sort out the incorrect call price announcements for the 03 number for the BBC Feedback program on BBC Radio 4 (the program you are supposed to use to complain about things one is not happy with on other BBC Radio programs) I today sent off the following broadside:-
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Feedback Call Cost Error & Question Time 0871 Number Symptomatic of Chaotic BBC Phone Number Policy
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:10:22 +0000
To: Michael Stock <michael.stock@bbc.co.uk>
CC: feedback@bbc.co.uk, philip.reevell@citybroadcasting.co.uk
Dear Mr Stock,
Feedback Call Cost Error & Question Time 0871 Number Symptomatic of Chaotic BBC Phone Number PolicyFurther to my previous email of 20th February I am now writing to express my disappointment that you did not pick up the following week, as you promised you would, the issue of the incorrect call cost announcement for BBC Radio 4's Feedback program's 03 phone number by the station announcer immediately after the two airings on Friday at 1.30pm and Sunday at 8pm.
As I originally reported to you this occurred following the airings of the show on Friday 20th and Sunday 22nd February 2009 (see below earlier email) and this error was then again repeated on Friday 27th February and Sunday 1st March 2009. If I knew who the name of the station announcer was I would email them myself but the station announcer does not say they who they are most of the time on BBC Radio 4 (for instance Zeb Soanes usually only indicates his identity on station sign off at night) and ultimately the incorrect call cost announcement must be the responsibility of a combination of City Broadcasting (who make this show and script it), the show's producer (who has an unpronounceable name like Cathu Pak that my Googling shows no trace of) and the station controller, Mark Damazer. In addition it will also be the responsibility of yourself and of the BBC's head of editorial policy and its head of radio broadcasting.
Clearly City Broadcasting (who make the program) seem to have something of a problem with using accurate phone numbers as the Contact link at
www.citybroadcasting.co.uk brings up an over complicated Flash page that quotes an out of date phone number of 0161 240 2446 that is answered by a switchboard receptionist at a business centre in Manchester who says City Broadcasting are no longer there and from her tone clearly couldn't care less where they have gone to now. There is also a number listed for City Broadcasting in the Manchester area via a search at
www.192.com of 01565 889601 at an address in Alderley Edge, but during normal business hours today (Thursday) that number was not answered.
So coming back to the bottom line problem City Broadcasting now have their own 03 phone number that points to an unknown real world phone number that is now read out immediately after the show by the Radio 4 station announcer but whoever scripts the show clearly does not realise that 03 calls cost the same as 01/02 calls and that they are using the old 0870 call cost announcement. And then despite the previous Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand humiliations your editorial control still apparently remains so poor that no one at Radio 4 who screens the program before it is aired is picking this up and/or perhaps it is not picked up because the incorrect price announcement is done by the station announcer. But then why have your have full time station announcers not been religiously schooled by now that "calls cost up to 8p per minute from a BT landline" is not a correct announcement any more for one of the BBC's new fanged 03 phone numbers.
It is perfectly obvious to me that as a head of several of the BBC's various external commercial enterprises you were the man primarily responsible for keeping 0870 in use by the BBC for so long (I have seen some of your previous statements attempting to justify the retention of your 0870 phone numbers) and now having finally capitulated you are still making a mess of things by not disseminating the correct information to your staff about how these call costs should be described.
You also previously expressed to me on the telephone a kind of mock surprise that Question Time was using an 0871 number for its audience participation line and said you would be looking in to that but incredibly Question Time is still ripping off its viewers who wish to provide it with audience fodder by earning a revenue share on what is now a true Premium Rate number range (controlled by PhonePayPlus). There is also the shambolic and inexplicable chaos relating to your local radio stations and them all still using 0845 numbers, meaning that there is no overall clear message to viewers and listeners about the BBC's position on phone numbers and phone call cost.
Continued/........
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