RoseTheatre wrote on Nov 26
th, 2012 at 11:59am:
The reason we have an 0844 number is because of the costs associated with providing a phone service. The charge pays to host our IVR (Interactive Voice Response) platform which queues and directs incoming calls as well as hosts recorded information for our customers. We do not receive a financial benefit from the charges as they go to the phone company in exchange for our IVR system.
Apologies again for our error
I am always amazed that organizations such as yours simply behave like sheep and follow whatever appears to be the current trend with respect to telephone numbering without apparently performing the simplest due diligence that should be almost automatic. Surely someone somewhere within your management group has called, during the last ten or so years, one of these wretched numbers from a cellular phone and examined the resulting bill and observed that the call charge is nothing short of extortion? If that is so, then surely that would translate into your group not promoting such unjust charges on your target group? Just because one theater adopts such numbering does not mean you all have to follow.
As a business, you presumably have many overheads, both fixed and variable costs. Presumably you do not directly charge your customers for your heating costs, your cooling costs, your lighting costs, your laser ink costs or similar costs incurred in running a business. Why then do you now have to charge your customers for the privilege of calling you? As with your heating, cooling, lighting and laser ink costs, telephony costs are aspects of regular business expenditure and should be treated accordingly as part of your overheads.
Have you even considered that those living outside the UK face seriousl difficulties and expense in attempting to connect to these rip-off numbers? Presumably as a theater, it is not inconceivable that you wish to encourage Johnny Foreigner to come along to your performances? If so, then provide a number that they can actually use.
Your chosen numbers show utter contempt for your audience. As catj has also alluded to, your telephone company is laughing all the way to the bank. The public is being ripped off and your organization is being ripped off and given misleading information.
0844 equates to a pathetic organization that has not had the decency to do its homework. It creams off fractions of pennies yet the telephone companies make huge chunks of revenue.
Ditch your 0844 number - it will make a difference.