It's good news that an article like this has appeared - looks like the way we should go is to attack the 'Government' use of 0870 and in the process this publicity will begin to enter the minds of everyone else that if the use of 0870 is banned by government on their lines then other companies must be robbing them as well.
Any publicity is good publicity in this case, I reckon.

BT said: "We would like these numbers swept away.", David Derbyshire

So why did BT invent them, persuade the gutless non consumer oriented morons ot OFTEL to allow them and then spend so many years converting  most major business call centres over to using them.

Me thinks that man from BT speaks with forked tongue!

Derbyshire has still missed the main point of the outrageous call costs from most mobile phones and BT Payphones and not being able to call these numbers either at all or only at massive premiums from overseas.  Also he misses the point about BT Options 3 and other inclusive calling plans and ending up with another 50 quid on your quartely phone bill as a result.

I'm not sure why idb started a new thread for this.  He should have made his post about the new article in this thread.

The article does raise that old chestnut:

"We definately do not receive any income from using these numbers"

And in the next breath they tell you that the profit goes to keeping costs down.

The first is a lie and the second proves it.

juby

You will note that back on 13th April the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office (John Gieve - see below email) claimed that Katie Kerr, the Department's Customer Communication Manager, was reviewing the matter yet nothing had been done by the time of the bombings in July.  Yet this was by then months after the new COI guidance on 0870 use.

Senior staff at the BBC have confirmed to me that under the terms of their contract with Cable & Wireless a new 0800 number for a specific call centre activity can be set up by CW in less than an hour.

It seems strange that Mr Rimmer, Mr Gieve, Ms Kerr and/or Miss Blears at the Home Office were not immediately on the phone to Cable & Wireless demanding  the setting up of an 0800 number in place of the 0870 number, within an hour or two of last week's London bombing.  If CW had asked for extra fees for the service they should have agreed to pay them.

Senior people in the Home Office have no excuse, they are totally at fault for not acting quickly on this issue but as usual they try to pass the buck elsewhere or to claims that 2+2=7!

-----Original Message-----
From: Gemmell Alan [mailto:Alan.Gemmell@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk]
Sent: 13 April 2005 13:38
Subject: Response from John Gieve

Please find a response from John Gieve below:

Thank you for your email of 19 March about the Department's use of an 0870 number for its main switchboard.

The Home Office is not unique amongst Government Departments in its use of 0870 numbers for its main switchboard but I agree there have been significant changes in the telecommunications market since we decided to introduce it and we are reviewing whether we should switch.  We should complete the review in the next few months and I will ensure that the points you have made are taken into account.

Katie Kerr, the Department's Customer Communication Manager, is responsible for the review.  I have asked her to inform you of the decision and, if a change is to be made, the timescale for implementing it.

Yours sincerely,

JOHN GIEVE"

Alan Gemmell

John Gieve's Office

Quote: