The Campaign sites are now updated and allow you to submit responses to the two current Ofcom consultations about 0870 use etc. more easily and quickly. (The Ofcom documents are very weighty and would take a long time to go through yourself.) Either of these sites help you to compile your own response much more quickly.

I think everyone that is annoyed by these 0870 etc. DPNs should send  responses to these consultations to show Ofcom just how many consumers there are that are annoyed by this problem. There are 2 responses to send. Don't foget to send yours before 5th Jan 2005.
http://www.freeweb.telco4u.net/rachelf or  
http://0870abuse.tripod.com.  

Both links did not work when I tried them.

Hi kk,

I have just checked both of them and they are working perfectly. You must have experienced some sort of glitch. Please try them again and hopefully you should not have a problem.

Sorry, dorf, I'm the same as kk - unable to get either link.

Hi Omy,

I have just tried it and no problem. It needs Javascript enabled - that might be your problem?

Oh Dear,

I'm sorry omy and kk and anyone else who has difficulty accessing these two sites. I have discovered that there is a problem, but only it seems for anyone using any browser other than Mozilla! I really don't understand why that is? However the techies are working on it apparently and it should soon be sorted.

Sorry again.

Thanks dorf, the thought was there and no harm done!
Cheers and thanks again.

The fact that you can't open the campaign site in Internet Explorer is going to limit its effectiveness: IE has more than 75% of web users according to Nov04 figures so let's hope it gets sorted soon.

Also its quite hard to find the site - you have to go to the forum here, then the right part of the forum then click a link on the top message in this thread. This too will limit responses.

Maybe its planned to change, but since most people who visit this (syanoto0870) excellent site will want to be able to influence the consultation could I suggest that the template documents be put on this site in addition to the campaign sites. Or at least: a link from the front page of saynoto0870.com to
http://0870abuse.tripod.com/consultation_forms.htm.

I thought I was free of spyware, but I keep getting popup ad windows at the campaign site.

But I dont want to give any impression of negativity, the work of saynoto 0870 is very worthwhile and I only want to help it by maximising the number of people responding to the Ofcom consultation.

Hi Davidxtaylor,

Hopefully the problems will be sorted by later today. These problems have only occurred since the latest revision of the site code. Previously the sites were accessible with all browsers and they will be again as soon as the tech problems are sorted; of course it is important that they are accessible with all browsers. We fully understand that.  Since all of these things just like this site are done by unpaid volunteers giving their time I am afraid things cannot happen immediately!

Pop-ups occur on the http://0870abuse.tripod.com
site because it is a free hosting paid for by the advertising, including pop-ups and 0870 adverts. This is a common hazard, but the hosting has to be paid for somehow, and this campaign is not funded! You get it for free just like this saynoto0870 site. The same criticism has been directed at this site, which because it is on a commercial hosting has to be funded and therefore has advertising - some of which is for 0870 number sales! If you want it for free that is the only way I'm afraid. If you don't want the pop-ups you can use the other url http://www.freeweb.telco4u.net/rachelf
on which there are no pop-ups or of course you can use a browser like Mozilla which kills all pop-ups and is much more secure. (It is also FREE).

About finding the site: I agree with what you say, partly. However the site was coming up quite well on all the major search engines including Google for searches like 0870 scandal, 0870 scam, 0870 rip off, 0870 abuse, 0870 racket, and even 0870, 0845, 0844, 0871 .

One important way in which people find these sites is through forums like this. We always try to post the urls for these sites on as many internet forums as possible so that those who are annoyed at these abuses may participate in Ofcom responses and make formal complaints to them. We explain that these sites make it easier and less time-consuming to send a response or complaint. I would ask that all members here try to do the same to help the cause. If everyone enters a post on one additional forum explaining this and posting the urls the message spreads exponentionally. Also tell all your friends and associates. Another thing which I do to spread the message is to have it as a signature in my e-mail in red type "0870, 0871, 0845, 0844, 070 and other non-geographic telephone numbers are being used as PREMIUM numbers with queuing, costing you as much as 400 times what calls should cost. Complain; go to:     http://www.freeweb.telco4u.net/rachelf  or  http://0870abuse.tripod.com  ". Everyone I then send an e-mail to sees this and it all helps to publicise this racket. It really is amazing that many consumers still just are not aware of what is going on.

Finally I must explain that this site (saynoto0870) has no direct association with the campaign protest sites, except hopefully to support them in principle. I did ask previously that a link such as you suggest was added, but so far this has not been done. It would be a very good idea so perhaps you and others could also ask for it to be done? Thanks for your support and I hope that you will be able to use the campaign sites later today.

Apparently the campaign sites are up and running again now. The problems have been fixed. I understand that it was all due to Metatags. Apparently IE and some other browsers cannot accept them in a certain order.

It makes you realise just what a jolly good browser Mozilla is!
Anway, everyone should now be able to access them with any browser again.  

Well written dorf, & I think many thanks are due you for all your effort in furthering the "cause". Keep up the good work!!

The more I think about it, the more important it seems to me to respond to Peacock's statement on You and Yours. Here's a transcript. There's plenty to go at. None of his suggestion will work! Removal of revenue generation is the ONLY way forward.

WAITE
Roger Jeevson ending that report from Paraic Obrien. Roger will be pleased to know, I’m sure, that the regulator Ofcom is also working to remedy this situation, so when I spoke to Matt Peacock from Ofcom this morning, I asked him if he agreed with Roger there that 0870 numbers are in fact premium rate numbers, but by another name.

PEACOCK
Absolutely. And that’s something we’re very aware of. And what we’re proposing is that they won’t be able to do that any more. You won’t be able to advertise something as a local call rate number or a national call rate number. You’ll have to say its an 0845 or an 0870 number [do I need my hearing tested?] and what we’re also saying is that there should be a cap on the cost: 4 pence per minute for an 0845 and 8 pence per minute for an 0870. So in other words, you know what you’re paying for. You’re not told it’s a local call rate when it actually costs a lot more than a local call. You know where you stand. The standard practice that we’re proposing in this document, this consultation - and I would urge anyone who has strong views on this to get in touch with us and tell us about them - is that all companies and organisations, government, the BBC, Ofcom, companies whoever, should offer two numbers. They should offer an 0845 or an 0870 number, but alongside them, just as prominent so you can see, the actual geographic number. [!!]

WAITE
Well, you say Ofcom is across this and doing something about it. What do you intend to do then?

PEACOCK
Well, at the end of this we intend to produce a new framework, basically a new set of rules that companies will have to follow, that other bodies like, for example, the Advertising Standards Authority whom we work with on advertising, will enforce in their code of practice, so that companies won’t be able to advertise something as local or national when it isn’t.

WAITE
Then how long will this, as it were, regularising of this ... How long will that take before customers don’t feel ripped off as they clearly do now?

PEACOCK
Well the consultation will close quite soon, very much in the early New Year, and we would hope to have the new framework up and running before the end of the first quarter, before the end of March next year.

WAITE
So the days of 0870 numbers are numbered, at least as far as being a cash cow is concerned?

PEACOCK
Certainly as far as consumers being misled and confused about them.

WAITE
Matt Peacock of Ofcom, thank you very much indeed.

I would like to remind everyone that there are now only a few days left to respond to the 2 Ofcom consultations on NTS (including all the issues of 0870s etc.). There do not seem to be many responses displayed on the Ofcom site, so either this is because not many people have responded or a good number have followed the recommendation to withhold permission to publish their response in retaliation for Ofcom withholding critical data relative to the consultations. Unless they are flooded with responses they will not take any notice of us again.

So don't procrastinate any longer! Do it now. SEND YOUR RESPONSE BEFORE YOU FORGET. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT.

The campaign sites allow you to submit responses to the two current Ofcom consultations about 0870 use etc. more easily and quickly. (The Ofcom documents are quite long and would take a long time to go through yourself.)  

There are 2 responses to send. Don't foget to send yours before 7th Jan 2005.  Go to:

http://www.freeweb.telco4u.net/rachelf or  
http://0870abuse.tripod.com.

I have a problem with your links.

One consultation document is "NTS options for the future".  What is the name of the other consultation document?

You can sent your response (together with an Ofcom cover sheet obtainable from the Ofcom web site) to Ofcom by fax 020 7981 3333 or by email  consult@ofcom.org.uk or post it to them at 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA

Hi KK,

Yes I am not surprised you had a problem with the links! Ofcom had decided to change them. We have sorted them out now according to Ofcom's changes and you should find they will work.

Thank you for bringing that to our attention.  

The names of the two consultation documents are given on the campaign site. They are: "Number Translation Services - Call termination market review" and "Number Translation Services - Options for the future".

You can of course send your response via normal post if you want but it takes longer. (It does state that on the campaign site too.) Ofcom specifically ask you to send your responses if via e-mail to the address given on the campaign site, not the one you give here!