I think the numbers listed for Britannia Music need updating: 0208 9106655 goes straight to a fax machine and 0845 3303030 is the helpline for the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. ;D

Sorry - these sources might say 0845 3303030 goes to them, but the Brittania Music Club says otherwise  :-/

There are quite a few references from Music distributors to "Britannia Music" 0845 330 3030 also saying the number comes from Britannia.

However, one I found saying it was the Gay and Lesbian Foundation was from the South Manchester Reporter, and we believe everything the papers say !! The other was from Pink UK, and they couldn't be wrong !!!   :-X

Can I suggest that you do some checking of your own like ring the 0845 and see who answers it !?  :-/

0208 9106655 goes to a Fax after hours if memory serves me correct but I will look into it and advise you.

thanks for following up my post, however the reason for my message was that I have tried the numbers already and 0845 3303030 goes through to the G & L helpline as I said. The reason I know this is that I have been using the number!!!! Britannia stopped using this number in favour of the 0870 one a year or more ago and it has been removed from their literature.

Britannia Music in the very old days (when I used them) they had 0181 910 6644 obviously before the london changeover.  Trying 0208 910 6644 doesn't work and I noticed the entry in the database of 0208 910 6655 is very similar to this.

The entry in the database does go to a fax number when I tried it (at time of writing this post) and the 0845 number listed is no longer used by Britannia and is now part of Gay and Lesbian as I have just rung it.

Trying neighbouring numbers results in either a (seemingly constant) engaged tone or doesn't exist.

I also noticed that they are still using a PO address.  Under the Electronic Commerce Directive and the Distance Selling Regs 2000 they have to provide a geographical address so I will email them this and ask for someone to ring back otherwise I shall take it further with regards to Trading Standards, etc.

I'm hoping by doing this (and assuming they do ring back) then they may leave a number on CLI.

If I hear anything I'll post here.

UPDATE:  A google search of their website reveals they use 0845 458 8800 but ringing this actually directs you to 0870 09 45678.  This does exist but is for sales and existing customers or for customers services they ask you to ring (yes, you guessed it) the 0871 number.

I have also noticed that they advertise the 0871 as being national rate and costing between 2p and 7p but a 0871 is 10p at all times.

I've just rung the 0870 (free as part of my inclusive mins on my mobile) and the sales person took my details and said she would have someone call me back over the address being a PO box.  I'll also mention about call charges are advertised incorrectly).

Thanks Kev

I talked to Customer services manager through the switchboard number we have. She said that the 0845 was changed over 2 years ago !! I said about the errors with the rates mentioned and she thinks this may have referred to when it was 0870, which sounds plausible. She is going to follow it up and change it to show the correct rate of 10p at all times !

This goes to show how misleading some of the old data that's out there on the internet can be !  :-/

Thinking about it logically, it may be that they have gone over to Voip at their offices, with the only main Geo access being the switchboard on 0208 9106000, and they've dumped the other numbers above 6000 to save money.

Will keep looking for any others & let you know.

I've just had a call back regarding their PO box address and the 10ppm line being advertised as the same price as a 0870.  The lady was very nice and seemed genuinely surprised about the use of PO boxes and didn't realise that calls to 0871 were charged at 10ppm at all times.

She asked me to email through with links to the relevant sections of the law and I've also just emailed BT price list as well.

Anyhow, the purpose of them calling me back was to see if they left a number but unfortunately they didn't.  I really should get anonymous caller rejection for my vodafone mobile as they may have released their number then.  lol.

DaveM, I do agree in that they probably have gone to VoIP.

Kev.

thanks folks for the detailed enquiries. I hadn't appreciated the difference between 0870 and 0871 numbers

wrote on Jul 18^th, 2005 at 3:03pm:

...I said about the errors with the rates mentioned and she thinks this may have referred to when it was 0870, which sounds plausible. She is going to follow it up and change it to show the correct rate of 10p at all times...

Well it's been a month since they were contacted by DaveM and myself over their misleading cost of calling 0871 numbers (I also contacted them over their use of a PO box address) and I've heard nothing and I noticed they are still stating calls to 0871 cost from 2p to 7p.  I've just rung their switchboard (only geo I could find) and I explained that I had heard nothing over this despite emailing them and I'm taking it further and involving trading standards.  As soon as I mentioned Trading Standards I was put through to the PA of one of the directors or something and she  promised she would look into it and call me back.

Just had a ring back from Linda, PA to the CEO thanking me for pointing out that their misleading cost of 7ppm to ring an 0871 and also about using a PO box address (which you can't if you sell things over the 'net, phone - ie long distance).  She confirmed I was right about what I mentioned and their website should be updated around middle of next week to reflect this.

Having just checked Britannia's website they have finally changed it to show the correct cost of ringing their 0871 - it only took a phone call to H/O threatening to take it further via trading standards because of total lack of response to my email a month earlier.

Well just out of curiousity I thought I'd see if Britannia are still displaying the cost of their 0871 number and surprise surprise they aren't anymore.

They've changed the design of their website from back in August 2005 and now its harder to get their number but managed to find it here and here.

I've still got the email address of the person I emailed over this (took me a while to find it - lol), so I'll email her again.