Source: http://www.travelbite.co.uk/destinations/cheaper-travel-advice-$15044338.htm

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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has set up a new phone line offering travellers access to its comprehensive travel advice service.

The new 0845 number means callers from within the UK will be charged for the price of a local call rather than for a national call as under the old 0870 number.

Consular affairs minister Lord Triesman said: "It has never been more important for people to be better prepared before they travel. Calling the Travel Advice Help-line can form a useful part of these preparations. The new number will be cheaper for members of the public to dial and we hope this will help encourage more people to use it."

The new number is 0845 0850 2829. The existing number - 0870 6060 290 - will remain active until the end of March 2006.
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And the fact that a geographical number properly set up to include group hunting and appropriate routing as well as full statistical reporting would be cheaper still and not cause international access problems?  >:(

And 0845 is not the "price of a local call" any longer, except for the few subscribers with BT light user accounts!

OK I could write another email to the Foreign Secretary to point out to them the ASA guidance on true call costs and the fact they are breaching Part III of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 but I am beginning to run out of energy.

Ofcom must make regulations to ban this abuse.  If their forthcoming proposals don't do this we must campaign to have the CEO of Ofcom fired and replaced by someone who can fulfil their proper statutory duties.

I agree.

Received the following from FCO this morning:-

Dear Mr

Thank you for your e-mail of 16th September about the new Travel Advice telephone number.  Please accept my apologises in the length of time that it has taken for you to receive a reply.

The geographical number for calling Travel Advice is 01530 553424 (Monday to Friday, 8am - 8pm) and 02891 476754 (all other times).  

The other comments in your e-mail are being dealt with separately and you will receive a reply ion this shortly.

Ian Walker
Deputy Head of Travel Advice Section
Consular Crisis Group
OAB G/61
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Tel: 020 7008 0198
Fax: 020 7008 0155  

Further to my post above, I have received a further reply today,anyone care to comment on the reply? I have put my original email to them first.


Your new 0845 number is no more "local call rate" than the 0870 number is "national" all calls to numbers beginning 01/02 cost the same no matter where they are called from and to where they terminate, you are obliged under OFCOM and ASA rules to display the cost of these calls, they are both more costlier from a BT line and considerably more from a payphone or mobile, in fact they are premium rate revenue sharing numbers, and if you do not adjust your website accordingly I will report you to both bodies.
Please supply me with the geographical number in place of the 0845/0870 number, if you won't, then I shall apply for it under the Freedom of Information Act.


Dear Mr ,
Further to my e-mail to you of 27 September.  I am now able to reply on the other points that you raised.
The Travel Advice Line number was changed earlier this month from an 0870 to a 0845 number, to bring the service in line with government wide best-practice on public information services, while increasing access and affordability to users.
It is indeed the case that these numbers can be more than standard local rate tariffs. We do not however, take a revenue share on the 0845 number.
The Committee for Advertising Practice - the body responsible for writing and enforcing the advertising rules for non-broadcast media - is aware that the cost of calling non-geographical numbers starting 0845 and 0870 numbers is variable for non-BT customers and that calls to those numbers are unlikely to be charged at the traditional local or national rates that previously applied.
We do take adherence to regulatory advice very seriously and have recently changed our policy on switching to a 0845 number as evidence of this.
In line with the advertising standards agency's recommendations we will not be advertising the service as a local rate number. In addition, the maximum call cost from a BT line will be stated in publicity literature. The large number of tariffs available in the market, mean that we are unable to give precise costs from other networks such as those for mobile phones.
Travel advice is available from our dedicated telephone advisory team and on our website www.fco.gov.uk/travel
We welcome your feedback and hope this answers your comment on this matter.

Ian Walker
Deputy Head of Travel Advice Section
Consular Crisis Group
OAB G/61
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 020 7008 0198
Fax: 020 7008 0155

Well I suppose the fact that the latest Ofcom proposals will mean that 0870 may be in due course be priced as geographic phone calls whilst 0845 will not is going to rather torpedo their argument:-

See http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1127905776

Quote:

Travel advice: 0845 850 2829 (BT-4p per min, other networks vary)

from the FCO website  :o

saynonto0871 wrote on Dec 8^th, 2005 at 12:42pm:

Quote: Travel advice: 0845 850 2829 (BT-4p per min, other networks vary) from the FCO website  :o

They are following the ASA guidelines!

bigjohn wrote on Dec 8^th, 2005 at 4:30pm:

saynonto0871 wrote on Dec 8th, 2005 at 12:42pm: Quote: Travel advice: 0845 850 2829 (BT-4p per min, other networks vary) from the FCO website  :o They are following the ASA guidelines!

so what if your on BT Light User or your calling at the weekend, the rates are different?

When 0870 & 0845 were invisaged they were equal to the BT Standard Local & National Rates which was a silly idea as BT rates duly change & will change again and again. With the demise of BT Standard & the ASA guidelines persisting in requiring companies to state the max current BT rate this means BT Together has become the defacto standard.
So it follows that if they are going to that far why not peg 0870 & 0845 to the current BT Together Local/National call rate for all networks, if they don't want to go the whole hog & scrap revenue sharing entirely on these nos making them the same as 01/02.

saynonto0871 wrote on Dec 9^th, 2005 at 8:49am:

so what if your on BT Light User or your calling at the weekend, the rates are different?

The price quoted for 0845 is the highest rate from a BT landline which is 3.95p/min (inc VAT) when on a BT 'non-discounted' package such as Light User Scheme. This is the daytime rate.

Dave wrote on Dec 9^th, 2005 at 12:54pm:

The price quoted for 0845 is the highest rate from a BT landline which is 3.95p/min (inc VAT) when on a BT 'non-discounted' package such as Light User Scheme. This is the daytime rate.

But not the highest possible price for calling an 0845 from a mobile phone which is in the order of 35p to 50p per minuute. >:(