I received a catalogue from Scotts of Stow yesterday and found that all of their numbers are 0870, they also give an email address
sales@scottsofstow.co.uk

I have sent them the following email
I received your most interesting catalogue yesterday but was sad to see that all of your access 'phone numbers are 0870 numbers; you have now joined the ranks of ripoff Britain. I assume that you realise that these calls are charged at 8p per minute, twice the rate of a normal geographic number on BT and of course infinitely more than  that for people who have inclusive packages. I and many others make it a point of principle not to deal with any companies who do not give normal geographic numbers. ie. those beginning 01 or 02.I understand that all the flexibility that you get from using these 0870 numbers can be had just as easily with 01 and 02 numbers notwithstanding whatever the 0870 suppliers have told you.
I will therefore be looking elsewhere for the items which you sell.

Perhaps if alot of us do the same  someone there might listen. Not everyone has access to a computer especially many elsderly folk and those who can't get to the shops and have to rely on mail order.

I would be very interested to see the reply you will get...It will probably be the usual stuff...'we can reroute the call to the least busy section in our call centre so that YOU the customer are dealt with more quickly and get a better deal etc.  I don't accept this.  NTS are surely available on conventional geo numbers.  You could ask them how much revenue 'kick-back' they get when a customer rings them and ask them whether they think that it's a rather underhand surrupticious way of making money out of the customer.

Alt.

Some alternatives in the database.  ;)