I don't know how long they have been saying this because I don't normally see their delivery notes but I noticed on deliveries from RS Components (www.rswww.com) this week that they have the following claim about their new sales telephone number:

**** CALLS TO RS NOW COST LESS! ****
** 08457 201201 .... 08457 201201 **
** CALL OUR NEW LOCAL RATE NUMBER **
*** AND START SAVING MONEY TODAY ***

But their old number is 01536 (not 0870....) 201201. Well how on earth can they make a claim like that? It's not local rate and it's not cheaper. Perhaps they mean "Calls to RS now effectively cost us less......Start saving us money today". The old 01536 number is still printed at the top of the page (and on their website) but I don't know how much longer they'll keep that there (or allow access to it).

This is all part of the macro scam. They prey on most people's ignorance about this whole spectrum of bamboozle, and the failure of most telcos to state the true costs of these numbers in their tariffs. They mostly conceal their actual rates for these in small print or do not even publish them!

Called last night & talked to the order line staff who agree that it's a bit of a Faut Pas on behalf of Marketting but there was no superviser to help me.

Talked to the switchboard today who advise that Colin Davis is the person I should talk to - his number (will add later) went to Voicemail so I'll try again later to find out his reasoning !  ::)

Their website still have geographicals listed.

At the bottom of their homepage they have two geographical numbers so they may have just changed their website and may have gone back to geographical numbers.

Their Contact Us page here also has geographicals listed.

You could remind them (if necessary) it's against Consumer Protection Act 1987 to state that an 0845 is local rate.

wrote on Sep 30^th, 2005 at 4:05pm:

Their website still have geographicals listed. At the bottom of their homepage they have two geographical numbers so they may have just changed their website and may have gone back to geographical numbers. Their Contact Us page here also has geographicals listed. You could remind them (if necessary) it's against Consumer Protection Act 1987 to state that an 0845 is local rate.

There was nothing about the non-geo numbers on the website anyway (I checked yesterday morning having just received a delivery note from them). The text promoting their non-geo number is being printed at the bottom of order details on delivery notes they send out to customers which is where they print announcements/special offers. Anyway, hopefully they have abandoned the idea. Their competitors switched to 0870 numbers a few years ago (though the old geos still work) but don't claim their non-geos are cheaper.

Yes, I saw this on the new catalogue box that arrived today, I couldn't really believe it at first.
However, I do wonder if this is just the start of companies quickly jumping on the 08xx bandwagon before Ofcom eventually crackdown.
It would appear they will leave 0845 alone, so therefore this will be a better revenue earner than 0870 from now on.
I am also trying to complain to RS but it is difficult getting them to understand the question as usual.

Hi. This thread has gone quiet and I wondered if DaveM had managed to speak to Colin Davis? Their call volume must be enormous. Keep up the good work. Thanks. Bill