Hi,

I am trying to get the direct dial numbers for student accomodation for Hull University.  I am interested in Lawns, but for the benefit of everybody, any information would be good.

I have asked for FOI disclosure without any joy, the response is posted in forums.

It appears to be one of the very few that is not listed on this site.

Thanks for any help.

~ Thread title edited by Dave

wrote on Oct 14^th, 2005 at 7:53am:

Hi, I am trying to get the direct dial numbers for student accomodation for Hull University.  I am interested in Lawns, but for the benefit of everybody, any information would be good. I have asked for FOI disclosure without any joy, the response is posted in forums.

Have you exhausted all options in your FOI request, ie have you asked for an internal review and have you made an appeal to the Information Commissioner? Just because you are initially refused the information does not mean that it won't eventually be forthcoming. It took me four months to get the Home Office to reveal its real telephone numbers.

The use of 0870 by universities is the latest scam that the purveyors of these numbers are targeting. To me, this is a more serious scandal than the NEG 0870/0844 scam relating to healthcare providers in that the calls to students may be lengthy and there is a captive overseas market. I suggest you complain to the student union, the university hierarchy and, most importantly, to Ofcom. The regulator is fully aware of what is going on here. It also knows that overseas callers, if they are able to get through, have to pay a massive premium. Call Ofcom, email Ofcom, ask what it intends to do about it. Don't let it fob you off with nonsense. Also, write to your MP.

Looking for an alternative number for accommodation at The Lawns, University of Hull.  All rooms have their own individual number 0870 so no extension number need be dialled.  Is there a method of finding out what alternative number can be used.  Also if I needed to call from abroad obviously another number would have to be obtained - who would I contact for this and over and above all that 'Is it possible'. Thanks (New to all this computer business)

Area code is 01482
eg student room 0870 8559567
For calling between rooms for free connection students put a 32 in front of the last 3 digits
University number itself is 01482 346311

Can you give us some more information on this system: Specifically what company provides the system? For example, Dog n Bone Zone and Keycom/Keytalk are two university phone names I know of. Is there a website for this service? Roughly how many rooms/extensions are we talking throughout the university that will have these 0870 numbers?

Does a number appear on the caller display of the person you're calling? When you dial out, try prefixing the outside number with 1470. On a normal telephone line this will allow the number to be shown, where it would otherwise be perminantly withheld. I don't expect it to work, but it's worth a try.

Before you try anything, bear in mind that there's no guarantee that the geographical number is an 01482 number and/or that there is an underlying geographical number at all.

Numbers beginning 0870 855 are allocated to Your Communications (change date 08/2003).

Within the 01482 code there is only one prefix allocated to Your Communications and that is 01482 25 (change date 05/2002). There are no numbers allocated to Thus Plc, YC's parent company.

I must point out that the geographical and 0870 numbers could be allocated to different telcos. More information on the system in question might help us identify the number better.

If you want to try these numbers, start off with 01482 25 followed by the last four digits of the internal extension number. If the last four digits of the 0870 are different to the last four digits of the internal extension number, then I would be inclined to put my money on the last few digits of the 01482 number being the same as the internal number. That's not forced to be the case, but I think that when we have successfully found numbers for these systems, they have been linked to the internal ones, rather than the 0870s.

If that doesn't work, then I suggest that you try the following:
01482 250xxx
01482 251xxx
01482 252xxx
01482 253xxx etc

Substitute xxx for the last three digits of your internal/0870 number.

Failing that, it might be that only the last two match, so you will have to try:
01482 2500xx
01482 2501xx
01482 2502xx
01482 2503xx etc

If you do get through to someone, you could ask them whether they are in university accomodation and what their internal number and 0870 is. That way, you might be able to work out how the two relate to one another.

I don't think you'll find any are residential as they'll all be KC numbers (which these aren't), so most will probably be out of service.

:) Have managed to find a direct number for student acommodation in Thwaite Hall, but unable to obtain the students 0870 telephone number as a little wary og telling me it - which I can understand.

Tried all numbers for The Lawns but still  getting nowhere fast.

funnkeymonkey wrote on Sep 28^th, 2006 at 9:32pm:

:) Have managed to find a direct number for student acommodation in Thwaite Hall, but unable to obtain the students 0870 telephone number as a little wary og telling me it - which I can understand.

Do you mean you know a geographical number for the accommodation but don't know the corresponding 0870 number? If so, could you post it (minus the last few digits) then people here can try a few things?

funnkeymonkey, can you give more information?


funnkeymonkey wrote on Sep 28^th, 2006 at 9:32pm:

:) Have managed to find a direct number for student acommodation in Thwaite Hall, but unable to obtain the students 0870 telephone number as a little wary og telling me it - which I can understand.

The number for Thwaite Hall, is this an 01482 25xxxx one? If so, then you are getting somewhere because it confirms that the university hall's phone system uses these numbers. It will also give you a clue as to what area you should be trying as they will probably be in one consecutive block.

Do you know anyone in Thwaite Hall and can you find out what their 0870 and extension number is? If the numbering is such that each building has its own consecutive block of numbers, then perhaps this would act as a clue. Alternatively, if the numbers were allocated randomly at different locations, then it might not be of help. For example, if one number was at one building, then the next at another and so on.


funnkeymonkey wrote on Sep 28^th, 2006 at 9:33pm:

Tried all numbers for The Lawns but still  getting nowhere fast.

Have you tried 01482 2500xx, 01482 2501, 01482 2502xx and so on where xx is the last two digits of your extension number? Or have you tried something else?

Perhaps try your last digit in the area you got an answer.

Did many answer and if so, would they tell you whether they were in university halls or another company/organisation?

You can PM specific numbers you tried to me if you want.

Thwaite Hall in University of Hull number 01482 4695** but did not manage to get the 0870 number from them for this direct line.  As far as I could ascertain this was student accommodation.

From what i can gather most numbers for Lambert Hall could start with 463*** or even 43****
The number I am looking for is 0870 85595**  internal extension 32 5** (last two digits of 0870 and ext number are the same)
Have found that the wardens outside number  01482 848242 - have tried 848267 but this no help

Is this of any help.  

~ Last two digits of extension removed

848567 not the right number either although does keep ringing but is not the correct one for me.

funnkeymonkey, before we go any further, can you clarify whether it gives a number on the receiver's caller display when you call out. Try calling your mobile and see what you get.

If there is a number, this may yield significant clues to finding the incoming number.

no number shownon display - does this help?

I've looked at the information you've posted again. The number you found was 01482 4695**.

You posted the internal extension number 32 5**. Have you tried 01482 4695** ?

This number goes through to Thwaite Hall - not to The Lawns.  Would really need to find the extension of the person with this number and then try various combinations to try and find The Lawns.  

I've just called one of the numbers and got an extension number.

Result! I can confirm that the following are correct and I'll them to the database.

32xxx = 01482 468xxx
33xxx = 01482 469xxx

;D   BRILLIANT - Many thanks for your patience with me (not understanding a thing about computers).  Daughter just telephoned and can now keep in touch more easily (no doubt much to her annoyance  ! ! !). Thanks again

Hello, Hull Uni have just changed their phone system, so the landline numbers previousl yposted here for student halls no longer work.  The new number is in the format 0844 308XXXX...   does anyone have any idea what the fixed line alternative mightbe please?  Many thanks

What is the old number prefix which no longer works?

Have you tried the existing geographic alternatives? What happens now when you dial it? Do you know who provides the new phone system?

 hi, thanks for getting back to me, the old number 0870  8589717 just cuts out now, call ended message comes up - 2 weeks ago when my son got there, the number rang but now no longer does.   He has no idea who the phone provider is..  

Have you tried using the geographic alternative numbers in the database? Put in University of Hull to find them.

Hi, tried that first, sadly no joy, have also looked through the forum and come across a previous posting from 2006, which worked for the previous 0870 number, but the system was out of order for the first 10 days of term, is now functional with a whole set of new numbers...    

Having looked through the postings for Lancaster Uni, it seems a very similar system, so am trying to track down extension numbers for the uni in general and see if any correspond, willprobably get a grumpy student who is not happy to be disturbed by someone elses's mum!

Fair enough. Do you know who is the provider of outgoing calls? (Presumably outgoing calls aren't free!) Is the system linked to the university phone system? (can university extensions be called for free?)

Hey, cracked it.....   where the number was 0844 3089 XXX   it becomes 01482 468 XXX   where the last 3 digits are the same as the 0844 number, just tried it, got through straight away, brill!   ( the basic encryption, if you like, is similar to the previous postings from 2006, so thanks to those guys for their messages)

RW wrote on Oct 9^th, 2008 at 6:15pm:

Hey, cracked it.....   where the number was 0844 3089 XXX   it becomes 01482 468 XXX   where the last 3 digits are the same as the 0844 number, just tried it, got through straight away, brill!   ( the basic encryption, if you like, is similar to the previous postings from 2006, so thanks to those guys for their messages)

I have combined your thread to the existing one. See my post above which says:

Extension numbers can be dialled as:

32xxx = 01482 468xxx = 0844 3089xxx
33xxx = 01482 469xxx

If you find this is not the case, please let us know.

Since the Xmas 2009 vacation, this mapping no longer seems to work. And neither does the 0870 number.

If you dial the 01482 number, you receive a ringing tone, though the corresponding phone doesn't ring. And if you call the 0870 number, you hear a recorded message saying "this service as been discontinued". Apparently the phones still work internally for room to room calls.

Is anyone still successfully using this mapping, or even the 0870 numbers?

Thanks.