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0870 Numbers - Important Information
 
Many of you will be aware from the press that 0870 numbers will incur charges to the call recipient from 1st January next year. It is not clear what this will be, but suggestions are that it will be around 3p per minute which would be a considerable cost to individuals receiving calls.
 
We have investigated a range of alternative 'front' numbers, however none of these seem to meet our and your needs and there is a likelihood that the rules on these will be subject to change within the next couple of years.
 
The purpose of introducing the numbers was to provide a service that would 'hide' from publication telephone numbers of volunteers, and to provide a consistent published number for clubs and volunteer posts that would not require change when responsibilities were passed on to another individual.
 
We still believe this is important and we are currently looking at providing an internet based system that would provide free calls within the ARA and rowing 'family'. However this would be much more flexible and would be an optional service. Details will be circulated as soon as we have something to offer.
 
In the meantime we anticipate that most of you will not want to incur the proposed charges, and we have therefore decided to discontinue the 0870 number system from 1st January 2008.
 
We very much regret any inconvenience this may cause to those of you who use the numbers, but there does not seem to be any viable alternative.
 
We will be sending out the usual details sheet in November so that you can specify which telephone number(s) you would like to be published in the Almanack, and we do of course hold all the numbers on database that you have previously provided.
 
From the 1st January 2008 the ARA National Office will be reverting to its 0208-237-6700 number.
 
 
 
August 2007
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Right decision but WHAT was all that about? Is it a complete misunderstanding of what is going on or a wierd justification for having the 0870 in the first place. If the latter you would have thought they would have gone for another 08xx number so I can only assume they haven't a clue what was/is happening!!!!

Nice to see !!!!

"The ARA's National Office (Hammersmith) contact numbers have changed to: tel: 020 8237 6700 and fax: 020 8237 6749. The old 0870 numbers are being phased out"

http://www.ara-rowing.org/render.aspx?siteID=1&navIDs=1,394,1541,1542

oldharryrocks wrote on Apr 12^th, 2008 at 2:57am:

Nice to see !!!! "The ARA's National Office (Hammersmith) contact numbers have changed to: tel: 020 8237 6700 and fax: 020 8237 6749. The old 0870 numbers are being phased out" http://www.ara-rowing.org/render.aspx?siteID=1&navIDs=1,394,1541,1542

Shhsshhhhh.

If we aren't careful somebody might tell them about Ofcom having changed their mind about 0870 numbers. ;)

The bottom line in all this stuff is that 084/7 only exists because BT and other telcos have been allowed by OFTEL/Ofcom to artificially keep the cost of normal call forwarding (free to the caller) artificially high in order to blackmail people who need simple flexible call forwarding from geographic phone numbers in to a ripoff 084/7 deal. >:(

I particularly recall the obscene charges BT made of several hundred pounds a year just for a remote geographic number call diversion facility to exist in order to be able to alter the number the call is forwarded to remotely.  BT then also got full old style national rate call prices on top of this.  This is what then made 084 and 087 numbers so popular with voluntary organisations of this kind who have out of office supporters manning the phone line.