NFDC have replaced 5 seperate geographical numbers for their leisure centres with a single 0845 one so effectively it costs more to make a booking/enquiry.No thought for those calling from mobiles etc.

http://www.newforest.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1&CFID=8615290&CFTOKEN=60578898

"We would like to take this opportunity to let our customers know about important changes to the way we answer telephone calls at the Health and Leisure Centres. From 13 May 2008 we will be launching one new number to cover all five centres across the district.  The new number is 0845 659 0845 and will handle all booking and information enquiries."

I think that anyone who is in that region should ring Penni Lee on 023 8042 3353 and express their disgust at them changing to an 0845 number, and demand that they publicise the alternative number.

http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/newforest/newforestnews/display.var.2277552.0.new_number_for_leisure_centre.php

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New number for leisure centre
By Karen Bate

A NEW telephone number for Ringwood Health and Leisure Centre will be introduced in June.

Calls to all five centres across the district will be handled by one central low rate number - 0845 659 0845.

The One Call Fits All initiative launched by New Forest district council has been introduced in a bid to improve customer service in New Forest centres.

Bob Millard, assistant director of leisure services, is extremely enthusiastic about this initiative: "We are all really excited to see the difference it will make to our customers.

"We firmly believe that this innovative approach will help us to provide excellent services and, being the first council to use this facility in our leisure service, we hope that its success will be an example of our continually improving customer relations."

The move follows a service review last year that estimated as many as 20 per cent of calls were unanswered by receptionists who had to serve customers at the front desk.

Mr Millard added: "The new One Call Fits All number will replace the old system permanently, making the old individual centre numbers obsolete."
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This leaflet is about a year old and dates back to when New Forest District Council introduced its "One Number":

http://www.newforest.gov.uk/media/adobe/t/j/one_number_newsletter.pdf

The issue isn't with one number but the type of number - that being it is a 0845 one!

They seem to ignore the fact that many callers these days have free landline calls or alternative CLS.

F

flocker wrote on May 20^th, 2009 at 10:03am:

They seem to ignore the fact that many callers these days have free landline calls or alternative CLS.

I suggest it would be more accurate to say "inclusive calls" rather than "free".    You pay for all your calls one way or another.    

My observation is that suppliers' strategies throughout the industry seem to aim to persuade their customers to move onto inclusive packages as much as possible while simultaneously increasing the cost of line rental and those enticing packages.