0844 8044 999

I really can't believe that such an organisation would use an 0844 number. I have a friend in a women's refuge who called me at work asking if I could find her an alternative number but unfortunately I cannot find a switchboard number. They do publicise a freephone number but she only has a mobile and is, for obvious reasons, a bit reluctant to go outside and use the phonebox.

I managed to find a mobile/ddi for the PA to the CEO of the organisation:

Carol Wilson
020 8150 8861
07931 649757

I hope that nobody reading this ever needs to use such a service but if you know somebody that does I would suggest calling them and ask them to also publicise the geographical number so that vulnerable people, whose finances may have been cut off by a controlling partner, can also access the service

The CEO is called Steve Connor

Thanks

They have a fax number
020 7160 9383

There just may be a geo. number either side of this.

Thanks Sherbet, but no dice.... I tried about 10 DDI's in the adjacent range and all faxes.....

The fax is an inner London number. The PA is an outer London number. And the address is Guildford!

As mentioned above, I got the PA to the CEO number but not yet spoken to my friend to see if she was willing to put her through.

I think I posted in shock as much as anything since the people who need this service are some of the most vulnerable.

Sorry, I mean Sherbert!

Typo there!

Oh well, worth a try.

Perhaps a call to the P.A. or a letter reminding them that an 0800 number is not free from a mobile.

Are you saying that there is not a land line in the refuge, where she could dial the 0800 number for 'free'?

That I don't know. Although I can only assume she asked me to do this for a reason......

Anyway, thanks for having a look for us :)

You can call freephone numbers from a mobile at geographical rates (or from inclusive minutes where applicable) by dialling 020 0222 0700 or 020 0222 0900. When it answers, dial the destination 0800 number.

Their website gives :
"Freephone
NCDV offers a free phone service.
To access this, dial: 08009 70 20 70"

It also offers web, minicom and text access.
Does this help?

The problem that the O.P. was saying is that there is no land line at the refuge and her friend only has a moblile. Don't 0808 numbers cost from a mobile?

Read Dave's post of 29 June:

You can call freephone numbers from a mobile at geographical rates (or from inclusive minutes where applicable) by dialling 020 0222 0700 or 020 0222 0900. When it answers, dial the destination 0800 number.

Oops, sorry, Sherbert (and OP).

But I am not sure why there is no scope to contact the HQ from a refuge? Should not a refugee have some means of making non-revenue share contact? I ask these questions out of my own ignorance, rather than as a criticism. A bit late now for the refuge to use a THA (Telephone Helplines Association) 0808x number which really is FREEphone - however better late than never.

Thanks for all the comment, advice and suggestions.

In the end I called the 0844 number on my friends behalf and they offered to call her. So I gave them her number.

I also explained why she couldn't call them and asked for the 020 number. Firstly they said they couldnt't give it to me. Then they said the 020 number is no longer active. When I asked why they fumbled a bit and said they had been having a lot of problems with their phones lately.

I explained again the problem with calling 0844 and 0800 from a mobile and the fact it may restrict some people's capacity to call and she thanked me and promised to make her manager aware of this.

Now what I don't understand is if they are willing and able to call people back (which I applaud), would it not just be cheaper for them to publicise the 020 number to enable more people to call them in the first place????

floella2 The best way around all this is to to take Dave's suggestion in reply #6, then your friend will be paying for a goegraphical number when she dials the so called free number.

Good luck. :)

Thanks once again. The problem has been solved in her case thanks to that piece of advice.

The reason I have got such a bee in my bonnet about this is because there are so many people out there who don't know about that number in reply #6 or indeed this site, and if somebody really needed help and were down to the last bit of credit on a PAYG mobile, that credit would be eaten up whilst on hold before they even got to speak to anybody.

If there really was a case where 08 numbers should not be used, this is one of them!!!! What are we gonna do about it?!!!!!!

Anyway, thanks once again.

floella2 wrote on Jun 30^th, 2009 at 10:07am:

What are we gonna do about it?!!!!!!

A good starting point is by writing to your MP, (providing he has the time to read your letter, when he is not filling in his expense form!!!!!!)

To find out his web site, address etc. go here...

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

The 0800 970 2070 number is sometimes unobtainable from my BT line.  :-/

0844 804 4999 and 0800 970 2070 answer with exactly the same IVR, as does 0870 992 0704. This 0870 number might be of use to someone with inclusive calls with BT. Come 1 August, if it's still in service, it will also be of use to people using providers who reduce call charges to those of 01/02/03 calls.

Steve Connor's number is the one before his PA's: 020 8150 8860

The "NCDV Out of Hours Service" is 020 8150 8873.

Quote:

What are we gonna do about it?!!!!!!

Email sent to the CEO (Steve Connor), no reply as yet.