The Helplines Association endorse organisations that offer 'Quality and Confidence to Callers'.

This includes 0845 helplines, and the association use an 0845 number themselves.

Their website lists values including these:

Integrity: straightforwardness and honesty in our interactions
Customer focused: providing value for money and responding to customer need
Caller focused: keeping the caller at the heart of all decisions

This list is not exhaustive, but is not really a fair reflection of tricking some people into spending up to 40p per minute calling them or other helplines they endorse.

Any comments?

It may help to explain that the bold text is quoted from the About Us page of the The Helplines Association's website.


If 0845 (and other similar) numbers were promoted as facilitating payment of a premium or subsidy to receivers, then I may be more warmed to them. The Helplines Association chooses not to declare this fact which is likely (and does in practice) result in higher call rates.

The decision not to make callers aware of this fact and its likely consequences for them is hardly in keeping with "keeping the caller at the heart of all decisions." Whether use of such a number is in keeping, is another matter.

This is the organisation formerly known as the Telephone Helplines Association, noted and lauded for arranging for many 080 numbers to be free to call from mobiles, including the 0808 80 range which is reserved for its members.

The contact us page of the website contains a price declaration message, which happily fails to promote the discounted rates for calling 0845 numbers from BT. The same is sadly untrue of a similar message on the FAQ page, which quotes out of date prices, although it does contain the warning that "mobiles will cost considerably more". That page also points out that there is no special arrangement available for special pricing of 0845 calls from mobiles.

From my dealings with this organisation, I would be most reluctant to accept that there is any intention to deceive or to promote deceit by members. I would strongly urge anyone with any concerns about the endorsement of 0845 numbers, or helpful suggestions about how pricing advice should be provided, to make contact.

It may also be worth exploring whether any of the approved providers of helpline services offer good rates on 03 numbers. If not, then this is certainly something to be encouraged. BT, a known advocate of 03 numbers and a major provider to public services, is the only listed provider. It is therefore very likley that such arrangements already exist for members of its "Charities Club". I also know of at least one other provider of 03 numbers that could perhaps be encouraged to get in on this.

If anyone would like further information and relevant contact details, please PM or email me.

One must remember that 0845 and 0844 numbers are very attractive to charity helpline providers because they enable calls to be switched around to recorded information and to different pick up points relatively cheaply (because of the revenue share). If callers have BT landlines, they (especially 0845) can be cheap to call. This is not the whole story however, and it is vital that the situation is properly understood. I only make this point so that we can remember that there is not necessarily a deliberate intention to deceive.

My initial criticism of the Telephone Helplines Association came after viewing the Insolvency website (fortunately through a supply contract at work and not my personal situation!)

The endorsement is displayed on the following page:

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/contactus/enquiryline.htm

Two contact numbers are listed on this page, both 0845. This is a Government organisation. People calling this organisation are in extreme financial difficulties.

Therefore, the statements made by the THA about holding good value for the customer as a priority do not hold true if they endorse such an organisation.

As an industry body, one would expect that The Helplines Association would be leading the way by not using 0845 numbers, and briefing its members on the advantages of 03 non-geographic numbers.

The public sector Contact Council, formed by members of various local and national organisations such as councils, DWP and HMRC published a statement on telephone numbers last year:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/218872/numbering_clarification.pdf


Whilst little or no information is published, organisations will continue on using revenue sharing phone numbers without giving the issues a second thought. I think that the point you have made about encouraging 0800-using organisations to publish 01/02/03 alternatives for mobile users is an excellent case in point. Having decided to use a "freephone" they don't give calls cost second thought.

Dave wrote on Feb 21^st, 2010 at 1:43am:

I think that the point you have made about encouraging 0800-using organisations to publish 01/02/03 alternatives for mobile users is an excellent case in point. Having decided to use a "freephone" they don't give calls cost second thought.

The suggestion in indeed excellent for the many cases where it could be applicable.

THA, which is the subject of this thread, has an alternative approach to the issue. I think that this could fairly be described as representing a second thought.


SilentCallsVictim wrote on Feb 17^th, 2010 at 6:47pm:

This is the organisation formerly known as the Telephone Helplines Association, noted and lauded for arranging for many 080 numbers to be free to call from mobiles, including the 0808 80 range which is reserved for its members.

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floella2 wrote on Feb 21^st, 2010 at 12:58am:

Therefore, the statements made by the THA about holding good value for the customer as a priority do not hold true if they endorse such an organisation.

Use of 0845 numbers does not disqualify organisations from membership of the THA. There is indeed nothing to say that if a company were to pay £1 a minute to contact the Insolvency Service helpline for otherwise free advice about the law it would not be getting good value for money, regardless of its financial circumstances. That is not to say that this would be acceptable, it is just that “value for money” is perhaps not the most effective point on which to attack users of revenue sharing numbers in general. It is also not necessarily helpful to suggest that one should get what one pays for when calling a genuine freephone number.

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SilentCallsVictim wrote on Feb 17^th, 2010 at 6:47pm:

I would strongly urge anyone with any concerns about the endorsement of 0845 numbers, or helpful suggestions about how pricing advice should be provided, to make contact. ... If anyone would like further information and relevant contact details, please PM or email me.