Hi all,

I am seeking a geographical telephone number for Brown's Hairdressing in Olney whose number is 0844 999 1365.

I notice that there is an entry on SAYNOTO0870 for Browns in Buckingham (Tel. 0844 999 2365) but even that has no alternative geographical number.

Looking at the company's website all their branch numbers are the same except for the last digit. Can anyone help me out with the Olney branch (0844 999 1365)?

Many thanks,

K

Hello and welcome to SAYNOTO0870.COM.

Perhaps you go further and provide a link to the website and addresses.

Thanks for the welcome. Of course, I should have said the address of the company is Dagnell House, Stanley Court, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 5DH.

Unfortunately, when I try to include a link I get a message saying that I must first post five normal messages. However, if you type 'browns hair olney' into Google, its the first link found.

Thanks for following this one up so quickly!

The forum software has recently been updated and I assume that the restriction on new members posting links is as a result. When looking for alternatives, posting links to companies' own websites and other sources of information is necessary, so I will see if Forum Admin will permit links to be posted. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

The company's website is www.browns-hair.co.uk and on it we can see that it is a chain of six hair salons which all sport their own 0844 999 x365 number.

A check of BT Phonebook for the Olney salon only gives the 0844 number.

The local dialling code is 01234. Googling "browns" "01234" (with the quotes as shown) returns a couple of suggestions.

The first link gives:

Browns
Stanley Court,
Olney, Buckinghamshire MK46 5NH

Tel: 01234 711553

Then we have this one which gives the same address, but the telephone number one digit after the above one, 01234 711554*.

Try those and let us know how you get on so I can list a suitable alternative.  :)

[edit]* This number now belongs to another company.[/edit]

Thanks again for your efforts. The second number (711 554) is definitely for a different company.

As to the first (711 553), it does not sound promising - only ever getting BT Answering 1571. On the whole, the 0844 number is answered by a person so I'm not sure this one works (although I'll keep trying).

Are there any other possible options for research?

I've taken from the company's website the addresses and published phone numbers for its branches and these are listed below.

The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine stores websites and so allows one to look back at how they used to be. I did this with Browns' and obtained the geographic numbers given prior to the introduction of the 0844 numbers. I have put these numbers below in red.

• Buckingham (opened 1999)
  The White House, Market Hill, Buckingham, Bucks, MK18 1JX
  Tel: 0844 999 2365 | 01280 823365
  
  
• Harpenden (opened 2003)
  66 High Street, Harpenden, Harpenden, AL5 2SJ
  Tel: 0844 999 5365 | 01582 769666 (when it was at 49 High Street)
  
  
• Market Harborough (opened 2002)
  Manor House, High Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7NL
  Tel: 0844 999 4365 | 01858 410066
  
  
• Olney (opened 1980)
  Dagnall House, Stanley Court, Olney,Bucks, MK46 5DH
  Tel: 0844 999 1365 | 01234 711553/4
  
  
• Stamford (opened 2011)
  3 Red Lion Square, Stamford, PE9 2AJ
  Tel: 0844 999 3365
  
  
• Stony Stratford (opened 2007)
  33 High Street, Stony Stratford, Bucks, MK11 1AA
  Tel: 0844 999 7365

I cannot find any record of a geographic number for Stony Stratford as it only has the 0844 number. It appears that the 0844 numbers were introduced in 2007.

The current recruitment page gives the Buckingham address, as does Whois browns-hair.co.uk (that's a look-up of the registration data for this internet address). The terms page gives 0844 999 0365 for appointments. I suggest that these are the head office address and phone number.

The http://www.browns-hair.co.uk/pages/siteinfo/sitecontacts.htm]contact page in March 2005[/url] gave the Buckingham address and telephone 01280 814405 and fax 01280 823557. These are different to the above number previously published for the Buckingham salon.

BT Phonebook has three entries for Browns in Market Hill, Buckingham:
1. Browns Hairdressing Group Hairdressing (This is the salon's 0844 number)
Tel: 0844 999 2365

2. Browns Hairdressing Group
Tel: (01280) 824805

3. Browns Management Services Ltd
Tel: (01280) 816129


All but Stamford salon has a BT Phonebook entry which gives its 0844 number.

---

Some thoughts on this:

Appointments can be booked online.

As Browns is a chain, I suggest that phone calls to all branches' 0844 numbers might be answered at the head office. To have customers ringing individual branches will presumably mean stylists stopping what they are doing to answer the phone, or for there to be a staff member available at each to take calls. Thus, a centralised approach would seem to be the most likely. If you know differently, then please let us know.

I suggest that the head office numbers to try are 01280 814405, 824805 and 816129.

It is important to be mindful that the geographic numbers used behind the 0844 ones might never have been published, in which case we won't find them. It might be that they are the same as they were previously (i.e. those above) or that they are different.

[edit]01234 711554 now belongs to another company.[/edit]

Firstly, many thanks for all your efforts in finding this information; very much appreciated.

I agree with you that, although the Olney branch was the first one, the head office is in Buckingham. I tried the numbers you provided and you are quite right; the one that definitely works is 01280 814405.

My understanding was that you could make appointments either centrally, via their head office, or locally. However, having contacted the Buckingham branch, I found that I could make an appointment there but not for any of the other branches. I was told to hang up an re-dial the 0844 number for the Olney branch.

Regrettably, the number for Olney (01234 711 553) as well as those for Harpenden and Market Harborough are never answered, which leads me to believe that they have effectively stopped using them. Please note; the second number for Olney (01234 711 554) is now being used by another company altogether.

Finally, then, I would say that the website is the best way to contact the company in future as they have clearly made a complete and effective transition to 0844 numbers.

Many thanks again for all your efforts!

karim434 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2011 at 9:16am:

I agree with you that, although the Olney branch was the first one, the head office is in Buckingham. I tried the numbers you provided and you are quite right; the one that definitely works is 01280 814405.

I've listed this one as being for the Buckingham salon (alternative to 0844 999 2365).



karim434 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2011 at 9:16am:

My understanding was that you could make appointments either centrally, via their head office, or locally. However, having contacted the Buckingham branch, I found that I could make an appointment there but not for any of the other branches. I was told to hang up an re-dial the 0844 number for the Olney branch.

The number 0844 999 0365 which I suggested previously might be for head office is answered with a menu with options for each salon.



karim434 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2011 at 9:16am:

Please note; the second number for Olney (01234 711 554) is now being used by another company altogether.

I've amended the above postings to that effect.



karim434 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2011 at 9:16am:

Finally, then, I would say that the website is the best way to contact the company in future as they have clearly made a complete and effective transition to 0844 numbers.

I've put an entry in the database for each branch, with the geographic number shown as unknown. In the Other Information field I've put the respective salon's e-mail address and a note to say that appointments can be booked on the website.



karim434 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2011 at 9:16am:

Many thanks again for all your efforts!

Thanks for the feedback. The alternative numbers listings on our website relies on input from users to try numbers.

Please do join in posting in the Geographical Requests section about any numbers that don't work (say why they don't work, e.g. ring unanswered, always busy, not recognised etc) and those that are unverified and do work (and can therefore be verified). I or one of my colleagues will pick up on such postings and make necessary changes. Same goes for any numbers you find that aren't listed.