I just wondered if business' were allowed to ask where I got their 'original' or "internal number" from?

I use this website more now than ever, it seems that more and more businesses and GP's are reverting to 0870/0845 numbers and it's driving me mad! Plus it's a total rip off!

I searched for my local Post Sorting Office and they asked where I got the number from, I was thrown really as I haven't been asked that before, so I just said 'oh the internet' ... ... I hope I haven't blown your cover :-[

Surely there has to be something in place to prevent business doing this to their clients/patients. If so, please point me in the right direction and I shall shout on my 'orange box'

Thanks

Hello and welcome to SAYNOTO0870.COM.

There are what different classes of alternative number as well as those which some might consider to be alternatives that really aren't. In brief, I think of them as follows (in this order of preference for listing):

1. The most preferable alternative number type is one which goes through to the same place and is answered in the same way as its 08 Business Rate counterpart. Obviously we can never be 100%, but in general that is my most favoured type, if it's available.

2. Other types are general office switchboards (usually published) who will put calls through, e.g. to customer services. Or maybe sales numbers (that are freephone ones) will put calls through to customer services.

3. Then there are those that don't go through to the same place, but will deal with calls. For example, a large retail chain that publishes a single 08 number for all its branches. We might have come across direct local numbers for branches and the staff that answer them may take calls from customers, even though the Company's official position is not to have customers call branches direct.


Companies frequently have many many telephone numbers for different parts of their business and different staff members. I don't consider any number that is answered by an employee of the company (or at a particular location) to be an alternative. For example, a large office will have lots of telephones, each with their own number. Understandably if Joe Bloggs gets lots of calls from customers on his direct number, he's not going to be too happy about it, particularly if he doesn't come into contact with customers as part of his job.

If you were he and it wasn't your job to take calls from customers, then I think that you're likely to start asking why they're calling you. After all, they (customers) are dialling your (the employee's) number, which, by implication, means that they want to speak to you.


Perhaps the number you called goes through to a phone (to someone) that doesn't take calls from customers. In cases such as this, I suggest we look for a better alternative that is further up my list. If the receiver is will not (including being unable to) deal with calls, then I prefer to remove such numbers. This serves to stop other site users wasting their time as well as preventing the person getting more calls. It may also lead on to finding a more suitable alternative, which is what this site is about!

So what is the number and what is it for?