I see there are some numbers in the database (more on this later) but there does not seem to be a thread.   I am looking for an alternative number for Worcester Bosch to the 0844 892 9900 number which they now publish.  The address is: Cotswold Way, Warndon, Worcester WR4 9SW.   Oddly, on the back of the brochure of a part fitted to our boiler yesterday, they give their telephone number as 01905 754624; however, as another post says in the database, this no longer works and callers are referred to the 0844 number.   The 01905 752936 number is permanently engaged; the only geo number which does work (although for how long I cannot say) is 01905 752640 for Sales who will happily transfer callers to the service dept. but they close at 5pm whereas Service Dept is open until 8pm.  I did raise the issue with the member of staff when I had to use the 0844 number a few minutes ago (I had requested a call back in view of the cost) as they have also discontinued the 0845 numbers in favour of 0844 & her response was that they used 0844 "in case they relocate so they don't have to change the number"!!   I explained to her that they could have an 03 number which would allow the same continuity but without the premium rate charge!  I asked this to be made a complaint & she said she would forward my comments.   We are thinking of taking a service/repair contract with them but I'm not happy to do this while they use rip off numbers.   Pse also refer to my comments under the thread Which? attacks two tier fees (or similar), I really don't want to pay 0844 costs to hear WB tell me how wonderful Which? think they are & how many awards they have been given by Which?!!!

Any help with an alternative geo number for the Service Dept would be great, also perhaps the database entry could be tidied up in view of my experiences with non-working numbers.   Thank you.

I have started off by re-titling all entries Worcester Bosch (Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd). I have also removed a few of the entries and there is still more to do if we find an alternative, or if we don't, then the worst case would appear to be listing the sales number (01905 752640).

I tried the following:

• 0845 725 6206 — redirection message to 0844 892 3000
  
• 0870 421 5933* — redirection message to 0844 892 9700
  
• 0870 526 6241 — redirection message to 0844 892 3366
  
• 01905 752797 — redirection message to 0844 892 3000
  
• 01905 752936 — busy
  
• 01905 754624 — redirection message to 0844 892 9900

* 0870 421 5933 identifies itself as "Boderus", whereas all the others are "Worcester Bosch".


The contact page gives quite a few numbers:

• Customer service appointments — 0844 892 3000
  
• Guarantee registration enquiries — 0844 892 2552
  
• Service contract enquiries — 0844 892 2332
  
• General enquiries (for all other enquiries and feedback) — 0844 892 3000
  
• Literature — 0844 892 9800
  
• Technical (for professionals and consumers) — 0844 892 3366
  
• Marketing — 01905 752730
  
• Sales — 01905 752640 Fax: 01905 456445
  
• Spares — 01905 752571 Fax: 01905 754620
  
• Training — 01905 752526

The numbers for sales and spares (752640 and 752571) both give the opening hours as Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.

The contact page gives 0844 892 3000 as the main contact number for the Company, along with the opening hours:

• Monday to Friday 7.00am - 8.00pm
  
• Saturday 8.00am - 5.00pm
  
• Sunday 9.00am - 12.00pm

These same opening hours are given on the numbers 01905 752799 and 752798, and it will be worth trying these during office hours to see what they do. As noted above, I tried 752797 and it is a 0844 redirector; I didn't go lower so they might be worth a try.

Thanks for that Dave.   Now the boiler engineer has gone (finally, we hope, they say they repair 98% of problems first visit, our boiler was one of the 2%!!), I will give some of those numbers a try over the next few days and report back here.

I have now tidied up the entries, including removing the old 0845 and 0870 numbers.

The alternative given for each Worcester Bosch 0844 number is 01905 752640, which have notes "This is Sales; ask for <department> Available Mon-Fri 8am-5pm only".

For 0844 892 3000 and 0844 892 9900 I have also listed the number for Spares, 01905 752571, also with notes indicating that it is open the same hours as above.

For Buderus, I have listed its Spares number, 01905 752576, also with notes giving the opening hours.

All entries have Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd in, so search for this to return them.

When a better alternative or better alternatives are confirmed, please post them here and I will update the listings again.

Dave

Just to let you know Buderus already list 01905 number for spares on their site http://www.buderus.co.uk/buderus-uk-commercial-boiler-company-information/buderus-commercial-boilers-contact-us/buderus-spare-parts.html

CJT-80 wrote on Aug 5^th, 2012 at 2:07pm:

Dave Just to let you know Buderus already list 01905 number for spares on their site http://www.buderus.co.uk/buderus-uk-commercial-boiler-company-information/buderus-commercial-boilers-contact-us/buderus-spare-parts.html

That is the number I mentioned in my posting; I found it at the same location as you have given a hyperlink to.

Ah ok sorry Dave,

I decided to give Worcester Bosch my feedback over the use of an 08 number to contact them on. I will await their reply via e-mail.

CJT-80, thank you for the support, I did in my original post give their response to my complaint with the call centre.  I do intend to email their CEO & also the CEO of Which? when my boiler is finally sorted!!   They are due today for the THIRD time in five days as they have still not managed to fix it & I don't want them blacklisting me before they have finished, particularly as we had to pay an up front fee, similarly over trying alternative numbers I expect my number has a warning light by now!   I would be interested to hear what response you get, particularly as even the brochure left with a spare part on Friday shows an 01905 contact number (the one that's permanently engaged).

Good Morning, as promised here is the full dialogue with them.

I sent them the following message via their "contact us" form yesterday:

"I am contacting you to express my astonishment that Worcester Bosch have decided to use an 0844 number. Are you aware of the cost of calling such a number from a mobile phone? I am aware this is not the charge you make, but you have decided as a company to use this number, as opposed to keeping an 01 number for ALL of your contacts. Why exactly has Worcester Bosch decided to do this? Why not use an 03 number instead? They provide the same functionality as an 08 number but with NO additional cost passed onto the caller. More information is available: http://ask.ofcom.org.uk/help/telephone/03number"

It was simple and designed to see what "truths" they sent back.. and here is the response:


"Thank you for your email.

The changes to our telephone numbers were made to ensure that we could improve the service that we provide to all of our customers.  Historically we have used a variety of different telephone numbers within our customer service department, which included both 0870 and 0845 numbers as our main points of contact.

These numbers, are disliked because they offer businesses the opportunity to earn revenue from their customers and whilst we only ever received a nominal amount of revenue, changing to 0844 numbers means that we will no longer receive revenue from any customer who is contacting our business.

Further to this cost improvement, the change to 0844 numbers has enabled us to negotiate an extremely low call rate of three pence per minute from most networks, which for many customers will result in a cost saving, when directly compared with contacting us via geographic numbers.  In addition to this, we need to provide continuity of service to our customers, irrespective of any business of service disruptions and this can only be done by using non-geographic numbers.

Whilst this explanation may not be comprehensive, we trust that it will go some way to demonstrate the intent behind our decision

Should you require any further assistance then please feel free to contact us online www.worcester-bosch.co.uk, or alternatively please telephone 0844 892 3000 during our normal operating hours of 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Saturday and 9am to 12pm Sunday and we will be happy to assist you.

Kind regards,"

If anyone would like to pick out any points and draft a suitable response for me to give I would be most grateful.

:)

How dumb are they??????????   No wonder they're on the third visit to our boiler!   Have they never heard of call packages?    Ours, because we take four services from the same provider does not even have a monthly fee, it's cost is £0 so a cost of anything is a premium charge.  Of course they must be getting revenue share, surely, in kind if not in cash?   What do they mean they have negotiated a low call rate for 0844?  This is exactly the same as the nonsense spouted over GPs & 0844, Worcester Bosch has no control whatsoever over how much my telephone provider charges for a call to 0844.   And then to invite you to call them on 0844!!   Well, words fail me.   If you do feel able to pursue this that would be great, then it's not just me; the staff are obviously primed to repeat this nonsense in the event of any complaint so they must have many.  If you ring the 0844 8929900 & ask for a call back in view of the high cost of the call they will do it & Sales put you through saying "of course" every time.

Quote:

Historically we have used a variety of different telephone numbers within our customer service department, which included both 0870 and 0845 numbers as our main points of contact. These numbers, are disliked because they offer businesses the opportunity to earn revenue from their customers and whilst we only ever received a nominal amount of revenue, changing to 0844 numbers means that we will no longer receive revenue from any customer who is contacting our business.

Just because YOU no longer earn any revenue doesn't mean the caller pays any less to make the call.  0844 numbers still contain a "service charge" element, monies paid by the caller that are passed on from the callers telco to the provider of your telephone number and service.


Quote:

Further to this cost improvement,

What cost improvement? There is none. The caller is paying MORE to call you than before. Calls to 0844 numbers cost very much more than calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers.


Quote:

the change to 0844 numbers has enabled us to negotiate an extremely low call rate of three pence per minute from most networks,

You have no ability whatsoever to negotiate the price the caller pays to call your 0844 numbers. People calling you from mobile phones on a contract with free minutes will pay nothing to call 01, 02 and 03 numbers but will pay up to 41 pence per minute more to call your 0844 numbers, all this just so your provider can earn 3 pence per minute service charge from every call made to your numbers.


Quote:

which for many customers will result in a cost saving, when directly compared with contacting us via geographic numbers.

Untrue. And easily proven to be so, as shown below.

This blatant lie should be referred to the Advertising Standards Authority for immediate action, especially if you can also find any place where WB claim 0844 numbers to be "local rate". The ASA have already slapped a number of other companies for promoting this untruth.

If Worcester Bosch want to "do the right thing" they should change to an 0344 number without delay. All 03 numbers are charged at the same rate as 01 and 02 numbers and always included in call packages.
To facilitate easy migration, the 034 and 037 numbers are reserved for the exclusive use of the holders of the matching 084 and 087 numbers.

The uninformed and misguided reply from WB appears to parrot junk that their provider has fed them in order to hoodwink them into changing to the more expensive 0844 system, or is written by someone who has no clue whatsoever as to how and what callers are charged to make calls to various types of numbers. However, having signed a contract of supply, they'd probably now find it difficult to back out from that. As noted above, 03 numbers should now be used for these services and WB's supplier should allow that change without penalty.

WB probably have no idea about the EU-led telecoms changes coming next year. Time they woke and got a clue.

Mobile phone contract deals usually come with a number of inclusive minutes to 01/02/03/07 numbers.

Not taking into account the value of any text message allowances and internet access that is also bundled with many of the current deals, and assuming all of the minutes are used, contracts cost in the region of:

• 10 pounds for 50 minutes (20 pence per minute) to 100 minutes (10 pence per minute);
  
• 15 pounds for 100 minutes (15 pence per minute) to 200 minutes (7.5 pence per minute) to 300 minutes (5 pence per minute);
  
• 25 pounds for 300 minutes (8.33 pence per minute) to 400 minutes (6.25 pence per minute);
  
• 30 pounds for 600 minutes (5 pence per minute);
  
• 35 pounds for 600 minutes (5.83 pence per minute) to 900 minutes (3.89 pence per minute);
  
• 45 pounds for 1200 minutes (3.75 pence per minute).

These are approximate figures as each network varies their deals a little.

The inclusive minutes can be used to call 01/02/03/07 numbers. They cannot be used to call 0844 and most other types of non-geographic numbers.

If some or all of the included text message allowance and/or internet allowance is also used, the effective pence per minute rate for calling 01/02/03 numbers is even lower than the above estimates.

If only half of the inclusive minutes are used, the effective pence per minute rate for calling 01/02/03 numbers is, in the vast majority of cases, still very much less than the additional price of calling an 0844 number.

Calls to 0844 numbers cost 20.4, 25, 35, 40 or 41 pence per minute depending on the provider and the deal, and the majority charge 35 pence per minute or more.


Mobile phone 'Pay as you Go' deals are simply charged at a fixed pence per minute rate, with calls to 0844 numbers usually costing more than to 01/02/03 numbers. In some cases it is possible to purchase a larger amount of minutes for calling 01/02/03 numbers for a fixed fee. 0844 numbers are not included. Some of these plans are detailed below.


It is easy to compare the prices for 0844 numbers and for 01/02/03 numbers from the major providers either for out of bundle minutes on contract deals or for pay as you go tariffs. These can be seen below.

Three mobile contract

• 01, 02 or 03 number: free in inclusive minutes; 25, 30 or 35 pence per minute out of bundle (and only 6 to 8.5 pence per minute on business plans).
  
• Add-on bundles for 01/02/03 numbers: 5 pounds for 1000 minutes, 10.21 pounds for 2000 minutes.
  
• 0844 number: 20.4 or 35 pence per minute depending on the plan and never inclusive.

Vodafone mobile contract

• 01, 02 or 03 number: free in inclusive minutes; 35 pence per minute out of bundle.
  
• 0844 number: 35 pence per minute and never inclusive.

Three mobile pay as you go

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 26 pence per minute (even cheaper with a bundle, e.g. 100 minutes for 10 pounds, 300 minutes for 15 pounds or 500 minutes for 25 pounds).
  
• 0844 number: 35 pence per minute.

Vodafone mobile pay as you go

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 25 pence per minute (even cheaper with a bundle, e.g. 100 minutes for 10 pounds, 200 minutes for 15 pounds, 300 minutes for 20 pounds, 500 minutes for 30 pounds).
  
• 0844 number: 25 pence per minute.

Orange mobile pay as you go Racoon

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 12 pence per minute.
  
• 0844 number: 40 pence per minute.

Orange mobile pay as you go Dolphin

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 25 pence per minute.
  
• 0844 number: 40 pence per minute.

Orange mobile pay as you go Monkey

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 25 pence per minute.
  
• 0844 number: 35 pence per minute.

O2 mobile pay as you go

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 25p a minute for the first 3 minutes a day then 5p a minute for the rest of the day.
  
• 0844 number: 25 pence per minute.

O2 mobile contract

• 01, 02 or 03 number: free in inclusive minutes; 35 pence per minute out of bundle.
  
• 0844 number: 20.4 or 35 pence per minute and never inclusive.

Virgin mobile contract

• 01, 02 or 03 number: free in inclusive minutes; 40 pence per minute out of bundle.
  
• 0844 number: 41 pence per minute and never inclusive.

Virgin mobile pay as you go

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 26 pence per minute (16 pence per minute on Daily Bonus tariff).
  
• 0844 number: 41 pence per minute.

Virgin mobile Original pay as you go

• 01, 02 or 03 number: 21p a minute for the first 5 minutes each day then 6p a minute for the rest of the day.
  
• 0844 number: 41 pence per minute.

Someone else may care to look at the charges from T-mobile, ASDA, Tesco, TalkMobile, etc, but they are unlikely to be much different to those listed above.

Calls to 0844 numbers usually cost more than calling 01/02/03 numbers.

Thanks catj,

I will if that's ok with you, take some of this information and formulate a reply to send to them....

hopefully it may not only show them the error of their ways but perhaps convince them to reveal a Geographic alternative.

Other number shown on their page are geographic.

Worcester Bosch Group has replaced its 0844 numbers with 0330 ones.

http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/specifier/our-company/head-office-contacts

New and old numbers are:

• Customer service appointments — 0844 892 3000 | 0330 123 9339
  
• Guarantee registration enquiries — 0844 892 2552 | 0330 123 2552
  
• Service contract enquiries — 0844 892 2332 | 0330 123 9449
  
• General enquiries (for all other enquiries and feedback) — 0844 892 3000 | 0330 123 9339
  
• Literature — 0844 892 9800 | 0330 123 9119
  
• Technical (for professionals and consumers) — 0844 892 3366 | 0330 123 3366
  
• Marketing — 01905 752730 | 0330 123 0168
  
• Sales — 01905 752640 | 0330 123 9669 Fax: 01905 456445
  
• Spares — 01905 752571 | 0330 123 9779 Fax: 01905 754620
  
• Training — 01905 752526 | 0330 123 0166

Dave this is Excellent News!

Can they now be added to the Hall of Fame? It seems only fair... as they have clearly seen the error of their way's at last

Barbara I am sure will be happy they have moved to 03 numbers..

I think I may just e-mail them later to say how pleased I am.

Happy New Year to us all!  :) :) :)

While Worcester Bosch made the change on 12 October 2013, the rest of Bosch have not and are still advertising expensive 0844 numbers.

IanG, I was not aware the Worcester Bosch was part of the larger Bosch group till now..

However you can provide feedback via the main Bosch UK website by clicking Contact Us at the top of the main page..

I would suggest ANYONE reading this does so..

:)

I don't know how the various bits of Bosch fit together and how they are related.

Unlike John Lewis, where their move is a "group" decision affecting all bits of the business including telecoms, insurance and Waitrose not just the JL stores, the Worcester Bosch changes appear to be a "local" decision. It's nearly three months since they changed and it doesn't appear to be replicated anywhere else by related businesses.

CJT-80 wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2014 at 11:49am:

Can they now be added to the Hall of Fame? It seems only fair... as they have clearly seen the error of their way's at last

Done.

As they don't have a Thumbs Up.. this will have to do


THANKS

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)