I notice the trust now has a 0344 number for general enquiries  but promotes its 0844 equilavent first.

Claims 0344 is charged at local rate.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/contact-us/contact-details/

ADMIN. Please add 0344 800 1895  to database,

Thanks - This has now been added.

The new Handbooks give the 0344 numbers. 

membership 0344 800 1895
holiday cottage brochures 0344 800 2072
holiday cottage reservations 0344 800 2070
head office 01793 817400

The existing database can be a bit confusing  :(

Your not the only one that's confused, it would seem that the National Trust has a multitude of numbers for the Holiday Cottages, see here

The booking line gives 0344 355 1287 which is different from the number you have  :-/

Wow!

It's been just over a year since this was last discussed....

STILL as of today Nt Holiday Cottages display the 0844 number for the brochure despite a note above saying that the 0344 number is in the handbook!

:(

A number of current content pages have these problems...

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&filter=0&q=site:nationaltrust.org.uk+0844
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&filter=0&q=site:nationaltrust.org.uk+0845
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&filter=0&q=site:nationaltrust.org.uk+0870



http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sidmouth-countryside/trails/accessible-walk-salcombe-hill

This could work out expensive...
"Take your mobile phone along and call 0870 042 0093 to listen to stories about Sidmouth's first dinosaurs and tunnels to nowhere at the East Devon Area of ..."

This is a premium rate recorded information service, and there's no blurb about the Service Charge, only a non-compliant "Charges apply."

The NT's new website is a triumph of design over function. I think they let some kind of artist loose on it.

As is often the case I suspect that the remaining 084/087 numbers are cockup rather than conspiracy. I haven't done any great search but it's hard to find those content pages via the website rather than google. Many may well have been orphaned

I have today received an e-mail from NT Holiday Cottages informing me that they have "missed" the 0844 number on their website being changed to 0344, and it will be updated ASAP... so I will keep an eye on it

:)

National Trust still hasn't got a clue about call costs.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/contact-our-teams

CJT-80 wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2016 at 8:54pm:

I have today received an e-mail from NT Holiday Cottages informing me that they have "missed" the 0844 number on their website being changed to 0344, and it will be updated ASAP... so I will keep an eye on it :)

And yet again, today I just decided to have a look on the NT Cottages website and they are STILL promoting the 0844 brochure line number despite informing me it would be changed!  I have sent them an e-mail just now....  :-?

https://www.nationaltrustholidays.org.uk/request-a-brochure/

Ian01 wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2016 at 12:12pm:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sidmouth-countryside/trails/accessible-walk-salcombe-hill This could work out expensive... "Take your mobile phone along and call 0870 042 0093 to listen to stories about Sidmouth's first dinosaurs and tunnels to nowhere at the East Devon Area of ..." This is a premium rate recorded information service, and there's no blurb about the Service Charge, only a non-compliant "Charges apply."

Just re-checked this today and the entire reference to the talking trail appears to have been removed.  I did e-mail them sometime ago about it's cost and they did advise they were reviewing it's use... maybe they just stopped using it  :-?

National Trust still haven't eliminated 0844 numbers. I suppose they are technically allowed to use one for a booking line but there's no declaration of call charges. It's in the members' handbook too:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/575-wandsworth-road/features/booking-a-tour

Just one other usage on their website that I've found so far: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/contact-our-teams This time with an incorrect declaration of charges.

It is surprising that people are still unable to adequately articulate how much it costs to call them.

Calls to numbers starting 01, 02 and 03 are ‘inclusive’ in allowances from landlines and mobiles else charged at ‘geographic rate’.

Calls to numbers starting 080 are free-to-caller from landlines and mobiles.

Calls to numbers starting 084, 087, 09 and 118 have two parts to the call cost. There’s an Access Charge set by and paid to the benefit of the caller’s landline or mobile provider and a Service Charge set by and paid to the benefit of the called party and their telecoms provider.

Both Ofcom and ASA specify the required wording for 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers:

http://ask.ofcom.org.uk/help/telephone/businesscalling

https://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Advice-Online-Database/Chargeable-08-numbers-General.aspx

The Service Charge element can be looked up at:

http://checkit.uboss.com/

http://www.nationaltrustholidays.org.uk/contact-us/

The above page has the brochure line and typetalk line as 0844 even though other numbers are advertised as 0344 on this page and elsewhere on the site.

The 01 number marked as 'Overseas and mobile friendly' needs only to be marked as 'Calling from overseas' because the new 03 numbers detailed elsewhere on the page are already mobile friendly, unlike the 0844 numbers they replace.

Starting a 'Calling from overseas' number with 00 44 means the number will not work from many places. The correct terminology is +44 ... signalling the caller to replace the + with whatever access code applies in the country they are calling from.

The 0844 call costs noted on that page are incorrect and haven't applied since 30 June 2015.


https://www.nationaltrustholidays.org.uk/request-a-brochure/

The brochure line is still specified as 0844 and the call cost details are missing. In any case this should be an 0344 number.

I did e-mail the National Trust (NT) regarding their brochure line and got this reply.


Quote:

Thank you for your email regarding this and we would like to apologise that you have had cause to contact us again on this issue. We were working to change all our customer service lines to an 0344 number in line with some changes in legislation a while back and in good faith were of the view this number would change. Having checked the details, this is not a customer service line and therefore was not required to be changed as ordering one of our free brochures is done on this line, not a post sales customer service line. However we have again asked for this to be reviewed and look to change the numbers so that we offer a seamless service to our guests whether pre sales or post sales.

That was back in June and was from the Holidays Manager.

I wonder if they ever will update it??

On a side note the NT Brochure line (which is 0844) does have it's working 0344 counterpart which is listed on the database.

:)

While the brochure line remains on an 084 or 087 number with an additional Service Charge, the brochure itself CANNOT be described as free. To be clear, there IS a charge for the brochure. It is collected through the additional Service Charge imposed on callers when they call to order one. ASA is very clear on this point.