Just to say thankyou to some kind person who took a long time entering lots of Currys branch details into the database. Not quite as long as I had to while checking them.
Only had a few problems ! Some of them were the Fax numbers, as I discovered when checking on Currys website  store locator and adding the fax numbers - very useful to have as Currys are often too busy to answer 

If the person concerned would please like to re-check their numbers to see if they have the ones, I will be glad to add them. See the list of Unverified numbers for those I have been working on so far.

Thanks

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I think NGM has something of a point here, especially as some people probably have the 500 minute phone deal from the ad at the top. But how to set it up ... ?

However it is not all backlogged as implied for I see the Claranet CS number I sent has been updated

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I totally endorse this suggestion as the best possible compromise but failing that the availability of the unverified list, for those who want to risk it, seems another possible alternative.

Also I am sure there are other regular participants in this site who would be willing to join DaveM and co as additional testers, assuming of course that Dave and co checked each of us out first to make sure that we were not malicious spammers.

If you had to trawl thru the SPAM or ERROR entries that get put on there every day - repeat numbers, blank entries, 0870 & 0845 numbers (no other data), Names+0870/0845 & no other data. That's not even mentioning the tidying up of entries to remove unwanted comments or just abbreviate them, put numbers into their correct cell, putting in missed out digits (08700 or 08457 being most common), standardising names, adding extra info (website, Fax). It all takes time to do.

Just to check these alone takes ages to do even on an ADSL connection. I regularly delete upto 40 a day that are as above, plus checking the database, Google, Co. websites, Yell, BT, (etc.) I usually spend over 4 hours & before I realise it, it's 2 or 3am in the morning & I've actually been at it 8 hours or more. It takes over your life & I've been told off by my other half for doing it 

That's why I asked for Dave to come on board to help checking them but it still seems to be out of control.

BTW Bill. All the data is in one database, with the verified bit Set or Unset, thereby restricting the Unverified from showing. Therefore there is separate access to the Unverified Numbers List at the bottom of the Search Page.

Thought that might help to explain that I'm doing what I can & these other suggestions can only help (I hope!)

I'm verifying the Currys numbers now. I've just spoken to a gentleman at the Colchester branch, I didn't ask him who he was, but he said he raised the point about 0870 numbers in a business meeting and was told that they were local rate. I have pointed him in the direction of this site.

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The crazy thing is that now that I have the 0800 number for PC World I use it to contact them to see if they have stuff in stock at my local branch and they seem to give the right answers, even though it is a central call centre.

As a result of using this free service I ended up buying a Samsung ML1510 Laser printer from them at £49.99 rather than the £99.99 charged by the "Never Knowingly" (but seemingly they have a very big Deaf Ear) John Lewis group.  You can't even beat this price on the web.  And I know the Toner catridge is not full but I will buy a toner refill pack on the web or from Office World or Staples.

When I could only call them 0870 number I never did call them so they were only damaging their own business through this policy.  Having customer services on 0870 is one thing but to have a sales line for the shops on one is absolute madness.

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Because the majority of the population are cretinous on anything involving numbers or information retention the only hope is if Ofcom act on BT's proposal and ban revenue sharing on 0845 and 0870 numbers as soon as possible.  Also I hope that Ofcom will go a stage further and ban it on 0844 and 0871 as well.

If these numbers don't then cost any more than other geographic numbers to call the problem will go away and I have zero sympathy for any businesses selling these numbers to companies who may go under as a result of this.  He who lives by the sword should die by the sword is what I say!

It is of course a great shame that due to the historic success of the 0845 and 0870 scam that you will not so easily be able to know the geographic location of the company you are calling but I suppose when VOIP takes over we are bound to lose that linkage anyway.

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As one who regularly sends emails to chief executives and senior board members I can report that Mr Dunstone does not appear to read any of his.

Many do though.  Although they may often not react in the way I would hope or necessarily respond I can confirm that most of the board members of BT and Vodafone appear to read their emails (I usually ask for Read Receipts) and also at impressively odd hours of the night or at the weekend, which certainly suggests it is most definitely them and not their secretaries.

I am sure Charles Dunstone read his emails once upon a time but it is now a very big operation and has rather a lot of unhappy customers......................