Quote:

Hi NGM,
I agree that top brass & MPs should be lobbied with some direct simply explained facts. It would perhaps help if all 1800 or so of us members & those who just 'visit' this site had a sample letter to email. I find it difficult to exactly describe the true facts and perhaps you could do something on these lines as your understanding of the situation is obviously wider than most people's. A combined assault to these people & TV shows may get a better response than just odd individual letters & perhaps done on a weekly or monthly regular basis, as you have I believe already said  your name is being recognised too often after repeated lobbying.


Yesterday I phoned the DVLC simply for a form V796. I could not phone the nearest local office and was on the 0870 number for 6 mins after going through 5 if not 6 six option menues.

Also where have I seen postings that 087* & 084* are to be banned , particularly as GP Surgeries are on the scam bandwaggon.

Keep up the good work!!

TonyB

Hi Heinz,
Thanks for the tip!!!
However search for this number in our database here , (now that I have suddenly thought of it), comes up with Chester DVLC 01244 409650 the other number you quote has not been registered. On their side though, I suppose to be fair they made say 5px6 = 30p & they are posting me the form with no charge. ( Bit of a softee really!)(Believe that & you'll believe anything!). What did you think about mass mailing idea or has this been mooted before?

   
Herewith copy of email I recently sent to THIS MORNING
 
 To:    thismorning@thismorning.co.uk  
 
 Subject:   Scams  
 
 Date:   Feb 07 2005, 02:03 PM
   
 Hi,

I have phoned in, but I guess too late to be counted so to speak. With regard to less than transparent presentation (scams) I find it rather hypocritical of yourselves to point the finger at scams (Quite rightly of course) whilst perpetrating I think 2 sorts of deception yourselves!!!

1/ Offering a diamond pendant worth you say £5000 (probably costing 50% @ trade price) as a prize for a ridiculously easy question. How many thousand viewers particularly housewives phone in @ £1 per call (or was it per minute?????) I bet more than 5000.

2/ To contact you by phone requires use of an 0870 number.There is at present a move afoot to try to get Oftel to look into the massive scam in the unnecessary use of these numbers. To explain: - When BT used to charge different amounts per minute for calls from longer distances (ie National call rates) it was a fair move on the part of organisations wishing to equate the cost of contact by customers wherever they lived in the UK. Now there is no difference between the per min. charges as Local & National calls are the same price @ 3p per min.through the day, whereas 0870 numbers are charged @ 7.51p per min and in many cases up to 4.5p is actually paid by BT to the number holder!!!! If you look @ your phone bill you will now find two new categories of charge which are "National Rate" covering 0870 etc & Lo-call covering 0845. If This Morning gave your London geographical number rather than the 0870 it would cost callers less to contact you, unless you like making a large amount of revenue from this source. To maximise benefit by the misuse of this system some of the organisations  using 0870 & 0871 numbers employ a long "menu" to enable you to contact the dept you need & then have you hold as a "valuable caller" until an agent is free!!

In the case of, would you believe it, the DVLC in Swansea receives thousands of calls in a week say 10,000 each averaging say 10 mins then 10x10,000x4p= £4000x52weeks=£208,000pa. Food for serious thought.

Being even more nitpicky if you consider that the new tariffs charged by BT., whereby you do not pay for actual calls, exclude 08** & 09** numbers so these people pay twice.

My name is Tony B*** & my phone number is 01*** ******
More expert comment on these scams is available on www.saynoto0870.com

As you will no doubt have guessed these are matters I consider really serious.  Hoping to hear from you, Tony.


Any members suggestions to edit/ clarify for mass usage welcome. TonyB.

Quote:


I think Ian is already regretting his rather long conversation with me after which I sent a follow up email to various members of the BBC executive board (not the board of governors) attempting to clarify the Corporation's precise business arrangements with Capita and with Cable & Wireless.

Perhaps telephoning Ian may have rather more effect as it will give him less time to think about whether or not he should answer the question.

I found him originally by typing the words "BBC Capita Belfast" into Google and his union representative post (also quoting his email address and phone number) popped up in the top five.

This is all part of my campaign of guerilla war against companies with these numbers where I never ever respect their wishes that I should simply bash my head against a concrete wall in their customer services department.

Most commercial bodies list their executive directors in either "About Us" or "Corporate Governance" on their website and most email addresses are usually firstname.surname@company.co.uk or .com  Failing that its usually either firstname_surname or asurname or firstnamesurname or occasionally just firstname

Ofcom still incredibly seem to be minded to go down the increased granularity (that is more uknowably priced 0844 numbers) and more call pricing information route despite the very clear cut suggestion from both BT and the Ofcom Consumer Panel that this won't work.

We must keep up the pressure on Ofcom and the 087/084 abusers during this critical period.

Did anyone hear the tail-end of You & Yours on Radio 4 yesterday?  They mentioned the feature 'Call You & Yours' that takes place on Tuesdays, which uses an 0870 number.  However, the announcement yesterday said that anyone calling on that number will not be put on hold, and they will call you back if requested.  Now, I'm no expert, but won't that initial call attract the usual minimum call charge which, on 0870, is as we all know a good deal more than a standard call?  And I wonder who decides when the period 'on hold' actually starts?

Quote:

It appears that you have to be running some kind of community affairs radio program at the BBC to qualify for their small ration of 0800 numbers from Cable & Wireless.

The stupid thing is that all we want is an 01 or 02 number which would cost the BBC next to nothing to run compared to the vast call costs that firms receiving 0800 calls (costs generally as high as for making an 0870 call) have to pay.

But we all know that by dialling 18866 or 1899 we only get charged 1p connection fee, so why should we have to phone an 0870 or 0845 number??? Keep up the good work by exposing these rip off merchants and giving their geographic numbers so we don't pay more than 1p for each call!!

On Phoning commercial companies, it is certainly worth asking them in the nature of good customer services, whether they will provide a geographic number to call.  Many companies will do this, in order to keep a customer happy, especially if you're a prospective customer.  I don't think you can throw the FOI act in their face, but you can certainly use the "I might take my business elsewhere" line

However people live the DVLA, Inland Revenue, and other government departments, you don't really have the luxury of taking your business elsewhere.  But Government departments, and I think NHS surgeries will be covered by the FOI.  It is certainly asking for a request for government departments, but I think private commercial companies you won't get anywhere with FOI.