SAYNOTO0870.COM - Sneaky National Rail Enquiries

Dave

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National Rail Enq., switch on your 0345 number!
Reply #90 - Oct 17^th, 2010 at 11:48pm

National Rail Enquiries, switch on your 0345 number!

Bring 03457 48 49 50 into service and this will allow the public to avoid the expensive call charges associated with calling the 08457 48 49 50 number.

03457 48 49 50 would run in parallel with the 0845 number and not replace it. Anyone looking up an alternative for National Rail Enquiries on SAYNOTO0870.COM will find it.

My message to National Rail Enquiries is that if the 0845 number wasn't an issue to people, then they wouldn't be visiting our site for alternatives. Thus, if you bring the 0345 number into service (with minimum or even no publicity), it would act as a gauge as to how many people are hacked off at your use of rip-off 0845 number.

If everyone's happy with the 0845 number, then you will get no calls via the 0345 number.

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mc661

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Re: Sneaky National Rail Enquiries
Reply #91 - Oct 30^th, 2010 at 11:30pm

They even rip off their own Clients.

DB Schenker, National Business Centre, Lakeside, Carolina Way, Doncaster, DN4 5PN

National Rail Communication Centre (NRCC) is an integral part of the flow of information from the railway industry to the travelling public. The NRCC supports the National Rail Enquiries (NRE) Contact Centres, updates the NRE website (www.nationalrail.co.uk) and maintains the data integrity of most “off-station” information channels.

Edited:

Private information removed. The reference above about them ripping off their own clients relates to the NRCC Duty Manager's phone number being a 0845 one!

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« Last Edit: Oct 31^st, 2010 at 5:22pm by Dave »

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Dave

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Re: Sneaky National Rail Enquiries
Reply #92 - Oct 31^st, 2010 at 5:23pm

I have removed the private information in the previous posting. For those interested in learning more about NRCC, there is a case study on the provider's website:

http://www.transeoalliance.com/case_study3.html

National Rail's own website also describes how it works:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/contact/about_national_rail_enquiries.html

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« Last Edit: Oct 31^st, 2010 at 5:24pm by Dave »

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sherbert

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Re: National Rail Enq., switch on your 0345 number
Reply #93 - Dec 1^st, 2010 at 5:00pm

Dave wrote on Oct 17^th, 2010 at 11:48pm:

National Rail Enquiries, switch on your 0345 number!

Bring 03457 48 49 50 into service and this will allow the public to avoid the expensive call charges associated with calling the 08457 48 49 50 number.

03457 48 49 50 would run in parallel with the 0845 number and not replace it. Anyone looking up an alternative for National Rail Enquiries on SAYNOTO0870.COM will find it.

My message to National Rail Enquiries is that if the 0845 number wasn't an issue to people, then they wouldn't be visiting our site for alternatives. Thus, if you bring the 0345 number into service (with minimum or even no publicity), it would act as a gauge as to how many people are hacked off at your use of rip-off 0845 number.

If everyone's happy with the 0845 number, then you will get no calls via the 0345 number.

Sorry Dave, they have ignored your appeal as National Rail Enquiries (NRE) has set up a phone hotline to information about snow-related disruption, on 08453 017 641, Sad

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« Last Edit: Dec 1^st, 2010 at 5:02pm by sherbert »

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Dave

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Re: National Rail Enq., switch on your 0345 number
Reply #94 - Dec 1^st, 2010 at 5:36pm

sherbert wrote on Dec 1^st, 2010 at 5:00pm:

Sorry Dave, they have ignored your appeal as National Rail Enquiries (NRE) has set up a phone hotline to information about snow-related disruption, on 08453 017 641, Sad

I have seen this number on the news and Googled it and found that it was issued last winter, at the beginning of the year. Nonetheless, National Rail Enquiries shows its contempt for the travelling public with another phone number which carries a premium.

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Dave

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National Rail Enquiries charges for information
Reply #95 - Jan 6^th, 2011 at 4:46pm

Members may be interested to listen to today's You & Yours which has a feature about National Rail Enquiries which prevents app developers and the like from using the live arrival and departure data unless the pay it for the privilege:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00d4n2l

The piece on NRE starts at 15 minutes 20 seconds into the programme.

The point made is that developers will come up with solutions that NRE and other similar organisations wouldn't. TfL is commended for making this raw data available and one program someone has written gives a map showing where Underground trains are in real time.

NRE is, to coin the word used in the You & Yours, a dinosaur. The information should be publically available for developers to come up with commercial solutions.

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« Last Edit: Jan 6^th, 2011 at 4:46pm by Dave »

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SilentCallsVictim

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Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio
Reply #96 - Jan 6^th, 2011 at 5:07pm

Dave wrote on Jan 6^th, 2011 at 4:46pm:

The information should be publically available for developers to come up with commercial solutions.

I disagree.

Public bodies should make their information available to the public without constraint, but possibly with a charge if that is deemed to be the best way of funding the services that deliver the information. Any charge must be clearly advertised and fairly levied. The present regime covering Business Rate telephone numbers does neither. The proposals presented by Ofcom could present an opportunity for Business Rate telephone numbers to be used in this way.

I see no reason why public bodies should not take a fair share of the income that may be derived from selling their information in the market. I would suggest that they have a duty to do so, to ease the burden on the taxpayer and service user. Revenue from licensing use of NRE data could help pay for the simple telephone enquiry service.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio
Reply #97 - Jan 25^th, 2011 at 12:53pm

SilentCallsVictim wrote on Jan 6^th, 2011 at 5:07pm:

I see no reason why public bodies should not take a fair share of the income that may be derived from selling their information in the market. I would suggest that they have a duty to do so, to ease the burden on the taxpayer and service user. Revenue from licensing use of NRE data could help pay for the simple telephone enquiry service.

I suggest then that your Guardian reading credentials are now completely and totally busted and that you must in fact believe in unbridled capitalism.

The point is that if NRE charge for this data its availability is consequently greatly restricted to the travelling public (as its charges for the data are excessive). And the wider dissemination of this data on the web is actually a huge costs saver because it eliminates calls to its call centre.

NRE's whole strategy on this is completely screwed up when they try to market their automated service that saves them employing human labour on an 0871 number but then also make it available on their 0845 number for anyone in the know. Clearly they should be marketing it on the 0845 number because every automated call saves the costs of employing an Indian call centre worker to take the call.

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« Last Edit: Jan 25^th, 2011 at 2:48pm by NGMsGhost »

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SilentCallsVictim

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Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio
Reply #98 - Jan 25^th, 2011 at 2:27pm

NGMsGhost wrote on Jan 25^th, 2011 at 12:53pm:

... I suggest then that your Guardian reading credentials are now completely and totally busted and that you must in fact believe in unbridled capitalism. ...

I see no good reason why public bodies should not engage in proper partnerships with commercial organisations.

Taking a "fair share" of the income derived from systems based on public data places a reasonable and acceptable bridle on such capitalist activity if it relies on a public asset. It is neither correct that there should be no charge, nor that the charge should be "excessive" so as to stifle worthwhile development. The trick is in getting the balance right. This is the middle ground which Guardian readers tend to seek out!

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NGMsGhost Supreme Member Offline The Forum Ghost of NonGeographicalMan<b r /> Posts: 2,720 Surrey, United Kingdom Gender:	Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio Reply #99 - Jan 25^th, 2011 at 2:50pm SilentCallsVictim wrote on Jan 25^th, 2011 at 2:27pm: The trick is in getting the balance right. This is the middle ground which Guardian readers tend to seek out! So you do not deny being a Guardian reader then.
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SilentCallsVictim

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Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio
Reply #100 - Jan 25^th, 2011 at 3:53pm

NGMsGhost wrote on Jan 25^th, 2011 at 2:50pm:

So you do not deny being a Guardian reader then.

I do not offer subscription to any newspaper, nor any other indicator of general opinion to justify or support any of the views that I offer in the forum. I hope for my expressed views to be judged on their respective merits and to be of greater interest in discussion than their author.

The likely views of a Guardian reader were brought into the discussion - I referred to them in my response. The issues raised in this forum are covered by many news media, with a general thread of agreement with the views expressed here.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: National Rail Enquiries charges for informatio
Reply #101 - Jan 25^th, 2011 at 3:56pm

SilentCallsVictim wrote on Jan 25^th, 2011 at 3:53pm:

I do not offer subscription to any newspaper, nor any other indicator of general opinion to justify or support any of the views that I offer in the forum. I hope for my expressed views to be judged on their respective merits and to be of greater interest in discussion than their author.

The likely views of a Guardian reader were brought into the discussion - I referred to them in my response. The issues raised in this forum are covered by many news media, with a general thread of agreement with the views expressed here.

A reply worthy of a career politician as we still don't know what daily newspaper you most frequently purchase or read. Lips Sealed

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