SAYNOTO0870.COM - Halifax 0845 response

firestop

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Halifax 0845 response
May 21^st, 2005 at 7:27am

Following a complaint I sent to Halifax bank about their 0845 number they replied :-

"0870 numbers raise funds for the company using it, the longer the customer is waiting, the more revenue the company gets, as they get paid per second the line is in use. This in effect can lead to delinquent behaviour, making it in the company's interest to make the customer wait. We do not use these numbers in the contact centres, believing it to be a negative revenue ploy and totally against our customer promise."

But unfortunately then add : -

"08456 and 08457 numbers are lo-call numbers. This means that a customer ringing from anywhere in the country will only be charged at their local rate, as if they were ringing their neighbour."

and then the ultimate :-

We use these numbers as it enables the majority of our customers to keep their telephone expenses as low as possible."

Needless to say I have pointed out that a 30 min call to their help centre costs 90p whereas if I had been able to use a geog no it would have been 2p - so how is this keeping MY calls low?? As they also said that it costs them money to have 0845, I enquired as to why they were, therefore, acting as 'revenue collectors' on some other company's behalf - because the extra 88p must be going somewhere. Reply awaited!

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bigjohn

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #1 - May 21^st, 2005 at 8:05am

Firestop.
They are big users of 0870 themselves.So the writer of the reply is obviously not aware of this, or he is talking through his/her orifice.
eg
Halifax Card Services 08700 600500.
Halifax Share Dealing 08706 000434
Halifax/Bank of Scotland Investments 08706 076771
to name a few.

Point out to them if they really insist on using 0845 they should at least follow the ASA,OFCOM guidelines and tell the caller the true cost of the call.After all they are in the business of giving truthful financial advice,well at least they were!!!

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« Last Edit: May 21^st, 2005 at 8:09am by bigjohn »

BJ.

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firestop Full Member Offline Do unto others, before they get a chance to do.... Posts: 164	Re: Halifax 0845 response Reply #2 - May 21^st, 2005 at 8:22am My own little protest will be to revert back from the 'paperless' statements' they encourage us into - to save THEM money!!- and ask for 'paper' communications again. They choose to make me pay more by insisting on 0845, so I will utilise MY right to cost them extra. Perhaps if all customers did this....?
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bbb_uk

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #3 - May 21^st, 2005 at 12:34pm

Quote:

My own little protest will be to revert back from the 'paperless' statements' they encourage us into - to save THEM money!!- and ask for 'paper' communications again.
They choose to make me pay more by insisting on 0845, so I will utilise MY right to cost them extra. Perhaps if all customers did this....?

In theory that sounds like a good idea but if we all did this then it would cost Halifax more money for which they would then consider using an 0870 number to reclaim back the money lost.

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Dave

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #4 - May 21^st, 2005 at 12:39pm

Firestop, I would point out what 'local rate' means, with regards 0845: that it only applies on BT non-discounted tariffs, which most of us aren't on!!! (See my post on 0845/0870 rip-off)

I would also point out that other users (most noteably ISPs) make money to pay for their service.

It may be worth referring to the consultation, NTS Options for the future, as this gives some of the basics of what they are and why they can't be reduced. Surely someone with the intelligence to work in a bank must be able to get their heads around it. The full document is over 150 pages long, so I suggest you refer here, to the summary version.

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firestop

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #5 - May 27^th, 2005 at 12:28pm

HBOS have replied to me! Firstly they say :-

[/color]"Having liased with our Telephony Team, due to the sheer number of calls we generate, I confirm that BT pay us for using their systems and facilities. However, we do not profit from customers calling us. It is clearly detailed by BT that 0845 numbers are charged at local rate. If you are unhappy at the cost of such calls, you will need to take this up with them".[color=Black]

When I said the statements about 'BT pays them', then 'we make no profit from..' sounds contradictory, the reply came:-

[/color]
I appreciate that my statement appears contradictory. However please be assured we do NOT profit from customers calling us. The entire cost of the call is given to BT.
As detailed in my original response, we do force customers to use 0845 numbers as they overall benefit the majority of customers "[color=Black]

So HBOS say they are happy to FORCE customers into paying over-the-odds for their services - because it benefits us!!!!

Unless OFCOM do something about the charging structures for these numbers then we will simply get this attitude from all businesses, and what is the chance of that?? (Porkers might levitate!)

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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Halifax 0845 response Reply #6 - May 27^th, 2005 at 5:00pm What utter non-sense! First they say 0870 are revenue sharing, and that's why they don't use them and use 0845 instead. According to them the revenue can lead to "delinquent behaviour, making it in the company's interest to make the customer wait". Then they contradict that by saying that the do indeed receive revenue!
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firestop

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #7 - May 28^th, 2005 at 3:28am

Agreed, Dave, but they (and all the others) will still get away with it because 'business' runs the agenda. We will not make any headway because people need to be informed and for this the oxygen of the media is required - but the media is controlled by 'business' and so it's a 'shut-out' for campaigns against.
Our internet site is good for letting off steam, but we are not enough to make these moguls change their whole philosophy. Depressing!!

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dorf

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #8 - May 28^th, 2005 at 10:55pm

At the end of the day the only real, significant clout which we consumers have is to use our feet!

If enough customers write to these corrupt entities and state that they are voting with their feet, please close my account/transfer my account etc. and move to honest companies/entities which do not use these tricks to increase their profit, then they will begin to take note.

The problem is as I have pointed out before - APATHY. Most people cannot be bothered to do that!

I just do not do any business with these companies any more, and I tell them why. In most cases when companies I have given my business to for years change to these tricks and I write to them complaining and explaining why I won't be doing any further business with them THEY DO NOT EVEN BOTHER TO REPLY! WHY- because they know they have been caught with their trousers down, and they know they do not intend to go back to being honest, so they prefer to loose my business - because I am only ONE CUSTOMER.

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Ofcom are completely ineffectual

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firestop

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #9 - May 29^th, 2005 at 1:29pm

The point strikes me that all the 'advisors' that we speak to and explain the 'rip-off' to - Are they not consumers as well? So why can't they see they are being ripped of when they phone other 0870 companies, in their ordinary home lives?
It is still astonishing to me that so many people are obviously willng to pay all these 0870 charges. Are we the only ones who read our phone bills, or do most people simply NOT CARE how much services cost?
Depression again Cry

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Smasher

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #10 - May 29^th, 2005 at 2:39pm

Quote:

The point strikes me that all the 'advisors' that we speak to and explain the 'rip-off' to - Are they not consumers as well? So why can't they see they are being ripped of when they phone other 0870 companies, in their ordinary home lives?
It is still astonishing to me that so many people are obviously willng to pay all these 0870 charges. Are we the only ones who read our phone bills, or do most people simply NOT CARE how much services cost?
Depression again Cry

Unfortunately there are people I know who get their phone bill through the letter box, look at the total amount, and think, "yeah, looks about right" and pay it.

Furthermore, they refuse to switch from BT because it is "unpatriotic to our national call provider" Angry

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mc661 Senior Member Offline Habitual FOI requester. Posts: 432 West-Norfolk Gender:	Re: Halifax 0845 response Reply #11 - May 29^th, 2005 at 7:32pm Quote: "unpatriotic to our national call provider" god sakes not as if BT is state owned anymore!
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Heinz

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Re: Halifax 0845 response
Reply #12 - May 30^th, 2005 at 9:37am

Quote:

Furthermore, they refuse to switch from BT because it is "unpatriotic to our national call provider" Angry

I tried to convince my elderly Mother in law and her sister about the benefits of the cheap carriers as opposed to BT and the reason for not even contemplating cheaper options was, "But we've got BT shares."

They seem to think that, if they didn't pay BT for their calls, their meagre dividend payments would drop!

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« Last Edit: May 30^th, 2005 at 9:38am by Heinz »

After years of ignoring govt. guidelines & RIPPING OFF Council Tax payers using 0845 numbers, Essex County Council changed to 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015

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Smasher Senior Member Offline Posts: 346 UK	Re: Halifax 0845 response Reply #13 - May 30^th, 2005 at 10:52am These are one of the many reasons I fail to have much sympathy for some pensioners who complain about meagre pension payments - the government gives them enough if only they would manage it sensibly.
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firestop Full Member Offline Do unto others, before they get a chance to do.... Posts: 164	Re: Halifax 0845 response Reply #14 - May 30^th, 2005 at 2:46pm Oh dear, Smasher! Methinks you might have offended a sizeable proportion of members with that sweeping, rather childish attack on our esteemed senior citizens, and their ability to cope on the Governments generous handouts!
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