I know, I know: CORRECTION ALREADY SENT TO P EYE

CORRECTION

James Dixon (last Eye) should try paying his own phone bill sometime – obviously he has not done so for a long time as the premium number ‘0898’ disappeared sometime last century.

He is a little economic with the ‘verité’. 0870/0845 is a scam since the notional local/national rates he quotes are way above what most people actually pay when calling normal numbers beginning with 01/02.

When you can make a four-hour call to normal 01/02 UK numbers for 2p and most European countries for 2-3p/min the 0870/0845 rip-off is nothing short of a scandal in which Ofcom and the  BBC seem complicit.

Want the truth? - check-out www.saynoto0870.com

Quote:


How long ago was that?

There is a lot more activity here at present following publicity for this website in various newspaper articles and radio and tv programs.

Its also a matter of luck of the draw.  If no one spots your thread before it drops off Page 1 it may not get other people replying and then dragged in by getting emails telling them the thread has had further responses to their own posts.

If no one initially responds you could always make a second post to your thread to try to keep it on the front page for a while.

Not sure that Private Eye is really too relevant on this.  The cat is already well and truly out of the bag on the 084/7 story but what we need is heavy weight condemnation of this scam in the The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Mail - all pointing to the existence of this website so as to find alternative geogrpahic numbers.

Unfortunately because many of these papers run such numbers 084/7 themselves they seem very reluctant to give the matter the publicity we would all like.  They attacked the Met Police bombings 0870 number but don't seem prepared to broaden the attack.

I should know as I am regularly copying in journalists on several national newspapers who have previously published something on the issue.  But getting them to publish any more seems very difficult indeed.

Congrats on getting the letter published in the latest eye.

Whoah there panel.....

Must leap to the defence of Private Eye here. (Subscriber for many years).

In common with most magazines they sub-contract subscription services. I had a very productive conversation with them commencing in September 2002 when I noted 0870 on my renewal form. It was the sub contractor who started using 0870.

When I emailed and complained I got this reply from the sub-contractor
+++++
Thank you for your e-mail.

Be assured I have passed this to the relevant people.

You can contact us 01795 414500 or I can take the order over e-mail. Alternatively you can fax your order on 01795 414 555.

If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

++++

Then when the number was still there in August 2003 I contacted Private Eye who replied

++++

You are correct that we moved our subscription management to Galleon last
year and began to use 0870 numbers

My understanding is that all calls to Galleon on the 0870 number are
charged at the standard national rate. However I have contacted the MD
at Galleon today to ask for her confirmation that this is the case.
Galleon use 0870 numbers as it allows them to use a system called
"Servicecall" which generates repoorts used by Private Eye to monitor
their level of call centre performance

I will contact you as soon as possible to confirm the position.
++++

Had further dialogue and then in 2004 they said
+++++

We did spend some time looking into this with Galleon our subscription
fulfillment house. The bottom line is that the use if these numbers was
part of our contract with them which we signed up to without giving the
issue enough thought. We are also rather attracted by the idea that the
number is portable if we ever choose to leave them

Its something that we will think through more carefully when our
arrangement come up for renewal.
+++++

I found them full and frank and very interested in what 0870 really meant.

Now in 2005 the geographical is shown (albeit a bit smaller but still there and pretty prominent.)

So far they are the only company I deal with who have taken remedial steps in this way.

I reckon this is a good result and perhaps we should be applauding them

RBJ