SAYNOTO0870.COM - Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre

mc661 Senior Member Offline Habitual FOI requester. Posts: 432 West-Norfolk Gender:	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #15 - Sep 6^th, 2005 at 11:56pm why thanks for that OfCon is my way of saying ofcom cos it is a CON.
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NonGeographicalMan

Ex Member

Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #16 - Sep 7^th, 2005 at 10:22pm

A new vote for NatWest Card Protection which is actually run on their behalf by some other bunch of card protection ripoff merchants who do not disclose their name when you call.

I telephoned the Freephone 0808 100 4420 number listed on this website and also on my Natwest Card Protection key fob. I have previously used this number to successfully amend card details several times without problem.

Tonight when I called the first time I was told it was only an emergency card loss number and I would have to call back on their 0870 number. I queried this when I could use the 0808 number perfectly well before but the guy refused to budge.

So I called back again and said I was calling from overseas and what was their geographic number for overseas numbers for card amendments. Whereupon the new guy I spoke to said he could amend my card details. After he had amended them I asked why I had to say I was calling from overseas to get him to amend them. He gave some baloney about how they didn't get many overseas callers wanting to amend card details so rather than having a geographic number they would take the request on the 0808 number instead. But I look at the key fob here and see the number +44 1905 544 644 quite clearly printed on it. I also used that number tonight too but they again refused to amend my card details because I did not say I was calling from overseas.

So let us not think that any of these operations are the innocent victims of a telecoms salesmen long ago when they knew no better about 0870 numbers.

The reality is that due to this website and other extensive media publicity large numbers of people are now calling on their 01904 or 0808 number and they don't like it or losing their ill gotten 0870 profits.

Of course at least they have not yet descended to the level of automatically identifying calls from the uk and refusing to take them. For that badge of shame we must turn to people like Lousyjet or Alliance & Leicester.

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« Last Edit: Sep 7^th, 2005 at 10:22pm by N/A »

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Dave

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Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #17 - Sep 8^th, 2005 at 8:19am

Quote:

A new vote for NatWest Card Protection which is actually run on their behalf by some other bunch of card protection ripoff merchants who do not disclose their name when you call.

From the numbers you quote, it appears to be operated by Card Protection Plan (CPP). I've contacted this company as I have a policy with them. They appear to have no sense of morality and claim that 0870 numbers are the only way to contact them. Search the database for CPP and you'll find some alternatives. I suspect that their 0870 numbers go to different 01904 numbers, as do their freephone emergency lines.

I contacted CPP towards the end of last year and after some research online of who's who at CPP, I emailed Dianne Cheesebrough who was/is Group Operations Director. I received no reply from her. I also wrote to the complaints department who replied and gave me the usual baloney about call routing. No justification why I and other customers should have to pay more for this after already paying a policy premium.

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dorf

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Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #18 - Sep 8^th, 2005 at 11:13pm

My post apologising to mc661 for misinterpreting his use of "Ofcon" seems to have been deleted in its entirety, and also NGM's response, without any mention or indeed even of why? This is approaching the ridiculous, since it does not even seem to have been moved to anywhere else!

I repeat mc661, I was suffering from jetlag, having just come back from holiday, and I did not comprehend the inference of your distortion. Sorry.

Is there any reason for which this post might get deleted also. If so I might get the message of finality.

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Ofcom are completely ineffectual

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dorf Supreme Member Offline I hate Qs on Premium NGNs Posts: 575 UK Gender:	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #19 - Sep 8^th, 2005 at 11:24pm NGM, It seems to me that 2 posts of yours in this thread have disappeared also. Is this true?
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NonGeographicalMan

Ex Member

Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #20 - Sep 9^th, 2005 at 7:10am

Quote:

NGM,

It seems to me that 2 posts of yours in this thread have disappeared also. Is this true?

I agree that two of my posts in this thread (if not more) also seem to have been deleted. I received three emails advising of new messages in this thread overnight but only two of those messages are now there.

Is this the result of more finger trouble by Dave? Either deliberate or accidental?

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bbb_uk

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Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #21 - Sep 9^th, 2005 at 7:58am

It's probably the software forum again playing up similiar to what it did on the London Bombing before it was accidently deleted by a Mod.

Daniel is looking into other alternatives I believe but I don't know how he is getting on.

I did notice that YaBB have released an upgrade but I notice its still in its beta testing stages.

Probably the one thing that could be putting Daniel off changing is whether this potential new forum software is capable of importing all the existing stuff from this forum otherwise they would have to start from scratch.

I could be wrong but I'm sure MSE had similar problems.

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nutellajunkie Full Member Offline [GURU MEDITATION] Posts: 191 Alba Gender:	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #22 - Sep 10^th, 2005 at 8:28pm DLA are the worst of the lot in my opinion, then Westcot, then scottish gas!
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NonGeographicalMan Ex Member	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #23 - Sep 10^th, 2005 at 10:51pm Quote: DLA are the worst of the lot in my opinion, then Westcot, then scottish gas! Do you mean DVLA?
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nutellajunkie Full Member Offline [GURU MEDITATION] Posts: 191 Alba Gender:	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #24 - Sep 10^th, 2005 at 11:05pm Quote: Do you mean DVLA? Nope, DLA.. Disability living allowance.. Thankfully ive never had to deal with DVLA yet..
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bbb_uk Global Moderator Offline Posts: 2,041	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #25 - Sep 11^th, 2005 at 6:27pm Quote: Nope, DLA.. Disability living allowance.. Thankfully ive never had to deal with DVLA yet.. Slightly off-topic and I'll probably have a mod on my back but I assume you are aware that their is now a geographical number for the DLA/AA from the FOI request I put in to them.
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NonGeographicalMan

Ex Member

Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #26 - Sep 11^th, 2005 at 6:32pm

Quote:

Slightly off-topic and I'll probably have a mod on my back but I assume you are aware that their is now a geographical number for the DLA/AA from the FOI request I put in to them.

The should also be chased at a high level to force them to retrain all staff not to call these numbers BT National Rate and BT Local Rate which is an offence under Part III of the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The directors of this outfit should also be chased to publish the pence per minute cost of the calls in line with latest rules from the Advertising Standards Authority.

Since I started this thread bbb you have my full permission for this small related to topic diversion.

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bbb_uk

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Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #27 - Sep 11^th, 2005 at 6:57pm

I was only joking about the mod bit as it was only a small diversion.

The guy I spoke with who dealt with the FOI request genuinely seemed surprised that 0845 wasn't local and didn't realise it was so expensive from mobiles. They had always used 0845 (in fact I think they used a 0345 before the numbering plan change) so back then it was local rate so now its all down to lack of education in that this is no longer true but no-one is telling them.

Anyhow NGM, out of the candidates so far have you an idea who is currently top of your list to be passed to this journalist for the most abusive 0870 call centre?

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NonGeographicalMan

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Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre
Reply #28 - Sep 11^th, 2005 at 7:41pm

Quote:

Anyhow NGM, out of the candidates so far have you an idea who is currently top of your list to be passed to this journalist for the most abusive 0870 call centre?

I think its as I suspected when I was asked the question. Various different call centres qualify as most abusibe on various different counts. BBC is top of the list for deliberately and quite cynically withholding information and deliberately lying about the call cost.

But I suspect that local JobCentres may be at the top of the list by still claiming these calls are Local Call Rate when they of all people should not be costing their callers a premium rate call:-

http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/pdfs/ContactCentresRev3.pdf

Obviously those administering the DLA would tie with them on this front though.

Incredibly Ofcom still allows BT to missell 0845 and 0870 as being Local Rate and National Rate calls despite the views of Leicester City Council Trading Standards on the matter over two years. It is this total incompetence by Ofcom that leads to everyone else misunderstanding the true cost of making these calls:-

see here

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« Last Edit: Sep 11^th, 2005 at 7:58pm by N/A »

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dorf Supreme Member Offline I hate Qs on Premium NGNs Posts: 575 UK Gender:	Re: Your Vote for Most Abusive 0870 Call Centre Reply #29 - Sep 11^th, 2005 at 7:56pm I entirely agree NGM. That is where the full responsibility for the confusion over the cost of these calls lies, and it is increasingly clear that this is very intentional and deliberate!
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