firestop wrote on Dec 8
th, 2005 at 8:44am:
The consultation is closed, my own MP, & MSP have been bombarded with emails from me - the MP has shown support, the MSP has ignored me (but he will pay for this!!) - and I still refuse to do any business with companies using 0870.
Whay else can we do now? Do we just sit and wait for Ofcom to do it's usual fudge and 'kick the matter into touch' for another couple of years?
Any suggestions?
As part of the
"What Now? thread, I wanted to begin a new thread specifically focused on this issue of complaining to companies about the use of non-geographic numbers.
I wanted to gather together a collection of example complaint letters that others could easily cut and paste from. I know its best if letters are personalised so others could use these letters merely as a starting point. Details relating to someone's personal circumstances/complaint could be added.
I'm sure many people don't complain because its takes some effort to put your grievances into words. This simple idea is about making complaining as easy as possible by compiling a kind of arsenal of letters. Some may deal with 0870 numbers, others 0845 numbers, some may threaten to withdraw their custom and others may complain that NGNs are included as part of inclusive call plans (like mine below). Different arguments might be used in difference circumstances.
Perhaps the site could do more to not only provide alternative geographic numbers but also to encourage those people seeking alternatives to also complain to the company concerned. I know this already happens in some cases but obviously the greater the number of complaints, the greater the potential impact.
To get the ball rolling and to provide a example, I've quoted below a recent complaint that I cobbled together:
Quote:I write regarding your use of an 0870 number as a contact number for your helpline. I am otherwise satisfied with the dvd rental service you provide.
Like increasing numbers of people, I budget for my telephone call costs by paying extra each month for an inclusive call plan. Having in effect pre-paid I then can call local or national calls at any time of day for 'free'. However as you may know calls to so-called non-geographic calls are rarely included in such plans, which I disagree with in principle.
This issue concerns many other companies of course and you may be aware that Ofcom has recently consulted on this issue given the growing dissatisfaction amongst the general public. To see some of the public responses follow this link below:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/nts_forward/responses/Now I realise that email is an alternative means of contact but email does have its limitations. It recently took me 3-4 emails over the course of a week to resolve a query concerning a dvd title because there was more than one version of the film in question. Email is also undesireable when an immediate response is needed.
I therefore ask out of good customer care to consider providing the equivalent geographic number for 0870 240 1637. I believe this would not create a problem through unnecessary calls for example but rather show how responsive your company can be to individual customer requests.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I't'd be really helpful if others could contribute to this thread perhaps part or all of one of their own complaint letters.
I've briefly searched this Forums but haven't been able to find any letters at all?
Thanks in anticipation.
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Don't just seek the Geo Alternative - COMPLAIN too (Read 3,240 times)
