Just received my new Yellow Pages for 06/07. Virtually every page has a message 0845 = LOCAL CALL RATES !!! Surely Yell.com are bound by ASA guidelines and as a directory service should know better.

many thanks for this great site, keep it up

abs wrote on Aug 4^th, 2006 at 11:19am:


Where are these messages? I have just had a quick look through mine, delivered about 2 weeks ago and cannot find such a message, if it is on virtually every page I would have thought I would have found it in the first 40 pages.

Mine also has all these messages, yours must be a rogue copy, derrick!!
Complaint will be heading their way shortly.

It's been a while since I've seen a yellow pages - I haven't got one.

For those that have got one then I do believe it helps our cause to complain to Yellow Pages (at first) and pointing out to them that 0845 isn't local rate and pointing out that ASA guidelines stipulate that call prices have to be displayed (include links to appropriate ASA guidelines).

I can only guess that yellow pages would probably inform their customers that their adverts that have an 084/087x in them have to mention the call costs.

This, I hope, will then maybe force companies that have 084x/087x numbers to maybe switch to their geographicals.  This is more likely the case for those companies that have 0845 and therefore are less likely to earn a revenue and were probably missold their 0845 on the basis that it is cheaper regardless of where their customers are calling from in the country.  This is especially true for companies that do not need advanced calling features offered by 0845 (eg smaller companies) but only got them because they were misinformed about 0845.  Of course those companies that operate more than one call centre across the country do unfortunately take advantage of advanced calling features.

Those using 0870 are likely to be earning a revenue so therefore are less likely to switch back to geographicals.

I'm hoping that these smaller companies that were misinformed about 0845 will realise that they are not helping their customers by operating an 0845 especially if the company concerned has to start mentioning the costs of calling 0845.  This is more true if the company concerned is informed that 0845 isn't local rate which they will only believe when the likes of the ASA inform them.

As we know, companies don't generally believe us when we say that 084x isn't local rate and 087x isn't national rate simply because for years they have been known as this and many companies (including to a certain degree BT) still maintain this scam.

The two relevant links about ASA guidelines concerning these numbers are here and here.

I've just rec'd my Guildford Yellow Pages. On the cover it says in bold:

"0845 = Local call rates. Our Consumer Information section has more details on call rates"

On this page it says the following:

"What are 08 numbers?

"With more and more businesses using the various 08 numbers, it is good to be aware of the difference in pricing when dialing them. Calling 08 numbers costs less than you might think, with everyone from your local shop to local car dealers using them:
0800 and 0800 - FREE
0845 - charged at Local rate
0870 - charged at National Rate

Having reacted to the message on the cover I didn't look thru the pages (other than the Consumer Information). I now notice that there are big ads on nearly every page with the message:

0845 = Local call rates.

What a nightmare. How could they get it so wrong. If these are going out everywhere this misinformation just gets worse. As Yellow Pages are local the cost for most people is just so much more by dialling 0845. But it is no wonder people think an 0845 number is cheaper.

I'm mainly making this post to get it to the top of the list again as to me this is a big problem as I'm assuming that if it has gone out in Newcastle and Guildford it is going out eveywhere and this is a huge misinformation campaign, albeit unintentional I assume.

If I were an advertiser using a Geographic number I would be livid. Being in the know I will always call a geographic number advertiser in preference to an 0870/0845 number, but most people still do not know that 0845s are more expensive and do assume they are cheaper.

This message has reinforced this situation big time.

I'm also disappointed that having reported this to Yellow Pages nobody has called me back.

When I return from a holiday I will follow up.

omy wrote on Aug 19^th, 2006 at 7:04am:

This sort of thing is getting to be a complete joke!

I can see what they mean because it is not an advertisement by a company, informing customers of the charges associated with its 0845 number. However, even if TS or Ofcom take the complaint seriously, what will they do? I'd be very suprised if they force them to recall the offending publications.