Don't know if this has been discussed but I noticed the other night that the BBC's other consumer prog 'Are We Being Served' asks the public to contact it on - you've guessed it - an 0870 number!  Spectacular lack of knowledge consider Watchdog had to give up its 0870 number.  I dropped a line to the email address of course: arewebeingserved@diverse.tv  -  you might like to do the same.

derrick wrote on Sep 24^th, 2006 at 12:26pm:


BBC Watchdog changed their number derrick so I can't see why you reach this conclusion as this is another program specifically championing the rights of consumers to get good service and protest against ripoffs.

I would suggest that people become deadlocked with BBC Information and then escalate to the Governors Complaints committee.

derrick wrote on Sep 25^th, 2006 at 12:17pm:


Dear Derrick,

The BBC are in a long term contract with Moneygrabbers Capita who run the call centres that they either cannot get out of without vast penalty costs or that they do not want to get out of.  Capita has some exceedingly high level contacts with New Labour.

Thus while I totally expect the BBC will in general not change their 0870 scam numbers I think Are We Being Served is a possible exception because of its active pro consumer rights stance and the embarrassment that is then caused by using such a scam number.  It is illogical for one BBC consumer program to stop using 0870 and another BBC consumer program with the same Julia Bradbury not to also offer a non 0870 number.

Elsewhere I offer little hope as I had extensive correspondence over their Coast series encouraging people to call 0870 numbers on a mobile (prohibitively expensive for most call plans) for information on the walks and was given the constant foboff that they couldn't have afforded to run the service otherwise.

I haven't had time to escalate this issue to the Governors though and I thinks someone should as the Governors are independent of the self serving careerists on the BBC Executive management board who interested only in expanding total BBC funding to increase their own salaries and the total size of the empire.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Feb 2008 and whether the BBC moves to 0844 at 5p per minute as I fully expect it will do.  However perhaps further public condemnation between now and then may encourage them to remain on 0870 and stomach the inevitable increase in the price of their call centre contract with Capita when 0870 is charged at 01/02 geographic rates. It also remains to be seen if the BBC will bring in a true Voip termination calls name for BBC Information that is cost free to be used through Skype, SIP and other all Voip based phone systems in due course.  The continue hidden revenue sharing on 084/7 number is clearly going to hinder the growth of Voip to Voip calling outside the PSTN at the rate that might otherwise have taken place.

The reason you got that response is because it was produced by a cretinous employee of Capita in Belfast who run the BBC Information call centres and correspondence department.  The continued claims that 0870 costs all customers the same are obviously ridiculous and totally out of date as different phone providers charge varying scam levels of non 01/02 compatible pricing.  They are also in breach of the spirit of ASA guidances on 0870 numbers in these comments.

I suggest you escalate this complaint to Management and the Governors for review.

Here is the link for the BBC Executive Board who are the only people who can immediately bring the 0870 scam to an end if they want to.  Their email addresses are all firstname.lastname@bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/exbo.shtml

Also see the list of Governors most of whom have firstname.lastname@bbc.co.uk email addresses:-

www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/governorslist.shtml

You will get nowhere with the national minimum wage morons employed by the BBC in Belfast who just pump out the lies that Capita's greedy management have told them to on pain of the sack.

I suggest you email the Director General and cc other main board directors and  say you are unhappy with the response from BBC Information.  Then if he does not respond (as has been known with the BBC Director General sadly) then escalate the complaint to the Board of Governors as specified in the BBC's own complaints procedures listed on their website at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaints_process.shtml

Recent Governors complaint appeal adjudications are listed at:- www.bbcgovernors.co.uk/docs/complaints.html

Quote:

derrick wrote on Sep 25^th, 2006 at 1:41pm:


But the complaint to the ICO is presumably about the BBC not releasing the total number of calls received by Capita and/or total money made by the BBC from the 0870 operation?

You still need to complain to the Director General and then the Governors Complaints Committee about the BBC continuing to mislead customers that 0870 numbers are charged at National Rate and are supposedly non discriminatory and equally priced to all uk customers calling the BBC.

Clearly by definition anyone who has BT Option 3 or an equivalent inclusive calling plan is specifically disadvantaged in an additional manner to most other BBC customers as Option 3 customers have to pay 7.51p per minute above what they pay for other 01/02 calls but BT Option 1 customers only pay 4.51p per minute extra over 01/02 calls.

The Governors are outside the BBC main career tree or main political structures and so much more likely to actually take your 0870 complaint seriously.  They are in effect the equivalent of the Ombudsman in other industries in respect of their high level complaint function.

derrick wrote on Sep 25^th, 2006 at 1:56pm:


Yes I have considerably more faith in the BBC Governors than I have in the Information Commissioner's Office which is impossibly overloaded with work and has poorly skilled staff.

If you complain to the Governors your complaint will be considered at high level by intelligent people.  They do not consider that many complaints each quarter but the trick is to get the complaint to them as I note they insist on the use of the old fashioned post and do not have an online form or email address.  Why not write and see if they accept the complaint after first emailing the Director General as I feel sure you will get no sensible response there (other than possibly a brush off back to another BBC Information Capita person cretin) as it is the Director General and his team who agreed to the travesty that is Capita BBC Information and particularly the despicable customer complaint crunching way in which it is run.

Also complaining to the ICO about the BBC not disclosing the alternative numbers is unlikely to be successful as the BBC will probably cite commercial confidentiality as a reason for non disclosure.  As the call centres are all run by Capita and not the BBC the ICO is unfortunately very unlikely to uphold your complaint.

Sorry for butting in, but I love this bit:

And their reply on 22nd July was:-

Dear Mr ******

Thank you for your e-mail.

I appreciate that you continue to object to the BBC's use of 0870 numbers.... those costs, typically should be no more than the price of a stamp.

A brilliant example of demeaning a just complaint - a great piece of spin!

The price of a stamp - what stamp exactly? a green shield stamp??

Hi!

I belong to a large national forum created by a national magazine.  I have consistantly promoted this website to members on the message board and some have taken notice at last 

It appears to me that the Internet using populace do not know about this site or if they do do not pass it on. I feel the more we pass it on the more folk will hopefully sit up to the rip offs.

One lady I chatted to on the forum waited 1hour and 35 minutes after listening to many options then the staff at the company were useless and mishandled her query on an 0870 number and she now awaits her bill from her provider. It's costing her 7.5p per minute!  

I also belong to another smaller forum to do with telecommunications and I upset one chap big-time by saying that 0870 is a scam.  He was so incensed he unsuscribed! Too bad!

Much of what is discussed on this lively  forum is abit above me at the minute but the posts are very good as far as I can see. I have not read many yet but will plough through them .

Thanks#

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