bbb_uk wrote on Sep 27
th, 2006 at 12:58pm:
I knew the BBC were exempt but didn't realise it was all gov funded depts as well.
If this is the case, who if anyone, can you complain to?
In my view the following have some influence over the Police and use of 0845 numbers:-
1. Your local County Councillor - as Police forces are controlled by a Police authority largely comprised of local members of the County Council. Start emailing your County Councillor and point out what is going to happen in Feb 2008 and for him to ask questions to the Chief Constable. Perhaps he is even on your local Police Authority? Say you want to have a meeting with him to discuss the issue.
2. Your MP - is able to ask questions to the Home Secretary about the Police and the numbers they use. Write to your MP getting him to put down some Parliamentary questions on the subject for Written Answer. Also you could ask your MP to refer this as an issue to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards asking him to investigate if Ofcom have failed in their duty to the public in letting the Police use non standard numbers that cost far more than an ordinary local phone number to call from most mobile phones in particular.
3. PITO - those useless QUANGO morons of course directly control official Police policy on this issue but pass the buck for everything they do to the Home Office. So you may as well ask questions about PITO and their uselessness to your MP.
4. Your Euro MP - you could follow the suggestion of BobbyBoy to ask him to refer to the EU commissioner the lack of price disclosure on these numbers and the fact they are non standard rate numbers and that the market for 0845 call prices is not properly competitive. And this is unacceptable given that the Police is a monopoly and you have no option but to use their service. Also no pre announcemen of it not being a standard priced call before you call.