Your New Contact Number

There has been a lot of newspaper and TV coverage lately about companies and organisations such as yours using telephone numbers beginning 084x/087x.

In most cases, companies and organisations using such numbers earn revenue from each minute that its customers/members are on the phone.

These numbers are commonly advertised as being 'local' or 'national' rate and Ofcom, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) and Trading Standards have agreed that describing any number beginning 084x/087x as such is misleading.  The reason is that the cost of the calling these numbers varies and in most cases costs more than calling a normal geographical number (i.e. those beginning 01 or 02).  In fact, it can cost anywhere up to 40p/min (on some mobile networks) to ring these numbers.

The newspaper articles about the use of these numbers are available in the following links:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5405620.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2389087,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=4086 60&in_page_id=1770
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2005300000-2006460369,,00.html
and a BBC news video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi?redirect=st.s tm&news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&nol_storyid=5410232

As you will have realised by now, this email is a complaint about your number, 0870 240 6215, and the fact that you are imposing additional costs as mentioned in the above newspaper/TV articles on me and not retaining your 0118 984 1583 standard geographical number instead (or at least advertising that with equal prominence).

Due to continued use of these numbers and the public's perception (in most cases, justified) that unnecessarily keeping callers on the line is now standard procedure because it results in substantial additional income, Ofcom has announced that a new number range beginning 03x should be available from January/February 2007.

This new number range will offer the same facilities/network features like IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Intelligent Call Routings, etc that are available now on 084x/087x numbers EXCEPT these new numbers will not cost consumers any more than a normal geographical call.  In fact, unlike 084x/087x numbers, calling the new 03x numbers will be included in many inclusive call plans.

I look forward to receiving your confirmation that you will be reverting to your previous 0118 984 1583 number (and removing the answering machine from that number), advertising that number with equal prominence to the 0870 240 6215 number or switching to use of an 03 number as soon as they are available.