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Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' code (Read 6,066 times)
kk
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Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' code
Jan 8th, 2007 at 12:47pm
 
The Times January 08, 2007


Telecoms watchdog hopes '03' will break '0870' code
Elizabeth Judge


Start Quote:

Businesses will be encouraged to ditch “0870” numbers in favour of a new “03” number range under a crackdown by the telecoms regulator on call abuse.   Ofcom is shortly to assign new “03” numbers, which, although countrywide, will be charged at the same rate as regular “geographic”, or “01” or “02”, numbers.


The new number, Ofcom hopes, will help to do away with the confusion and high bills that can follow calls to the “0870” numbers that are favoured at present by many businesses and public bodies. When “0870” was introduced ten years ago, the price of a call was in line with what was then a national rate call. However, as regular call prices have radically reduced, the number is now more akin to a premium-rate number.

Depending on the telephone provider, calls to “0845” numbers can cost up to 5p a minute and calls to “0870” up to 10p a minute, compared with 1p a minute for some regular calls.  Today a daytime call to an “0870” number from BT’s most popular package is 7p a minute, against 3p for a national-rate call.

Some businesses have abused this discrepancy by switching to an “0870” number as a money-making device. They take advantage of revenue-sharing, whereby they take a share of the charges paid by the caller.  Callers are wising up to this ploy and recently several businesses and public service bodies have come under fire for adopting “0870” and “0845” numbers. British Airways was condemned over profiting from callers phoning to find luggage lost amid the Christmas fog problems at airports by using an “0845” number.

It insisted that the charges were necessary to offset the cost of running a call centre in Newcastle.  There have been accusations that callers are held up unnecessarily on the line at some companies purely to help to boost profits.

The “0870” number originally was introduced to help businesses by enabling them to provide one memorable number to customers. The new “03” number, Ofcom said, is aimed at organisations that “require a national presence but do not wish to make an additional charge to consumers for contacting them”.  It said that it hoped that some businesses would find the number “more appropriate than the chargeable 08 numbers”. The new range, it said, should become trusted by consumers.

In 2004 consumers spent an estimated £1.5 billion calling 0870 and 0845 numbers — almost £1 in every £5 spent on all landline phone calls.  The “03” range is part of wider new rules being introduced by Ofcom, which will also force companies to charge the same or less for “0870” numbers as they do for regular numbers — or else make a free announcement at the start of the call.

The new “03” numbers will be included as part of any inclusive call minutes or discount schemes for geographic calls.

No revenue-sharing will be permitted on calls to the new numbers.

End Quote


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Dave
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Re: Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' cod
Reply #1 - Jan 8th, 2007 at 3:07pm
 
kk wrote on Jan 8th, 2007 at 12:47pm:
The Times January 08, 2007


Telecoms watchdog hopes '03' will break '0870' code
Elizabeth Judge


Start Quote:

Businesses will be encouraged to ditch “0870” numbers in favour of a new “03” number range under a crackdown by the telecoms regulator on call abuse.   Ofcom is shortly to assign new “03” numbers, which, although countrywide, will be charged at the same rate as regular “geographic”, or “01” or “02”, numbers.
[...]
End Quote

And what about 0845...?  Roll Eyes
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Re: Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' cod
Reply #2 - Jan 8th, 2007 at 6:50pm
 
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Re: Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' cod
Reply #3 - Jan 8th, 2007 at 7:08pm
 
Sorry, I misread that as "0870 code will break Ofcom".
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Re: Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' cod
Reply #4 - Jan 8th, 2007 at 7:31pm
 
Tanllan wrote on Jan 8th, 2007 at 7:08pm:
Sorry, I misread that as "0870 code will break Ofcom".


I think you could yet turn out to be right Tanllan. Wink
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Re: Times - Ofcom hopes '03' will break '0870' cod
Reply #5 - Jan 8th, 2007 at 7:47pm
 
A good article by the seemingly highly appropriately named Ms Judge, although I would like to know if this has been done on her own initiative or reflects some kind of press release she has been fed by Ofcom, or perhaps a nice lunch conversation with the ever over optimistic Matt Peacock?  Or perhaps it was a line Ofcom was taking at their recent conference that I have yet to watch all of the proceedings of being shown on Sky Ch 181 (Information Tv)

It would be typical of double dealing Ofcom to claim that 03 is going to take care of the whole problem when the reality is that Ofcom is going to allow most of the scamming to continue on 0844, 0845 and 0871 and almost certainly do nothing itself to properly promote 03.

Clearly the whole scam  could have been stopped overnight had 08 been returned to Freephone only, all revenue sharing 08 numbers moved to 09 or possibly 06 (these could have been promoted as lower cost payment for services numbers but not local/national rate) and all former 084/7 numbers now wanting to only charge normal rates with no revenue share had moved to 03.

As it is the scammers carry on untrammelled on 0845 and 0844 and 0871 and anyone wanting to do the right thing has to go the inconvenience of getting a new number.  How can this be right or fair.

I was talking to an Inland Revenue call centre person today and they said that the official management line that they were given to feed to customers who complained about 0845 was that it was only "local rate".  They admitted that they were personally well aware this was not true but risked being disciplined if they did not stick to the official line on the cost of 0845 calls.  Time for some FOI's to the Board of the Inland Revenue I think asking about their plans to introduce 03 numbers.

What is Ed Richards going to do about stopping all these scammers from telling their staff to serially lie that 0845 and 0870 are local/national rate.  When are Ofcom going to send warning letters and then impose fines if these deceptions carry on?  And are Ofcom going to take full page newspaper announcements telling people that 084/7 numbers are not charged at geographic call rates and that they should be demanding that the company they deal with gets an 03 number instead.

Also I see Ofcom is claiming that 03 is just all about wanting a national presence!  Ye gods do the employees at Ofcom come from the kindergarten.  Its not about wanting a national presence its about wanting a single number that can redirect across multiple call centres using the PSTN.  And its all about whether your customers pay for this (084/7) or whether the business itself pays for this (03 or 080).
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