My reason for writing is to express my utter amazement, astonishment and sense of outrage that the Samaritans, who should be the last resort for desperate and especially suicidal people to call, is still using as its main contact number a number that is wholly and utterly inappropriate in every single way because far from being a "For the cost of a local call" number (as inaccurately but prominently stated in the logo shown for the Samaritans number on the Skins credits and about which I shall now be submitting a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority as this violates numerous guidances by 084 and 087 numbers by them in the last two years on 084 and 087 numbers) it is in fact a non standard priced BT Special Rate Services number that is excluded from inclusive BT calling plans like BT Option 2 and BT Option 3 and from virtually all mobile phone inclusive call package bundles.  Even on BT Option 1 (the base BT price plan which many households still have) calls to the Samaritans on its 0845 number cost 60p per hour off peak (6pm to 6am) compared to just 5.5p for a 60 minute call to any number starting 01, 02 or now also 03 numbers (the latter being Ofcom's new standard priced national non geographic number code introduced at the end of August 2007).

The continued use by the Samaritans of 08457 909090 is really quite outrageous and totally inappropriate because most of your more desperate calls will obviously be made at night and yet it is vital that your callers (a) should be able to afford to contact you as many of your calls for help are long and (b) that calls should be confidential whereas using an 0845 number will ensure that these calls stick out like a sore thumb on any landline or mobile phone bill where normal 01/02 geographic calls are part of the call package and so are not listed.  Also as pay as you go inclusive mobile phone tariffs let people make calls for as little as 15p per hour off peak (Vodafone Smartplus) but a call on the same mobile phone and mobile tariff to the Samaritans 0845 number at the same time would cost £3.00 for the hour surely the adverse consequences of your continued blind inexcusable use of 0845 are really quite unthinkable.  That is to say either a student at university or someone living on the streets with only a pay as you go mobile could potentially be cut off mid call due to lack of credit or even worse a desperate wife being battered who calls your 0845 number then finds her husband immediately spots it on the next phone bill due due to its extra high cost cost status and so he beats her up once again for calling The Samaritans.

We all know how you will claim to historically have started using the 0845 numbers because once upon a time they only cost the same as 01/02 numbers for BT customers although even then it was a lie and even back in 1998 I could then call an equivalent of a normal 01/02 area code for 2p per minute in the daytime while 0845 numbers cost 4p per minute with my then lower cost call carrier than BT.  However the fact that you still continue to use the 0845 number today and do not provide a geographically priced 01/02 or now 03 alternative and also have to repeatedly lie about the real cost of the call in violation of ASA guidelines and in contravention of Part 3 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 says to me that various people at The Samaritans (not least your your Director of Finance & Infrastructure and your Director of Service Support) are actively incompetent and deserve to lose their jobs.  In my view that also extends to the Chief Executive, Chairman and other board members and trustees responsible for accepting their advice on the phone number the organisation uses.  Ideally it should also further apply to board members at Ofcom who have completely failed the UK charitable sector as well as the police and some local council by failing to return 0845 phone numbers to the status of ordinary priced geographic phone calls included in calling plans as will happen on 1st February 2008 for 0870 numbers but not for 0845 numbers.  And what is Ofcom's pitiful and utterly pathetic excuse for this massive regulatory failure on its part to fulfil its principal duty given to it under the Communications Act 2003 to put first the interests of UK citizens and UK consumers - apparently only that it might have meant a slight bit of minor inconvenience and involved a slight loss of profit for what is now a virtually non existent remaining 0845 dial up internet industry (with most internet use at home now being by ADSL broadband).

[...] I have had a number of read receipts from the senior execs but not one has sent me an email thanking for me drawing this matter to their attention and saying they are now looking in to it. [...]

Which forces us to then call their ripoff 084 or 087 numbers if we cannot find an alternative on this website.  Companies using 084 or 087 numbers often claim no cost alternative means of interaction are available but as you say if you send an email to a customer services department then 7 times out of 10 it is not replied to.  Only online account management where you can change things yourself actually works.