SAYNOTO0870.COM - Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call

derrick Supreme Member Offline Posts: 1,124	Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call Reply #15 - Oct 30^th, 2007 at 3:57pm It is quite easy to post the e-mail. Just highlight what you want to post from the e-mail, right click> copy, click reply in this thread as normal then right click in the reply box then paste, the text should now be in the reply.
Back to top	« Last Edit: Oct 31^st, 2007 at 11:49pm by DaveM » IP Logged

sherbert

Supreme Member

Offline

Posts: 2,011
Gender: male

Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call
Reply #16 - Oct 30^th, 2007 at 5:31pm

Posted on behalf of Barbara......

Dear ********

Thank you for providing the internet links. Further to my email of yesterday, please find below a response from our Communications Director which I hope will clarify matters:

Some time ago the link was broken between 'Local Rate' and 'National Rate' numbers and the actual cost of a local or national call. In other words, it started to cost a lot more to call a 'Local Rate' 0845 number than to call your next door neighbour's landline phone number. Ofcom, the ASA and CAP do now say that as the terms 'Local Rate' and 'National Rate' might therefore be misleading, marketers (i.e. people who are creating marketing messages such as advertisements or letters to customers) should not use those terms to promote 0845 or 0870 numbers. This extends to related terms such as 'Lo-Call'. Instead, they should be referred to as 'NTS numbers' or 'special rate' numbers or just by the number. But the most important thing is that marketers should make it clear to customers what the cost of the call is.

Having said that, in the message on our bills, we are not promoting 'Lo-Call' or 'National Rate' numbers to our customers. We are advertising the low rates we charge people for calling 0845/0870 numbers provided by other people. We have used the terms simply because many other people are still referring to 0845 numbers as Lo-Call rate and we want to make it clear to our customers what these calls cost.

When we promote our own contact numbers to our customers we do not refer to them as Lo-Call or National Rate numbers.

Regards,

Lola Alaja-Browne

Correspondence Administrator
Telecom plus PLC

Back to top

« Last Edit: Oct 30^th, 2007 at 5:31pm by sherbert »

IP Logged

moneysavin

Full Member

Offline

Posts: 131

Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call
Reply #17 - Oct 31^st, 2007 at 12:42am

sherbert wrote on Oct 30^th, 2007 at 5:31pm:

Ofcom, the ASA and CAP do now say that as the terms 'Local Rate' and 'National Rate' might therefore be misleading, marketers (i.e. people who are creating marketing messages such as advertisements or letters to customers) should not use those terms to promote 0845 or 0870 numbers. This extends to related terms such as 'Lo-Call'. Instead, they should be referred to as 'NTS numbers' or 'special rate' numbers or just by the number. But the most important thing is that marketers should make it clear to customers what the cost of the call is.

So why do they continue to use these terms on the business section of their website,s.
See: http://www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/business/ngn.taf

Yet another incorrect statement on their sites is "Standard residential line rental just £11 per month, saving you up to £12 per annum compared to BT" Huh

Their Energy Triple Value Guarantee also appears to be misleading.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=585460

Back to top

« Last Edit: Oct 31^st, 2007 at 1:03am by moneysavin »

IP Logged

Barbara

Supreme Member

Offline

Posts: 598

Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call
Reply #18 - Nov 2^nd, 2007 at 5:02pm

UPDATE. Have just received a response from OFCOM (to whom I complained about this issue) saying they have emailed UW/Telecom Plus drawing OFCOM guidelines on this to their attention. From this, I would deduce that OFCOM feel the guidelines may have been breached. I believe this is some kind of result, now let's see if UW take these on board or just ignore them! At least it proves that this is an issue which should be raised.

Back to top

IP Logged

NGMsGhost

Supreme Member

Offline

The Forum Ghost of NonGeographicalMan<b
r />

Posts: 2,720
Surrey, United Kingdom
Gender: male

Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call
Reply #19 - Nov 5^th, 2007 at 6:17pm

Barbara wrote on Nov 2^nd, 2007 at 5:02pm:

UPDATE. Have just received a response from OFCOM (to whom I complained about this issue) saying they have emailed UW/Telecom Plus drawing OFCOM guidelines on this to their attention. From this, I would deduce that OFCOM feel the guidelines may have been breached. I believe this is some kind of result, now let's see if UW take these on board or just ignore them! At least it proves that this is an issue which should be raised.

Sadly they are probably about as afraid of Ofcom as a dead sheep as Ofcom virtually never ever take any action to enforce their guidelines.

If Ofcom can't get this enforced then I would suggest going to your MP and having him refer this to the Parliamentary Ombudsman as an example of regulatory failure by Ofcom to protect the best interests of UK Citizen Consumers as they are required to do as their principal duty under Section 3(i) of the Communications Act 2003. As this is not an advertisement it cannot be dealt with by the ASA so must therefore fall to Ofcom who deal with all trading standards matters for the telecommunications industry.

Back to top

<div style=

IP Logged

Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call Reply #20 - Nov 5^th, 2007 at 9:11pm NGMsGhost wrote on Nov 5^th, 2007 at 6:17pm: If Ofcom can't get this enforced then I would suggest going to your MP and having him refer this to the Parliamentary Ombudsman ... Remember, Parliamentary discussion is also full of 0845 "local rate" lies.
Back to top	IP Logged

NGMsGhost

Supreme Member

Offline

The Forum Ghost of NonGeographicalMan<b
r />

Posts: 2,720
Surrey, United Kingdom
Gender: male

Re: Incorrect use of terms National Rate & Lo-Call
Reply #21 - Nov 6^th, 2007 at 9:27am

Dave wrote on Nov 5^th, 2007 at 9:11pm:

Remember, Parliamentary discussion is also full of 0845 "local rate" lies.

Dave I find your comment unhelpful for two reasons:-

(a) The Parliamentary Ombudsman is completely indpendent of Parliament and must work on an evidence based approach like a court. It is therefore wrong to suggest they will just support the government lie.

(b) A large number of backbench MPs have been extremely active asking questions trying to expose the 084/7 abuse.

The only part of Parliament still trying to perpetrate 084/7 lies are therefore some government ministers and their civil servants but with the launch of 03 even they now seem to have thrown in the towel on trying to do this.

Back to top

<div style=

IP Logged