SilentCallsVictim wrote on Feb 26
th, 2008 at 11:11pm:
If those who post here are required to accept that only action by the European Commission is likely to affect the way in which we run our National Health Service and that the views of an officer of Ofcom will determine how the Department of Health behaves, then I am unable to contribute further, as I cannot subscribe to such nonsense.
This thread began with a new member asking for advice on how to complain about his doctor using a 0844 number. It has been picked up by others, including myself, to be used to discuss matters that many would see as being quite unrelated.
My Dear SCV,
I am sorry if showing proper concern for your state of health is taken as an unnecessary personal intrusion. I only made the point because the normal course of action after any such health problem is to reduce one's level of stress and what could be more stressful than trying to worry if NEG could weadle their way around the self evident fact that 0844 is not a normal priced phone tariff.
With great respect you continue to play their game by worrying yourself excessively whether by cunning games with lower connection fees on the BT Light User Scheme (which almost no one makes any calls on) there may not be some rare instance in which 0844 is cheaper to call than an 01 or 02 number.
One needs to focus on the core issues applicable to 99% of those calling the numbers and which explains why 0844 numbers incur such wrath:-
(a) 0844 is excluded from 01/02/03 bundled call packages
(b) 0844 is violently more expensive to call from a BT Payphone and many mobile phone deals. It is never cheaper to call on a mobile than 01/02
(c) There is a revenue share passed to the doctor's surgery to pay for their phone system at the point of use.
NEG are a bunch of twisting charlatans and they have mates in the telecoms industry who are assisting their current efforts to twist things.
You need to focus on the key issues which are overwhelmingly against these numbers rather than becoming obsessively worried about NEG's devious attempts to shoot us down.
What we need to do is to get the 90% of the doctors who have not gone to 0844 to speak out more against their unprincipled money grabbing colleagues who have and how they feel their actions are totally reprehensible.
Searching endless telecoms tariffs is not the way to go to try to win the argument.
SCV you are a must jovial chap when met in person so I am always perplexed by your forum persona which has always made me think you were some kind of supremely pedantic boffin. How is this reconciled with the chap we met at the Information Tribunal who was guffawing his way with mirth through much of the hearing. I didn't take you then to be a chap to lie awake at night worrying if there was just one tariff at one time of day for some narrow user group where due to recent BT slights of hand 0844 was cheaper than an 01/02 number.
Focus instead on things like TalkTalk's Broadband product which bundles free 01/02 calls too but excludes 0844 numbers. Ditto BT's now very reasonable Option 3.
Looking at the evidence is old Ofcom speak for excuses to take no action. It is not a real hunt for the truth. I would have thought by now that you would surely have realised that.