Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
SAYNOTO0870.COM

<---- Back to main website

 
Home Help Search Login Register

Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
Telcos ignoring Ofcom on 0870 (Read 7,068 times)
dorf
Supreme Member
*****
Offline


I hate Qs on Premium NGNs

Posts: 575
UK
Gender: male
Telcos ignoring Ofcom on 0870
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 10:45am
 
An article published by This is Money reveals that Telcos are flouting the guidance of Ofcom still further and increasing their call charges for 0870 numbers rather then reducing them in any way.

What some of us would suspect of course is not that the Telcos are doing anything which Ofcom actually would disagree with, but that they have probably agreed this clandestinely with their buddies!

See http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=443439&in_page_id=2
Back to top
 

Ofcom are completely ineffectual
 
IP Logged
 
idb
Supreme Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 1,499
Miami, Florida, United States
Gender: male
Phone firms 'not listening to Ofcom'
Reply #1 - Jun 26th, 2008 at 1:02am
 
http://www.contractoruk.com/news/003844.html

<<
Callers to 0870 numbers are still paying a premium – sometimes as much as four times the normal rate – in breach of regulatory guidelines set up over two years ago.

In April 2006, Ofcom implemented a package of measures to protect consumers from 08 numbers, often bought by operators for their customer call centres.

To tackle one of the most common complaints from consumers, the regulator wanted the cost of 08 numbers – known as NTS numbers – to fall in line with ordinary calls.

Fourteen months later, one national paper understands BSky B has raised charges to 10p a minute, Tiscali to 8p a minute and T-Mobile up to 40p a minute for some customers.

The Mail on Sunday also reported that, contrary to Ofcom’s wish that free bundle minutes would extend to 08 numbers, T-Mobile has aligned 0870 with its priciest calls.

Tim Wolfenden, of price comparison website uSwitch.com reportedly responded to the news by pointing out not every operator is “going to listen” to the regulator.

Ofcom has been consulting with industry on 0870 numbers since it decided that forcing operators to announce the price of an 08 call at its outset would be dangerous.

It said using free price reminders could be problematic for machine-to-machine calls including personal, fire and burglar alarms, “leading to potential life-threatening consequences.”

Further consultation about 08 numbers is expected to result in Ofcom issuing a ruling on charges in the autumn, when phone groups could be ordered to cut the cost for callers.
>>
Back to top
 

As from November 21, 2013, I no longer participate in the forum and am unable to receive private messages.
 
IP Logged
 
jgxenite
Supreme Member
*****
Offline


Help us to help you -
read the instructions!!

Posts: 1,454
Gender: male
Re: Phone firms 'not listening to Ofcom'
Reply #2 - Jun 26th, 2008 at 1:11am
 
"Soft touch" Ofcom still refusing to do its job as telecoms regulator and implement the changes to protect its so called "customers", the consumers? What a surprise there(!) Roll Eyes
Back to top
 

I don't mind helping you with your request as long as you read the instructions!
 
IP Logged
 
SilentCallsVictim
Supreme Member
*****
Offline


aka NHS.Patient, DH_fairtelecoms

Posts: 2,494
Re: Phone firms 'not listening to Ofcom'
Reply #3 - Jun 26th, 2008 at 4:26am
 
Another example of a journalist having a go at a very complex story and presenting a grossly over-simplified (some might say deceitful) version of what the actual situation is.
Back to top
 
WWW  
IP Logged
 
NGMsGhost
Supreme Member
*****
Offline


The Forum Ghost of NonGeographicalMan<b
r />

Posts: 2,720
Surrey, United Kingdom
Gender: male
Re: Telcos ignoring Ofcom on 0870
Reply #4 - Jun 27th, 2008 at 10:10pm
 
dorf wrote on Jun 23rd, 2008 at 10:45am:
What some of us would suspect of course is not that the Telcos are doing anything which Ofcom actually would disagree with, but that they have probably agreed this clandestinely with their buddies!

See http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=443439&in_page_id=2


Perhaps even at that top Ofcom meeting for buddying up with the telecoms industry known as the NTS Focus Group. Shocked Angry Angry Angry
Back to top
 

<div style=
 
IP Logged
 
idb
Supreme Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 1,499
Miami, Florida, United States
Gender: male
Re: Telcos ignoring Ofcom on 0870
Reply #5 - Jul 2nd, 2008 at 12:47am
 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/30/o2_lies_ofcom_ignored/

T-Mobile not alone in spinning price hikes

By Bill Ray

<<
T-Mobile isn't alone in its innovative reading of Ofcom recommendations, but at least the company only implied that the regulator was responsible for the increase in its prices: O2 is claiming it outright.

0870 numbers are non-geographic: they are national calls regardless of where the call originates or terminates. Mobile operators have until now treated such numbers as exceptional and charged a special rate for them, but UK-regulator Ofcom has stated that such calls are to be treated as normal national calls and that they "should" be included within bundled minutes that come with the tariff.

The key word here is "should", which T-Mobile interpreted as "don't have to be", enabling the company to double its prices. The other UK operators are taking much the same approach, while intimating that the change has been forced on them by Ofcom, but O2 went one stage further in an e-mail to a customer last week which clearly laid the blame at Ofcom's door:

Our old tariffs had calls to these [0870] numbers included in the free allowance but as per the special number policy of Ofcom, we've excluded these calls from the free allowances of our tariffs with effect from 28 September 2008.

This is, of course, b0llocks. When we put this to O2 we were told that it had "...advised customer services that this is a business decision", but apparently customer services isn't taking this advice as punters are still being told the same thing this morning.

We asked O2 about that, and Ofcom about how it feels to be completely ignored by the industry you're supposed to be regulating, but so far neither party has got back to us. ®
>>

See comments http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/30/o2_lies_ofcom_ignored/comments/
Back to top
« Last Edit: Jul 2nd, 2008 at 12:48am by idb »  

As from November 21, 2013, I no longer participate in the forum and am unable to receive private messages.
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: DaveM, bbb_uk, Forum Admin, Dave, CJT-80)

Website and Content © 1999-2024 SAYNOTO0870.COM. All Rights Reserved.
Written permission is required to duplicate any of the content within this site.

WARNING: This is an open forum, posts are NOT endorsed by SAYNOTO0870.COM,
please exercise due caution when acting on any info from here.


SAYNOTO0870.COM » Powered by YaBB 2.5.2!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2024. All Rights Reserved.


Valid RSS Valid XHTML Valid CSS Powered by Perl Source Forge