cfxtv wrote on Oct 28^th, 2010 at 3:49pm:

Hello and welcome to SAYNOTO0870.COM.

Feedback is much appreciated; many thanks.  

Do join in on the forum, posting about any necessary updates/removals/additions you find are required in the alternative numbers database listings. The site relies on visitors' feedback.

Sorry, bit I was absolutely f**king livid today when calling 020 7222 1234 to be greeted with the 0843 scam number message. My call was neccessary because the District line was suspended and there were no replacement buses on offer to my destination. I wanted advice - so my choice was to pay 40p per minute for the advice or pay £1.20 catching an otherwise unneeded bus.

I am also sick of the swerve technique these skullduggers use when referring to 'BT costs 5p, other providers may charge more'. Many people do not want or need BT lines and why are government organisations allowed to give so much free promotion to BT services to protect themselves from using the old 'Local Rate Call' blagging fiasco? The Jobcentre now use similar tactics.

To further my digust, there are adverts everywhere about illegal mincabs and the risks of rape. Journey Planner offers an invaluable service to somebody needing to get home safely, particularly late at night. It was even very easy to use from a payphone for somebody who has no mobile credit.

I really am sickened by this. The revenue share will go to replace the money creamed off by cowboy maintenance firm Metronet who left a £1 bllion deficit and no doubt a brown envelope has changed hands somewhere in the Telecoms World dealings.

Absolutely disgusted by this one.

I think to be honest the numbers on this document are for controls and emergency contact purposes.
It does however have a one-stop contact for all control related purposes.

Anyone looking for a geographic number to ring for public transport information in London, look in the database.  

floella2 wrote on Nov 8^th, 2010 at 3:25pm:

This is a very clear acknowledgement that not all callers benefit from the fact that BT is prohibited from adding its own charges to the premium applied when calling 084 numbers. (A few others copy its charges.)

The amount of money gained is so petty in the context of the general cost of a service like dial-a-ride that I cannot believe there would be any risk of the alternatives being withdrawn.

There can be functional benefits in using non-geographic numbers, so having a 0845 with a geographic alternative is not always a possible approach. All service providers, who cannot justify themselves levying a charge for telephone access, should use 03 numbers when the technical features that are more readily available with a non-geographic number are of benefit.

Noting the admission in respect of the dial-a-ride numbers, one should ask how the premium charge for most callers is justified where 084 numbers are used.

The 034x equivalent is available for a simple migration (or as an alternative) for every 084 number, and may be adopted within the term of an existing telephone service contract.

Some may have special needs, indeed the least wealthy are less likely to have landlines, but this is about basic equity for all, not about privileges for some (e.g. BT customers!).

There is now a FOI TfL response to a query submitted by an "I Madder".

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/tfl_helpline_0843_222_1234

I also have submitted a short FOI request to the same body, and expect a reply next month. I will post any response on the FOI discussion forum.

markpantelli wrote on Dec 20^th, 2010 at 10:53am:

Hello and welcome to SAYNOTO0870.COM.

Thank you for this information. I already listed a suitable alternative which is (020) 3283 6509. The previously listed 3283 6500 is now not recognised, which rather suggests that TfL is actively disabling numbers published on this website.

I should point out that there is no such STD code as 0203 and that it's usual convention to put a space between code and local number. It has never been 0203, 0207 or 0208 as the last digit of each of these (3, 7 and 8) are in fact the first digits of local numbers.

The code for London has been 020 for over ten years now. Anyone with a London number can pick up the phone and ring any other London number using eight digits.