A call today to CRUSE on their London 020 number finally elicited the fact that they actually also have an 0808 Freephone number alternative to their 0844 number but that this number seems to only be given out to ordinary callers under the greatest possible duress when callers indicate that they have particular costs issues with making calls to 0844 numbers.
The lady I spoke to wouldn't discuss with me why they used 0844 numbers as their main advertised numbers and said that she was only a volunteer who was paid nothing for the work she did for them. She said someone would call me back on the subject.
She told me several times that they also had a Freephone number so I said did she believe that 0844 was a Freephone number because if she did she was wrong and there was no 0808 or 0800 number on their website. So finally after going through this loop several times she gave me their Freephone number which she said was:-
0808 8081677
When I called the 0808 number I was connected to the same lady at their London office.
However I was then called back by Paul (last name not offered even when I requested it), their National Helpline Coordinator. He said the 0844 numbers had been primarily arranged by their lady Finance Manager who was very hot on obtaining "value for money". So I then suggested to him that her idea of value of money was obviously in things like them getting free switchboard maintenance or reduced price outgoing calls for Cruse staff but was clearly against the interests of the bereaved who wouldn't be able to afford to call them if they were in straightened financial circumstances. I also pointed out that the high priced calls meant anyone calling the service was likely to be identified if they were not the bill payer and that this undermined the fundamental objects of CRUSE.
Paul was very keen indeed to say that on their main 0844 number that while you are listening to the initial IVR message there is an option you can select to leave an answerphone message and that if you do this they will call you back free of charge within an hour or two but when I said that many people weren't always aware of the high costs of calling 0844 and it would only be when their expensive hour long call to CRUSE was queried by a billpayer that the problem would emerge he didn't really have an answer. Clearly many people calling CRUSE could end up having their call identified by another member of their household specifically due to the high call cost that would stand out on the bill (not to mention the non standard 0844 number).
Paul said he would pass on my comments to their lady Finance Manager who sadly seemed to be almost wholly in charge of policy decisions about the 0844 number currently used by Cruse.
Paul maintained that 0808 08081677 was actually their young persons bereavement line number but when I said it hadn't been given to me by his colleague on this basis, even though I clearly wasn't a younger person, he didn't seem to have an answer.
My recommendation would be that anyone who needs to call CRUISE from a line where they don't have an inclusive calls package to 01/02/03 numbers should therefore call 0808 8081677 as I don't think the use of the Young Person's Bereavement line will actually be challenged if you are older. Indeed it appears that the call recipient may not even know you have used the 0808 number instead of the 0844 number. If Cruse don't like it then its high time that they at least got themselves a cost neutral 03 phone number.
I note that West Northumberland Citizens Advice Bureau seems to agree with me as they also list this 080 number for Bereavement on their website (see
www.westnorthumberlandcab.org.uk/telephone.htm) along with the 020 number without any indication that it is only for the use of younger persons.
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