Ian G wrote on Jan 29^th, 2014 at 5:10pm:
   

It is apparent that the phone service industry has conspired over recent years to deliberately mislead and confuse consumers about the true costs of many number ranges.   However, any moderately intelligent person, even a doctor, can get a pretty good idea of the true costs merely by looking at their own phone bills or tariffs.  It wouldn't then take much more effort to realise that it would be a very bad idea to adopt 0844.   Indeed, the vast majority of GPs, to their credit, never did adopt 0844 and some very clearly stated they would never consider using 0844.

Ian G wrote on Jan 29^th, 2014 at 5:10pm:


Ofcom's difficulties have all been of their own making and a reluctance to take positive action to protect consumers from harm.   Ofcom and its predecessors allowed the situation to become confused and allowed operators to exploit the confusion at the expense of consumers.   Ofcom showed it had the power to act when it banned revenue sharing on 0870 numbers as it felt under pressure from this website and various campaigners and the growing exploitative reputation of 0870.   Ofcom simultaneously showed their incompetence and inadequacy by not at that time imposing controls on the costs of 0870 calls and failing to ban revenue sharing on the other 08 numbers, leading to a mass migration from 0870 onto 0844, 0871 and 0843.   

Ofcom consultations over the past 4 years have all been about finding a way, which will take yet another 18 months, to limit the levels of exploitation by tinkering with the regulations and submitting to the pressures from within the industry in order, as Ofcom expresses it " to reinvigorate " the market for 084 and 087 numbers whilst preserving the unethical practice of revenue sharing.   Ironically, this intention has been seriously undermined by the EU's CRD which will be implemented in the UK by June this year and is seen to be already causing major business defections from the 084 range onto 03 and geo numbers.

Ian G wrote on Jan 29^th, 2014 at 5:10pm:


As requested before please let us know exactly how many GPs have fully abandoned 0844 in recent months.   As far as I can recall only one has been reported so far on this Forum.   There are said to be 699 within England using 0844 at present.

A freedom of information disclosure shows Handsworth Medical Centre, in Handsworth Avenue, Highams Park, makes nearly £500 a month from its 0844 number.

Full story here:

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/11025627.Patients_subsidise_surgery...

What a load of rubbi sh! Gordon Brown addressed the prior to the 2010 election, he outlawed the use of premium rate numbers then. How can the practice manager say that they were not aware of procedure WHAT A LOW OF ROT!!

Ian G wrote on Mar 5^th, 2014 at 10:13am:


Ian with respect I don't think using those terms helps the situation in any way shape of from...

Perhaps encouraging the surgery to at least provide an alternative number, while they seek to amend their contract, would be a better start?

Now Ian, you see that was a much more informative post than saying there were "trotting out garbage"

so they are for whatever reason dragging their heels in getting it changed over...

perhaps they need reminding then?

jrawle wrote on Dec 16^th, 2008 at 2:38pm:


If you want to make an automated booking using a local number with Whitemoor Medical Centre in Belper, call 01773 881142.  You can press options to talk to a receptionist too.  I would guess, but haven't tried, that somewhere between 881142 and 881148 is the local number that gets you through to the repeat prescription number too.  I'll let someone else try that!

That's the story from February.  There was an update yesterday.

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/11297112.Doctor_s_surgery_reverts_back_to_...

This is as originally published at 2:00pm
Quote:

The story was amended in several places an hour later.