Quote:Which of the following best conveys this message?
- local rate
- national rate
- geographic rate
- UK rate
- countrywide rate
Whilst the third is Ofcom's preference, it is potentially undermined by the possibility of there being a difference between the first two. None of the last three are sufficiently familiar to inspire confidence. The second, and thereby the third, is generally (if mistakenly) understood to be more expensive than the first.
Given that there are no currently known cases where the first is untrue, it is hard to object!
In my opinion none of these descriptions are correct or complete in their present form.
What the BBC need to say is something like "calls to this number are charged at standard BT geographic rates and will therefore also be treated as inclusive minutes within any landline or mobile phone inclusive calls bundles covering calls at that time of day".
However as even my above suggestion may be thought too complicated or confusing what is really needed is an active and ongoing public information campaign by Ofcom to educate people about different types of telephone number code and those number codes which qualify as standard minutes within calling plans and those which do not.
Ofcom also need to make an effort to educate people that where they make a call outside a call bundle that the cost of the call is becoming ever more expensive.
Of course on their latter point it was their own stupid mistake at Ofcom in totally deregulating BT prices on the incorrect basis that they no longer had Significant Market Power that has led to the current disgraceful abuses of Connection fees designed to blackmail customers in to taking a monthly calling package. This abuse of connection fees is unfortunately a European wide problem although in Spain it manifests itself more frequently on mobiles where connection fees are now between 17 cents and 25 cents a call (depending on provider) in order to try and blackmail phone users in to subscribing to a monthly calls package.
All of these moves to introduce connection fees are in my opinions disgracefully uncompetitive (as with the ripoff Easyjet booking Administration fee that discriminates against solo passengers and one way travellers) and so should be banned by the OFT.
Can you imagine the fuss for instance if petrol stations were allowed to introduce a £5 per tank filling charge to any customer who had not contracted to buy 2,000 litres of petrol a year from that company's forecourts but this in effect is what the telephone companies are being allowed to do.