0844 numbers

System

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

Just a pity that the service does not work if you withhold your number.

It can't work if you withhold your number, because their u.s.p. is that they ring you back (if necessary) when a human is ready to talk to you.
http://www.weq4u.co.uk/

While it lasts, this service is a boon to money-savers. But presumably it cannot last long. Either they will sign up all the likely call centres, and therefore stop offering the free service to consumers. Or they will find that they can't sign up enough call centres to be profitable, and fold.

See their FAQ:

Q. How can you afford to run this service for free?

In addition to the WeQ4U App, we have a solution for Call Centres called WeQ4U 4 Business, that helps all callers get through without waiting, whether they have the App or not.

When you use WeQ4U to skip a call centre queue, we find out which call centres have long queues, so we can help them with our business solution.

So, pressing 9* when you hit the queue helps keep the service free.

Paul_Varjak

Yes, I had read that explanation but it leaves me puzzled.

They do offer free calls to any 01/02/03 number as well, which simply makes no sense as who would want to call such a number via their service? I assume they must be making enough from the termination of calls on their 0121 to then forward the call any 01/02/03/0870 for free.

I find it hard to believe they are forwarding calls direct to 0844/0845/0871 numbers for free. I wonder if they are actually using the geographical delivery number information associated with those numbers and forwarding calls in that way? If that is the case, I am sure there will be issues as they will depriving the called companies of income - the very companies that they wish to be their customers!

There would also be privacy issues as to how they obtained the geographical delivery numbers and technical issues as a lot of the features of the 0844/0871 number etc may well be provided via that number rather than the underlying geographical number.

My other concern is whether they are just 'mining' callers numbers for a mass marketing exercise at a later date.

It will be interesting to see if Martin mentions this service in his weekly emails, in a similar way to 0800Buster. Until he does, I think I will stick to saynoto0870.com

System

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

They do offer free calls to any 01/02/03 number as well, which simply makes no sense as who would want to call such a number via their service?

Someone calling a call centre which operates on an 01/02/03 number, and who expects to encounter a queue?

I assume they must be making enough from the termination of calls on their 0121 to then forward the call to any 01/02/03/0870 for free.

As you imply, it's hard to see how they can collect more from the termination of calls on their 0121 number than they pay to forward the calls to 01/02/03/0870. Presumably, for the time being, they just hope to "mine" numbers of call centres which operate on 01/02/03/0870, and have queues.

I find it hard to believe they are forwarding calls direct to 0844/0845/0871 numbers for free.

FWIW, a test call I made via WeQ4U to one of the Co-operative Bank's 0844 numbers appeared to terminate on the same menu as you get by calling 0844 direct. However, in this case, WeQ4U could be cunningly calling the 0161 alternative that the Co-op actually advertises to smartphone users.

Ian01

With the Consumer Rights Directive shortly becoming law (December 2013), and applying from June 2014, many businesses will be swapping their customer service phone lines from expensive 084 and 087 numbers to geographic-rate 01, 02 and 03 numbers.

The simplest number change possible is from the existing 084 or 087 number to the matching 034 or 037 number. Under this scheme the "8" changes to a "3" and the remainder of the digits remain the same.

It's worth trying this matching 03 number, even if it isn't yet advertised. In some cases, companies may have activated the 03 number long before they plan to deactivate the 08 number.