Say No to 0870!

lipidicman

colin_tomlinson wrote:

I often call Lloyds TSB on their "international numbers" without any problems.

The credit card number is 01702 278272.

Yep, maybe I was just unlucky a few times then!

DonnyDave

Rokkster wrote:

Here's one for Martin...

I hate 0870s with a PASSION - but rather than rant on about the offenders, who lets face it - don't give a stuff; why not launch a new award for the best companies who go out of their way to avoid them - a bit like the "Good English" award...

Such an award could be based on a wider criteria than just whether they don't use 0870/0845. A "Easy Contact Award" could signify:

• That they avoid 0845/0870
• Quick response time, callers don't have to hold for long periods or go through endless menu options.
• High standard of resolution of caller's reasons for calling.

theloft

I totally agree with a national award for the non rip-off companies. If Martin could get a newspaper to publish a list of the big companies who make money out of their own customers by charging them to telephone them, that would be something. They don't stand for it in the USA and loads of other countries, where nearly all companies have a freephone number.
By the way there is a whole raft of numbers for Lloyds TSB on the "say no to 0870" site.
See:
http://www.saynoto0870.com Then click on 'Search to find an alternative number', then enter Lloyds TSB in company name.

AMILLIONDOLLARS

Result!! I managed to get £10 credit :j from my CC company for holding on for half an hour on their 0870 number to report my CC stolen. Letter says if the bill comes to more, they will fully reimbuse me for the call. I would never have complained if I hadn't read this thread.

Thanks Martin:beer:

lipidicman

Yeah, I got £10 after I had to phone up several times to ask them to correct a balance transfer mistake (theirs, they put me on 6.9% rather than 0%). The operators can do this without further authority.

mulleady

wrote:

Oh dear oh dear.

0870 numbers change frm company to company. Some companies go for revenue share, some just want low costs.

To get revenue share companies in general get at least 10,000 minutes of call per month.

Why do they go for non geographic numbers?

The reasons are varied -

for sure some like the idea of a small revenue - it helps them pay for a service most peopl expect "free" (computer help desks for example)

some wnt to be seen as a bigger company they are - if a phone number is lets say sheffield and you are in cornwall would you REALLY expect them to cover your area?

some want to use them for call distribution - call priority for good clients (the 80/20 rule) or call distribution in distributed call centres - so you get answered quicker.

They are also a good way to report quickly on how successful a campaign is.

And IN GENERAL you pay for a national call. Big deal. Anyone that can "save" £120 a year needs to get out more.

AND if someone has set up the client facing department correctly anyone that tries to ring the standard number will be sitting in a queue for a long time OR asked to ring on the contact centre number. This is because unless a call is place in the CC pilot group the stats get totally mucked up which is slf defeating for you the punter because they cannot schedule or respond to client demands.

So I realise that you may not want to pay for ANYTHING, and see no long term value in getting the cheapest rather than the best value but this whole article is self defeating.

Bttom line - bottom line costs are increasing and consumer demand getting higher with costs being suppressed. You have to pay one way or another. And 0870 numbers in the grand scheme of things is very very small.

Mra

PS - I sell call centre solutions by the way.

This is a patronising post to say the least. Companies have to make a profit somehow. That won't 'wash' with the average consumer. Can you answer points below before defending your entire client base or potential b2b market which you obviously profit from?

1) Saving £120 p.a. is a lot of money to some people, maybe not to you! If people save £120 here and £120 there it can pay for their holiday or other things. Are you saying people are sad to pursue frugality in a country with high taxation, fuel prices and some of the most expensive consumer prices globally?
2) Why should people pay of rthe 0870 premium to sales lines. Surely we are giving them our business?
3) There is a big difference using 0870 for a support line and 0870 for mainstream customer service where the corporate has made the mistake. Why should the consumer bear the cost of corporate mistakes like a failed install from Sky or a faulty product?
4) 0870 call centres are not efficient. On average they do not offer a premium service for the cost and route people through purposefully time consuming call options. Are you excusing such practices?

Your logic is only valid when you argue for customer support on technical issues or a premium response rate is assured, otherwise your posting is an insult to the average consumer who has to suffer the 0870 rip-off.

theloft

I totally agree with mulleady. Companies who resort to 0870 numbers to squeeze a few more pounds out of customers should be ashamed of themselves. I personally will not deal with them and either they ring me or I e-mail them or post a letter. How is it in the USA where they invented marketing and customer satisfaction, every company worth their name has a freephone number or 'toll-free' as they like to call it. If a few more companies followed over here, they would gain customers goodwill, not have angry dissatisfied ones.

colin_tomlinson

theloft wrote:

I totally agree with mulleady. Companies who resort to 0870 numbers to squeeze a few more pounds out of customers should be ashamed of themselves. I personally will not deal with them and either they ring me or I e-mail them or post a letter. How is it in the USA where they invented marketing and customer satisfaction, every company worth their name has a freephone number or 'toll-free' as they like to call it. If a few more companies followed over here, they would gain customers goodwill, not have angry dissatisfied ones.

In fairness, in the States, the history of these numbers is slightlly different. (Yes, the States do have history!)

In the UK, 0800, 0845 and 0870 (or 0345 and 0990 as were) were inrtroduced around the same time, so companies set up these numbers because of the benefits of the logic (ie calls directed to different 01/02 numbers, depending on circumstances, eg time of day, day of week, call traffic (or volumes), call origin, etc), and how they felt the cost would influence calers: eg 0800 encourages more calls because there's nothing to lose, 0845 is only the same as a local call, even if the company is a great distance away, whilst 0870 national-rate calls discourage pranksters. There was also the issue of revenue to be earnt, whilst not costing the caller anything extra - at the time.

Then BT force everyone onto their Option 1 package, and all calls are reduced, except non-geographic. So now it does cost more, even for so-called local-rate numbers.

However, in the States things were much different. 1-800/etc (toll-free) numbers were introduced way ahead of local-/national-rate equivalents. Therefore, any large organisation already had a free number, and wasn't going to sacrifice their place in the market by introducing call charges, when their competitors were free. Similarly, new companies also need to use free numbers in order to stand a chance.

DonnyDave

Ofcom are currently consulting on the future of the UK's telephone numbering scheme. This obviously has relevance to the 0870/0845 issue, so you may like to respond. Details on the Ofcom site here.

Guidance on responding can be found on Say no to 0870! here.

JohalaReewi

Another consultation. Ofcom's answer to everything Perhaps they think if they keep having consultations, the say no to 0870 brigade will get fed up and leave them alone.