Phone numbers that have changed, but the media keep on getting wrong...

Ian011

There are a number of telephone numbers that the media keep getting wrong.

Don't be caught out if you're directed to call an old number...


Every few days there's an article directing people to call Crimestoppers on 0845 555111. Crimestoppers has never used an 0845 number. Since the 1980s Crimestoppers has used the freephone number 0800 555 111.



The Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline changed to 0345 404 0506 on 12 June 2014. Very many places still invite callers to ring the old 0845 404 0506 number.



The Environment Agency Floodline changed to 0345 988 1188 on 4 February 2014. This hasn't stopped the old 0845 988 1188 number appearing in print several times per week.



Earlier in 2015, Victim Support changed to the freephone number 0808 168 9111. This hasn't stopped the flow of articles directing callers to the old 0845 30 30 900 number.



The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) changed from 0845 070 0707 to 0345 070 0707 in October 2015.



The Fax Preference Service (FPS) changed from 0845 070 0702 to 0345 070 0702 in October 2015.



For those who want to call HMRC, there are thousands of websites still directing people to call an 0845 or 0870 number. These numbers were replaced with new 0345 and 0300 numbers in several batches between April and October 2013. Calling the old numbers results in the Number Unobtainable tone.



For those who want to call DWP, there are thousands of websites still directing people to call an 0845 or 0870 number. These numbers were replaced with new 0345 numbers in several batches beginning March 2014. Calling the old number results in a recorded message informing the caller about the new numbers. Soon, this will change to a simple Number Obtainable tone.



Since 2009, Samaritans has had a number that is free to call from landlines and from mobiles. The number is 116123. Since 22 September 2015, Samaritans has advertised this as the main number but most places still refer to the old 0845 790 9090 number.



In March 2014, Police Service Northern Ireland announced that their new numbers would be 101 (15p per call) and 028 9065 0222. Many places still refer to the old 0845 600 8000 number.



NHS Direct closed down in England in March 2014. It was replaced by NHS 111. This is a free call. Very many places still invite callers in England to ring the old 0845 46 47 number. (NOTE: 0845 46 47 is still valid for NHS Direct Wales).



NHS 24 in Scotland changed to a new number in April 2014. The new number is 111. This is a free call. There are still very many places inviting callers to ring the old 0845 424 2424 number.

PBA

In most of these cases though the operator has left the 08?? running as well as opening the cheaper 03??. And I would bet the journalist running the story tries dialling the 08?? number, finds it connects to the right organisation, and goes with it. Remember it's still important to use the Say No To 0870 website!

Ian011

In some cases the old number plays an announcement informing callers about the new number. In others it doesn't.

Even where there is an announcement, it is of no use to those people who fail to call because they think they can't afford it.

It's important for callers to get into the habit of calling 034 or 037 in place of any advertised 084 or 087 number.

Roger1

Somebody who should know better, Simon Read in The Independent (also in the Evening Standard, I think):
from http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/bargain-hunter-25-off-wine-at-sainsburys-and-free-halfords-car-checks-a6706981.html

Watch the charges if you call your favourite TV show: the cost of using expensive phone numbers such as 084, 087, 118 or 09 is rising dramatically. From 3 November, for example, if a Three customer rings the Strictly Come Dancing vote line, their call could now cost 60p a minute, compared with 40p previously.

Misinformation! Fine to warn of ripoff numbers, but wrong to provide what looks like wrong info. Onscreen voting info shows 7-digit Mobile Short Dial Codes and 11-digit landline numbers, each costing 15p per call. I don't think they're changing.
[Disclaimer: I can't find the numbers at present. Presumably they're only available during voting.]

Ian011

There have been a number of recent newspaper articles repeating that misinformation about the call costs incurred when voting on TV shows.

This stems from the fatally flawed 'research' recently carried out by uSwitch. It's the second time in recent months that uSwitch has demonstrated their failure to fully understand the changes and their consequences. Their earlier press release at the end of June 2015 was equally muddled and missed the point.

Additionally, while Access Charges have gone up since 1 July 2015 uSwitch seems to have ignored the fact that the cost of calling 09 and 118 numbers plumetted on 1 July 2015. Before that, some mobile networks were retaining as much as £4 per minute from the cost of calling 09 and 118 numbers. Even with the recent increases in Access Charges, they now retain no more than 45p per minute.

If you were daft enough to call the Strictly 09 number from a mobile phone it could have cost as much as £2 to £4 before 1 July 2015. Now it costs no more than 60p (15p per call Service Charge, plus the Access Charge - up 12p per minute from landlines or up to 45p per minute from mobiles). The mobile shortcode costs 15p per call from every UK mobile network.

One mobile network previously charged all 118 numbers at £5 per minute. Taking one directory enquires service as an example, only 40p per minute was passed on to the directory service provider and the mobile network pocketed the other £4.60 per minute. Since 1 July 2015 the directory enquiries service provider advertises that their service has a 40p per minute Service Charge and the mobile network advertises that it has a 45p per minute Access Charge. The total call cost is now no more than 85p per minute.