OT: NHS Telpehone Cost Petition

I too have an 0845 number, and I don't get a cut. I use it tio give to companies, who want a contact phone number for me, which only have

I have an 0845 number for the help line for my business, which I have had since the days when that guaranteed the call cost the same, local call rate from anywhere in the country. Changing phone numbers when you are involved in distance selling is simply not a good idea, unless you want to spend a lot of money on advertising the change and, even then, it will lose you customers.

Colin Bignell

Of course - I see your point - however:

Is there a geographic alternative number to it?

Some of your customers would probably appreciate an alternative if that was possible - I would (if I were a customer).

You could monitor usage and phase it out over a period of time if it looked worthwhile.

Don't you get any cut of the cost of the calls made to it - or any direct financial incentive from your provider?

Why should he get a cut or incentive? On the contrary, his business should expect to be charged extra, much like if he were providing a freephone number.

This is not a premium rate number, it is (or was, in the days when BT, or the GPO before them, was the only provider) a number which gives a

It's only since the fashion arose for providers to offer package deals under which subscribers get cheap or free national calls included, and where (for some bizarre reason) 0845 numbers are not given the proper treatment and end up costing the customer more than a cheap-rate national call.

Apologies - I was mixing up 0845 and 0844.

Indeed, I'd have every sympathy if the campaign was for Ofcom to regulate the costs of 08 numbers a bit more, and to ensure a reasonable cost for them.

I would have no problem putting that on the contact us page. However, I would not want to dedicate web page space elsewhere to duplicating the number in two formats. Space on any well-designed web page is limited and as much of that space as possible needs to be selling products.

I really wouldn't relish monitoring the 90 pages of PDF files I get every month, detailing phone use on that number.

I pay extra for the service, as I do with my 0800 and 0808 numbers.

Colin Bignell

I would call 0870 numbers, and perhaps 0845 too, premium rate numbers, as they usually cost more to call than geographical numbers.

And unlike the official 09xx premium rate numbers, with 0870 you pay the premium rate all the time you are in the queue waiting to do something more useful than listening to a ringing tone or to some crappy music for 10, 20,

What I would call a premium rate number is one which is designed to make, and in fact makes, money for the party being called. Possibly subject to some exceptions, 0845 numbers don't do that, on the contrary they are (or were) designed to save the caller the expense of long-distance rates by charging only at the local rate. Generally they therefore *cost* the called party money, rather than earn them money.

I don't think it's even the case that they "usually cost more" than geographical numbers, although I accept that they sometimes do. It depends on who provides your phone service and what deal you're on. I would expect that if you're with BT and on the "normal" tariff (whatever that means these days -- it could well be a tariff which in practice hardly anyone is on, just like people don't usually pay full "standard" rail fares), then a non-local geographical number would still cost you more than an 0845 number.

Called party gets income from 0844 - which people assume are similar to 0845

Many people are now on packages which allow "free" calls to geographic and specifically charged for 0845 etc.

eg some of the Virgin Media plans

I think that was one reason why 03 was set up; I think that it is now Government policy that 03 should now be used by Government depts rather than 0845 or worse still 0844