Originally Posted by m419:
“No, you are paying for 'Customer Service'.”
The thing is that Ofcom claims that 0845/0870 provide access to so-called 'value-added services'. However, when I confront a company and question them about revenue, they totally ignore that fact. So it can't be that important to them, or can it? How come the regulator says one thing and the service providers say another?
Originally Posted by m419:
“If it was made illegal for Argos to do this, then they will just add a administration charge onto what you've bought. Say £2 for Customer service.”
That is a simplistic view. I think that there would be other market forces that would play a part. The revenue is collected covertly, so the 'customer' isn't clearly aware that he/she is paying before and whilst he/she uses the service. Thus, the customer's decision as to whether to use the service or not won't always take into account the telephone revenue being paid.
Originally Posted by m419:
“There are several companies which do not use the designated 08 numbers such as:
Orange: Which uses its own 07973 code
Vodafone: Which uses its own 07836 code
That should be banned as they charge a lot of money for calling these numbers from a landline especially from payphones.”
I quite agree with this. I think that it's highly unacceptable that Orange should be permitted to use its own
mobile numbers for customer services calls. The call rates from a BT land line are higher than 0870 and even 0871, so I think that it's reasonable to assume that the 'revenue payments' are far higher than for those service providers who use 0870/1.
What's more, being that they are the [communications provider and] service provider, there is no middle-man.