DS Forums

 
 

BBC using 0871 numbers


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-10-2007, 11:09
poppasmurf
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Arley, Worcs
Posts: 1,334

I noticed the use of an 0871 number on a BBC programme this morning. It was Homes Live, BBC1, 10am today.

I have complained to the Beeb about the use of this revenue sharing number, and would urge others to do likewise.

As well as being revenue sharing, it also goes against Ofcom recommendations about public service organisations using 087 numbers.

You can easily do this at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make...nt_step1.shtml
poppasmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 03-10-2007, 13:01
Heinz
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: NE Essex,6½m SSW of Sudbury TX
Posts: 7,107
Wedges and thin ends spring to mind.
Heinz is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2007, 18:13
poppasmurf
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Arley, Worcs
Posts: 1,334
Today, I received the following reply from the BBC in asnwer to my complaint above.

Apart from the several inaccuracies in the reply, it is evident the BBC are not even aware of the differences between 0870 and 0871 numbers regarding revenue sharing. Add that to the fact that I specifically contacted them about using 0871 numbers, which they have totally ignored.

I will be writing to them again.

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the telephone number used for 'Homes
Live'. I note your concerns over the use of an 0870 prefix; a BBC Audience
Services spokesperson has issued the following guidance on this service:

'Where the BBC answers enquiries about programmes or services including
booking tickets, or handles audience comments and complaints, the charging
policy set by the BBC in 1998 when approving the investment proposal in the
Capita-run BBC Information service, was that a move from a geographic
London number to a 'national rate' 0870 numbers would help contain demand
and help deter trivial calls. Paying the full cost of the call also meant
that the caller was the same situation as a letter writer who has to pay
for a stamp. In 2005, Cable and Wireless reported that 4 out of 5 callers
to BBC paid 15p or less and 9 out of 10 less than 21p for their call -
actually cheaper than a stamp. The other advantage of an 0870 number,
rather than a geographical number, was that it did not imply the BBC was
solely based in London, or any other one location. The BBC does not make
any money for itself from audience phone calls or text messages.

From the 1st August 2007, 0870 numbers have reduced further to the same as
the costs of calling geographical numbers beginning with 01 or 02 and may
be called 'national rate' numbers.

The most common criticism is that 0870 numbers have become unjustifiably
relatively expensive for callers, as BT and other telephone networks have
introduced packages that allow cheap 'long distance' calls for as little as
1p/minute and include 'free minutes'. These packages are taken up by
increasing numbers of people but they exclude special numbers such as 0870
and 0845 which have therefore become relatively expensive at up to 6 pence
per minute peak time.

However, more important than the relatively low cost of calling the BBC is
whether the BBC is providing value to its audience. There are very few
complaints about the mass access telephone systems or the freephone
helplines and for normal business, BBC Information achieves very high rates
of customer satisfaction independently measured by Ipsos MORI, with 86%
rating the service 8 or more out of 10.

A new number range beginning 03 will be available in the future as an
alternative to 0870. The costs will be the same except for subscribers to
discount rates who will be able to call 03 at the relevant discount rates
that apply to calls to 01 or 02 numbers. The BBC will be reviewing whether
the costs of changing its existing 0870 numbers is worth the potential
savings to some callers.

The BBC does not make any profit from 0870 numbers. The numbers do bring
some technology and operational benefits for the BBC and callers; also in
return for waiving the 'revenue share' from 0870 calls the telephone
networks supply the BBC with a higher level of service which would
otherwise cost the licence fee payer more to provide. The value of these
saved costs is significantly more that the value of the revenue share
foregone.

The BBC does not use 0800 numbers for everything - whereby callers could
call for free as with e-mails - as the problem with 0800 numbers is that
they attract a lot of nuisance or trivial calls. Extending the 0800 numbers
beyond the existing use for helplines would waste licence fee money,
increase the staff frustration in dealing with time-wasting calls,
particularly at night, and probably produce an overall reduction in quality
of service as genuine callers found it more difficult to get through.'

I trust that this response has clarified the issue. Thank you for taking
the time to contact BBC Information.

Regards


Anne Lavan
BBC Information

__________________________________________
poppasmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2007, 22:06
mrdeejay
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Scotland
Posts: 568
I agree with 0870 numbers costing an arm and a leg it is so unfair. Yeh with bundles for examble free mobile minutes or minutes in BT packages these make the cost even more. 0870 number are expencive then why not use 0845 number which are LOcall number with the same cost as calling someone around teh corner where as if you called the BBC round the corner on 0870 you would be charged with a country long phone call.

www.saynoto0870.co.uk is a very useful tool and you can usally find an 01 0r 02 number there.

Search for BBC and you should fimd some good 0800 numbers or 01 or 02.

Don't forget 0870 or 0800 or even 0845 just numbers placed upon a normal number!
mrdeejay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-11-2007, 11:45
poppasmurf
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Arley, Worcs
Posts: 1,334
I've now received another reply from the BBC, following my complaint that their first answer did not respond to any of my questions. From their second reply, it would appear that the BBC still don't get the message about the use of 087* numbers:

Thank you for your further complaint regarding premium rate numbers.

Please note that 0871 is not a premium rate number, but it is classified as
national rate plus. Premium rate numbers begin 09 and Icstis regulations
only apply on any service/promotion that is operating on one of the
following number ranges:

* numbers beginning with 090/ 091 and 098
* mobile SMS short codes that are usually four or five digits long

The 'Homes Live' phone number is 0871 66 44 808. The call cost information
was displayed whenever the number is promoted as follows: "Calls cost 10p
per minute from a BT landline. Mobiles and other networks may vary."

Each call was limited to a maximum of one minute, so the caller would only
pay 10p per call. To further minimize expense to callers they were asked to
leave a message and a member of the production team would then call them
back if appropriate.

The telephone operating company (which was recommended to us by the BBC)
retains any revenue to offset call handling costs. The BBC and the
production company take no revenue from the calls.

I would like to assure you that we have registered your further comments on
our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we
compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within
the BBC, and also their senior management. It ensures that your points, and
all other comments we receive, are circulated and considered across the BBC.

Thank you once again for contacting the BBC with your comments.

Regards

Gary Sullivan
BBC Information
poppasmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-11-2007, 12:11
simonp820
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,884
Another opinion could be that if the BBC were to make a small amount of money from these phone calls, that I would prefer the people who rang them paid for them rather than every license fee payer.

Personally, I don't use any of these voting/information lines so am happy for those who do to pay for them.
simonp820 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-11-2007, 12:30
blastcookie
 
Posts: n/a
A big part of the reason put forward for the TV licence is to make programming free at the point of use. I really don't see the differance between 'phone-in costs and other production costs.

Why should call-ins be excluded from the "free at the point of use ethos" if they are a major part of the programme?

In other words, why should those who call-in be subsidising the cost of making the programme? (Since the call-ins are every bit as important to the show as the sets,presenters,camera-operators etc etc.

In fact some shows are built around the call-ins, they simply could not exist without callers.


The BBC often claim that they make no profit from these lines. That is only technically true since they certainly make a saving. The costs of providing the phone-lines are being paid for by people who call in, if the number was a free number then the budget for the show would have to be higher to pay for the line.
  Reply With Quote
Old 30-11-2007, 20:34
EleanorRigby
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere on planet earth
Posts: 11,320
If you phone the BEEB it should be free.

Everyone is trying to rip off the punter.
EleanorRigby is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:38.