0845 Numbers Still in Use

Despite the recent change in regulations, a number of companies are still providing 0845 numbers for customer service.

A document has been released by The Fair Telecoms Campaign outlining a number of companies still in breach of the regulations which came into play on 13th June 2014.

According to the report, some of the most high-profile offenders include British Airways, British Gas and Sky (true as of 15th August 2014).

The full document can be found here.

“As a consumer I really don’t mind what number a company provides as long as I get to talk to an agent quickly and my enquiry is dealt with efficiently and effectively,” said Susannah Richardson, Marketing Director at mplsystems. “So a more expensive 0845 rather than an 03 number is acceptable for quick effective calls. Unfortunately many of the companies that continue to cling to their 0845 numbers offer a poor customer experience with customer waiting for several minutes before their call is answered, racking up the call costs before they even speak to an agent.”

Simple misunderstanding could be to blame

Yet a series of simple misunderstandings could be to blame for the lack of compliance. For example:

• Not understanding that the regulations apply to all customer service queries and not just complaints – British Airways is a classic example of this. It has changed the number for its customer relations department (which handles complaints) to comply with the new regulations, but as yet have not changed the numbers which people use when making special arrangements for wheelchair users, etc.
• Only providing an 0800 number – British Gas is just one of a number of companies who are providing a stand-alone 0800 number for customer service. While this number is free (and operates within the new regulations) for customers calling in from a landline, premium charges are still incurred for mobile phone users. To be fully compliant, a clearly identified 01, 02 or 03 number needs to be offered alongside an 0800 number.
• Overlooking the fact that upgrades are linked to existing customers and not sales – Under its current list of services, Sky offers an 0844 number for anyone enquiring about new sales and upgrades. While it is still legal for an 0844 number to be provided for sales, enquiries about upgrades will be coming from existing customers – who should be provided with a standard-rate number. Moving forward, Sky either needs to provide 2 separate phones lines – making sure to provide a standard-rate number for existing customers – or change the current phone number from 0845 to 01, 02 or 03.

“There is an argument for simple misunderstanding when it comes to the majority of companies acting in non-compliance with the new regulations,” said David Hickson of The Fair Telecoms Campaign. “What is clear is that more work still needs to be done to ensure that full compliance is achieved across the board. This is expected to be achieved with a two-pronged approach; firstly working with companies to make them aware that they are acting in non-compliance and secondly by further educating the public on what to look out for when dealing with companies who may be ripping them off illegally.”