Comet phone scam

[seylectric]

Last year I bought a washing machine from Comet, about a mile from my house. They delivered it on time but it didn't work properly.

 

I had to phone a national rate 0870 number to get hold of the local branch, and was put on hold for 8 minutes, listening to their latest offers whilst waiting to be put through to the natinal call centre, who would then route the call to my branch. The call took a total of 17 minutes, all at national rate.

 

OK the call still only cost me pennies, but mutiply that by a million calls a month or whatever and that's a nice little profit (companies use 0870 numbers because they get paid up to 3p per minute of every call).

 

What really riled me was that I was phoning to report a fault and PAYING to listen to their adverts!

[BankFodder]

You are absolutely right. The problem is that niggles like this are never worth doing anything about - and it is very frustrating.

I suppose that the phone was sorted out.

 

Ha ve you checked the say no to 0870 site linked in the library for future reference

[dave]

Also, get your own 0870/1 number.

 

I have one of these and only give it to firms that use them themselves - if everyone did this, the profit gained from trying to fleece people in this way would be negated.

 

The higher the volume of calls, the higher the profit -i.e. up to a thousand calls the owner would get 1.5p per minute - 1000-5000 3p per minute, etc...

 

So the likelyhood is that Comet are making a lot more than 3p per call from you - I think 0870 numbers can cost up to 10p per minute. 0871 20p.

 

A large electricity firm that my sister works for made £180k profit from their complaints line the year before last (0871).

 

Where is the incentive to get things right the first time round when you can make a much easier profit in this underhand way?

[intersimi]

How do you get one of those numbers Dave? And are they free?

 

I could do with one for when a company asks for my Phone number etc.

[Janet-M]

I just love this site lol I learn something knew everyday ..Will just love giving them one of those numbers back for me.

[dave]

http://www.gtitelecom.com/incoming/0870/

 

Although there are better deals - I only get 1.5p per minute of the 20p per minute it costs.

 

Yes they are free - the firm is gambling on the fact that they are taking the lions share of the call cost - and fair play to them really; I wouldn't have a clue how to set this up myself so I suppose I'm fair game!

 

However, I only got it because when I was suing Abbey I had to phone their 0870 number, so thought that the least I could do was to return the favour. I wasn't bothered about the money as, to be fair, we're talking literally pennies.

 

Not for them though - they get thousands of calls to their number - I got the odd few.

 

I strongly encourage everyone to get one and give it only when forced to use a number like it by the firm you are giving it too.

 

e.g.:

 

I have not given the number to First Direct simply because they have an 0845 number and a freephone number that you can phone to get through in the event (rare) of being in a queue.

 

Yet Barclaycard have that number as my contact number - as they force an 0870 number on me.

 

Read the T&C's though, some of them charge a fee if you recieve less than a certain number of calls in a year.

 

At the time I signed up with GTI they did not, but this may have changed (although I don't think so).

[Janet-M]

It says in T&C'S if you generate less then 100 mins of calls over 3 months they can cease the service without notice.Can't see me getting more then 100 mins a year lol

[intersimi]

Same here really

[dave]

Mind you for the last 5 months I haven't received a single phone call - yet the nuber still exists for use.

[seylectric]

Follow-up:

 

The problems with the faulty goods were sorted easily. I do now use saynoto0870, and also got myself an 0871 number, mostly to stop sales calls where application forms require you to add a contact phone number.

 

This cost me £9.99, cost 10p a minute to dial and pays me 3p a minute from the first minute. Unfortunately since my last hard drive crashed, I no longer have the bookmark to the site I got it from and have no idea who the supplying company was! Worth it though, it definately cuts down the sales calls - those you do get, just keep them talking!

[breadline]

Do you still have this running, have you got any details atall a name when tehy send you your readies lol! 1st 3p a minute that will do me.

100 minutes a month pays for my internet lol

 

jules xx

[seylectric]

Do you still have this running, have you got any details atall a name when tehy send you your readies lol! 1st 3p a minute that will do me.

100 minutes a month pays for my internet lol

 

jules xx

 

Found it!

 

http://www.uk2numbers.co.uk/

[dw190]

Found it!

 

http://www.uk2numbers.co.uk/

 

And another. They don't mind if you dont get many calls and the numbers are free.

 

http://www.instant-nts.com/contact%20us.htm

[clairus99]

http://www.gtitelecom.com/incoming/0870/

 

Although there are better deals - I only get 1.5p per minute of the 20p per minute it costs.

 

Yes they are free - the firm is gambling on the fact that they are taking the lions share of the call cost - and fair play to them really; I wouldn't have a clue how to set this up myself so I suppose I'm fair game!

 

However, I only got it because when I was suing Abbey I had to phone their 0870 number, so thought that the least I could do was to return the favour. I wasn't bothered about the money as, to be fair, we're talking literally pennies.

 

Not for them though - they get thousands of calls to their number - I got the odd few.

 

I strongly encourage everyone to get one and give it only when forced to use a number like it by the firm you are giving it too.

 

e.g.:

 

I have not given the number to First Direct simply because they have an 0845 number and a freephone number that you can phone to get through in the event (rare) of being in a queue.

 

Yet Barclaycard have that number as my contact number - as they force an 0870 number on me.

 

Read the T&C's though, some of them charge a fee if you recieve less than a certain number of calls in a year.

 

At the time I signed up with GTI they did not, but this may have changed (although I don't think so).

 

Thank you so much for this - I've just signed up - although I wonder now - just to confirm - only the people I want to use the 0871 number can use it - my family can still dial my 020 number?

[seylectric]

Yes, the 0871 number is automatically diverted to your own landline number.

[woolfie]

According to my local paper (The Evening Telegraph 19th April 2006)

 

"The cost of calling 0870 numbers will be cut to the same as national landline rates, the telecoms regulator said today.

Businesses will no longer get a cut of revenue generated by calls starting with this code, according to Ofcom..."

 

 

 

Woolfie

[seylectric]

Hmmm, I'm a bit puzzled by this because I thought that 0870 numbers are already the same as national rates if phoned from a landline.

 

What annoys me is that if you have a PAYG or contract mobile with inclusive ("free", as they wrongly call them) minutes you can't phone an 0870 number using your inclusives, you have to pay the full rate which may be up to 40p a minute.

 

The other thing is local companies (e.g. Comet) forcing you to pay a national rate number, using the pathetic excuse that the "call has to be routed through their national call centre". No it doesn't, just give us the number of the local branch, that's who we want to be connected to in the first place!

 

Even my local (Blackpool) Citizens Advice Bureau have started using an 0870 number (so it's actually cheaper for me to phone Preston, 20 miles away, at local rate).

 

The C.A.B. said that as the service is free and run by volunteers it was basically their way of raising a few extra funds, my argument is it is not free if you are forced to contribute. I don't mind too much, it's a valuable service, but the point is valid and what they are doing (forcing you to contribute via the profits from the 0870 number) is probably illegal too.

[crusty git]

0870 numbers are available at no cost to the "owner" and will yield 3p per minute from day one. Thet can sit alongside your normal number and the revenue can be credited to your phone bill, if you play your cards right you can wind up with a zero cost phone service. I'm heading that way

 

J

[kev.s]

to make 180k from complaint lines is shocking, kind of makes you wonder if they manufacture the things faulty on purpose eh?

[chiefengineer]

I'm sure this has been mentioned before. The following site lists geographic numbers for common suppliers 0870 numbers...

 

SAYNOTO0870.COM - Non-Geographical Alternative Telephone Numbers

 

There are loads of Comet branches listed...

 

Jeremy

[Telecoms Guru]

Hey,

 

I know that COMMERCIAL LINK REMOVED has an extensive range of COMMERCIAL LINK REMOVED and COMMERCIAL LINK REMOVED that you receive revenue shares of up to 4.5p per minute from, what I do is give my 0871 number out to companies and people I dont really want to talk to, it works a treat!

 

Kind Regards

Telecoms Guru

[seylectric]

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