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!

[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!

[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/

[seylectric]

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

[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.

[seylectric]

This topic was closed on 03/07/19.

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