Call Me!

I can’t remember the number of times I’ve asked a celebrity to encourage people to call a phone number for more information, support or to get a fundraising pack.  In the UK nearly 11 million people tuned in to see celebrities ask us to call 0345 7 33 22 33 and donate to Children In Need (I believe the donation line is still open).

Fantastic I thought a charity appeal that gets it.  Not the ask for money, the phone number.  So many charities have non-geographic numbers but they are not 03 numbers and many don’t even seem to know about them, even though they’ve been around for years. Why does this matter? Well because I’m a cheapskate is the real answer.

89% of adults in the UK own a mobile phone but more importantly 14% of adults live in a home with no landline. I’m one of the latter – all my calls are made by mobile.  I have a contract with an agreed number of minutes each month. Should I call an 0800 number (which are particularly popular for help and support lines as they are free from landlines) I will get a charge on my bill from my service provider as 08 numbers are excluded from my call plan.  Ironically if I’m having financial problems and want to call the Debt Advice Foundation I am going to end up owing more money!  That wasn’t a swipe at that particular charity. A huge number of charities use 0800 (free from a landline) or 0845 (no more than a local call).  However if I call Pudsey Bear the call must be included in my mobile call plan in the rules set down for Ofcom – and are no more than an 01 or 02 number from a landline.

Non-geographic numbers were set up to be inclusive and many charities embraced these to become more accessible.  However it’s a changing telecoms market and what was once the cheapest way for individuals to reach charities is no longer so.  With 7 million people having no landline (based on a population of about 50 million adults) that’s a lot of people who are potentially not being reached.  Whilst I’m hardly at the forefront of innovation (can I admit I’ve never used a games console?) it seems surprising that so few organisations have switched to 03.  Indeed when they were launched in March 2007 some 03 numbers were specifically kept so that some 08 numbers could simply change the 8 to a 3.

Oh, and just in case you hadn’t noticed, there are now pan European 116 numbers which are free from mobiles and landlines in the UK.  The first three were allocated at the end of last year to Missing People, Childline and the Samaritans.

Whether it’s Ofcom’s failure to get the message out about these changes, telecoms providers not informing customers or charities not keeping up with a fast changing world I don’t know.  The only numbers I’ll be calling – and asking my celebrities to promote (I so know that’ll come back to haunt me) - will begin 03.