On 26 Jul 2015 at 12:22am One one hate wrote:
Does anyone ever call 118?
There's not much on TV that irritates me more than those 118 118 ads.
On 26 Jul 2015 at 7:29am got your back wrote:
lol
On 26 Jul 2015 at 8:30am Earl of Lewes wrote:
I've never used 118; I just use Google. It's free and it's fast.
On 26 Jul 2015 at 9:05am Sussex Jim wrote:
118 118 is one of the more expensive directory enquiry services.
I never use these services myself: but I know of someone who called the BT number, 118 500, and had a charge of over £6 slapped on the bill. BT charge a minimum of £4 just to set up the call!
On 26 Jul 2015 at 8:48pm mickyboy wrote:
118 anynumber best ignored, never user the service since it started
On 27 Jul 2015 at 1:11am King of Sussex wrote:
Yes, its all very frustrating for poor people - something used to be free, now it’s hard not to get overcharged.
Your frustration isn’t really any concern when we think how much money offshore businesses are making from these premium lines. Its much better for the economy that your money is going offshore, without being taxed, rather than wasting it on little people things like eating out and going to the pub which does get taxed.
If you don’t like businesses making a tax free profit, why aren’t you living in North Korea?
On 27 Jul 2015 at 7:43am Merlin Milner wrote:
The old 192 was fine and it did not need to be privatised. Another example of pointless meddling and the believing in the 'market'.
On 27 Jul 2015 at 1:11pm Clifford wrote:
You're right Merlin, but the Tories can't bear to see anything happen without someone making money out of it, usually their friends.
On 27 Jul 2015 at 6:16pm Mark wrote:
The present that Lynton Crosby's going to receive is still under consideration methinks.
On 28 Jul 2015 at 12:55pm middleclassandabitsmug wrote:
192 still exists in on a web page, at least in name. You can look up people and businesses all free. There's also thephonebook.bt.com. Not much use though if all you have is a phone without web access.
Check it out here »
On 28 Jul 2015 at 1:48pm middleclassandabitsmug wrote:
Actually King of Sussex. 192 was never free. We all paid for it in the phone bill.
On 28 Jul 2015 at 1:58pm not from around here wrote:
Merlin - the whole telecoms network has been improved since the days of 'no choice, run by the state' style BT. Maybe some of you are too young to remember that when BT was a state monopoly there was a wait of weeks and weeks and weeks for a phone and the choice of phones was dire. Why? Because there was no competition and therefore no choice.
On 28 Jul 2015 at 2:12pm Yeah but no but wrote:
The technology wasn't there was it ? And the GPO vans were limited to 40mph. Worry not the "new shareholders" did alright out of the sell off - thanks to you know who
On 28 Jul 2015 at 2:39pm Merlin Milner wrote:
I remember BT before and after privatisation. Of course telecoms has improved. Much of it down to technology. So have publically owned companies too. To conflate the 70's with today is daft. My brother in law works for the British Geological Survey. A well run publically owned company that contributes to the state coffers. However I worry that this government will flog it off for short term gain and the country and science will be worse off in the future as no doubt it would then be sold to a foreign company. I digress. As for 192 I find it is an example of where choice has not been beneficial to the consumer.
On 28 Jul 2015 at 3:41pm not from around here wrote:
Hi Merlin, I'm not sure about the 192 service as technology has changed the need for that out of all recognition.
'Yeah but no but', I did alright out the sell-off thanks, but then so did thousands of other 'ordinary' people. And.. given the choice between the state-owned BT or GPO as it was and what we have now I would certainly choose now - so privatization isn't always a good thing as markets can't always function to the best advantage of every service or industry, but on the whole it seems to bring improvements. And yes, sorry I've taken this thread off-track.
On 28 Jul 2015 at 7:33pm Sussex Jim wrote:
Back in 1987 I did some work for BT; clearing up after the hurricane in October. The next few months were spent, amongst other work, in removing old fixed dial phones and replacing them with a socket in which to plug in a modern push-button multi-tone phone that they could either rent or buy.
BT had been dragged by the Thatcher Government into the the twentieth century!
On 29 Jul 2015 at 6:40pm Clifford wrote:
What strange logic Sussex Jim. Do you mean Thatcher caused the storm so BT could do the replacement work?