Originally Posted by
WorldLux
The profits in this case go predominantly to the mobile phone operator.
If BA is guilty of anything, then it's poor customer service (not really news). It has toll-free numbers. Not to mention that your beef is with your mobile phone operator who charges the exorbitant access fee.
BA made the decision to list the 0844 number on their website. They don't list the 0344 number there. I wonder why. They have toll-free numbers? Why not list it prominently on the website?
Originally Posted by
WorldLux
BTW: I doubt that premium numbers are per se illegal. If it was the case probably every corporation in the UK would get slammed.
People are always hiding behind what's legal. Why not ask yourself about what's ethical? I can't remember a company that still has an 0844 number. Virgin has moved on to 0344 numbers. If you do use an 0844 number, then offer a premium service that does not put me in the waiting queue for 20-50 minutes! If you use an 0844 number but pick up within a minute or two, I have no problem. I think that's the whole point of a premium number... that you shouldn't have to wait long. For someone who hasn't grown up in the UK, the 08 numbers are utterly confusing... you know, how the 0800 number is free, but the 0844 one is a premium one.
As mentioned - all phone companies charge similar fees. But I've now looked at websites for other airline companies. BA seems to be the only one who 'advertises' the 0844 number by making it the first choice.
Virgin has an 0344 number, AA offers an 020 number as the first choice but has an 0844 number in brackets and warnings as a second choice... even Easyjet and RyanAir offer 03 numbers.
And you want to be on BA's side? Why? Just because technically it's not illegal?
Technically, there are a lot of things that I can do because they are not illegal, but luckily for everyone around me, I wouldn't do these things because that would be wrong.