London, 5th December 2014: New research from www.makemobilecalls4less.com reveals great uncertainty among mobile phone users, with over half (53%) not understanding the difference between non-geographic business numbers starting with 0800, 0808, 0870, 0845, 03, 01 and 02, which are used by many UK companies.
And, when phoning these business numbers from their mobile, 66% of consumers have admitted to ending the call after hearing a message stating that the call would cost ‘considerably more’; showing that not only do consumers not understand these business numbers but many are frustrated at the costs they are being charged when phoning them.
In addition, when faced with calling a bank or a utility company from their mobile phone, over a third of consumers (38%) have preferred to delay the call until they were able to use a landline and nearly half (49%) have not been able to get through to a company during their opening hours due to waiting until they could call from a landline.
These new survey findings, follows the launch of 84800, the new money saving mobile campaign that dispels the uncertainty for UK mobile phone users when they call business numbers from a mobile phone, by guaranteeing they will be charged no more than 10p per minute – saving them up to 70% per call.
As Tony Couch, Head of Communications at www.makemobilecalls4less.com explains: “Delaying calling their bank or utility companies until they can use a landline can cause consumers a lot of inconvenience, especially if they are unable to get to a landline within a company’s opening hours.
“Being able to now contact UK companies who use these business numbers, within their opening hours and at time best suited to them will help many consumers who rely solely on their mobile or do not have access to a landline. Consumers also no longer need to know the difference between all these numbers and best of all, they will have the reassurance of knowing exactly how much each call will cost them. This means no longer having to worry about being charged ‘considerably more’ or being shocked when they their mobile phone bill arrives.”
To start saving, if a customer already has the business number for the company they want to call (for example from a bill or statement), all they have to do is:
- 1. Dial 84800 from their mobile
2. When prompted enter the number they wish to dial
3. Their call will be connected
If a customer does not have a number for the company they want to contact, they can search for cheaper alternatives in the business directory on www.makemobilecalls4less.com – simply select a business category and scroll down to find the company they need.
“It’s worrying that many consumers (66%) think that business numbers are just a way for companies to raise extra money and that almost half (46%) think they are frustrating for mobile use, as it simply angers them before they reach the company they want to speak to, which is not helpful for them or the company they are calling,” concludes Tony.
Key consumer research findings:
- Over half (53%) of mobile phone users don’t understand the difference between all the business numbers used by UK companies
- 66% of consumers have ended a call when phoning 0800, 0808, 0870, 0845 and 03 phone numbers from their mobile after hearing a message stating the call would cost considerably more from their mobile phone
- Over a third (38%) of consumers have delayed calling a bank or utility company from their mobile, preferring to wait until they could use a landline
- Nearly half (49%) have not been able to get through to a company during their opening hours due to waiting to use a landline and not their mobile phone
- 66% of mobile phone users think business numbers are just a way for companies to raise extra money
- Almost half (46%) think business numbers are frustrating for mobile use
