SayNoTo1890.com

Many thanks to all those using SayNoTo1890.com and to those who have sent me in new alternative numbers, or updates to existing one.

In the past few days, I’ve updated the A-Z page with these new numbers:

• Bord Gais Networks 1850 200 694 – Call 066 979 1962
• EBS (Educational Building Society) 1850 654 321 – Call 01 665 8000

Many thanks to all those using SayNoTo1890.com and to those who have sent me in new alternative numbers, or updates to existing one.

In the past few days, I’ve updated the A-Z page with these new numbers:

• Newstalk Radio 1890 453106 – Call 01 644 5146
• IRFU Rugby Ticket Helpline 0818 717 117 – Call 01 409 8319
• National Irish Bank E-Banking Enquiries – 1890 812 007 – Call 01 484 3719
• MBNA Credit Card Customer Service 1890 409 511 – Call 071 965 6262
• Greenstar 1890 600 900 – Call 01 8640681
• TV Licence 1890 228528 – Call 074 917 8511

This e-mail came through from a user of the SayNoTo1890.com website in the recent past.

Came across your website after seeing Which? article about saynoto0870.com. My bugbear is Sky customer services 0818 number – I had 4 hours of phone calls to them (trying to fix problem they caused with their new viewing cards!) If I had an ordinary national or local number I wouldn’t have had to pay anything as I have free national (except 0818 of course) and local calls tariff with eircom. The nice Glaswegian girl in Sky did try and find one. She gave me an 0845 number and told me it was only a local call rate(!!), but came up empty for Ireland.  Another one is the 1850 373 772 for ESB public lighting section – I do my civic duty and reports light out and get charged for it. The nice Cork girl at the ESB couldn’t find a ‘normal’ number for me.
 
I didn’t realise the full consequences of the 1890 numbers, which the company I work for use. I don’t think we realise the latest consequences of our locall numbers.
 
Do businesses (who are the majority users of our locall numbers) suffer as much with the charging structure of 1890 as private customers? If you say they do, then I’ll certainly highlight your website and 1890 consequences with our marketing and customer service departments, as our intention is to provide a local cost service to our business clients and we’re not making any money from offering the 1890 numbers, so it must be the phone companies!

There is no distinction between business and personal phone callers when using 1890 phone numbers – what does impact on all users of these numbers is the phone package that they’re on.

If they have a phone package with inclusive minutes, then these 1890, 1850 and 0818 numbers will cost those calling the numbers. In fact, it will cost significantly more than even if they were to call an 01 number without the inclusive minutes – sometimes up to 30c per minute.

This interesting e-mail came through from a reader of the SayNoTo1890.com in the past couple of weeks.

I found out the alternative phone no. for Clean Ireland. It says 1890 361 800 on their website. I couldn’t find the alternative online so I decided trying the prefix 061 instead of 1890 and it worked. 061 is for Limerick, I knew that Clean Ireland is based in Limerick so that’s why I tried that. Perhaps this method will work for other 1890 numbers also. Or maybe you already knew that. So there’s another no. to add to your list, it’s 061 361 800 for Clean Ireland.

It’s an interesting development in the whole 1890 numbering issue when it comes to the geographical alternative numbers.

It’s probably not possible this late in the whole 1890 life of numbers with so many already assigned, but it’d be great if anyone looking for a new 1890 number in the future would just get the same number as their geographical alternative number.