SayNoTo1890.com

Thanks to the SayNoTo1890.com readers who provided these alternative geographical phone numbers for the companies referred to below. We have updated the respective pages with these new numbers also. These are not yet confirmed, so let us know if there’s any issues with the numbers.

• Perlico 1890 35 35 35 - Call 01 2933500
• Smart Telecom 1890 945 300 - Call 01 4699300
• Anglo Irish Bank (Personal Savings) 1850 44 22 22 - Call 01 6162494
• Tesco Direct Car Insurance 1850640640 - Call 0214527465

We’d love to get your comments and feedback on this site. And if you either know of some geographical alternative numbers that you’d like to share with everyone, or if there’s a particular number you’d like us to try to follow up and find for you, please e-mail us here info@saynoto1890.com.

I was pleased to read the article re “say no to 1890″ in the back of the Tribune Business section yesterday as this is something that has irritated me for some time. The issue does not only apply to mobile packages, but also to landline tariff packages. I’m on an all-in package for landline calls from Perlico, where all local and national landline calls under an hour are not charged separately from the monthly amount. However, this does not include the increasing no of 1890 no’s and to a lesser extent, the 1850 no’s. The same packages from Eircom, O2, Smart and probably others also apply the same rules, procedures and landline charges for 1890.

I have sometimes tried to get the landline no from some telephonists of the various 1890 places, to no avail, and I am highly surprised that this issue has not been taken up by the Consumer Assoc of Ireland. I also would have expected that some journalists would have written a few articles at this stage to publicise the issue - similarly to the periodic articles on petrol prices at different garages. 1890 is fine with me as long as people are given a choice. However, not only are people not given a choice, but it would appear that some organisations conceal their main landline no’s by ommission from phonebooks and also headed notepaper.

To be fair, the first journalist to write about this was Paul Kelly in the Irish Examiner. And today, Conor Pope in the Irish Times Pricewatch has printed a readers letter about the same issue. I believe also there was a letter written to the Consumer Association of Ireland Consumer Choice magazine in the last number of months also.