WEBSITE OF THE DAY - saynoto0870.com

Take some of the cost out of complaining

19 March 2007 0:00 GMT / By Ian Hughes

We bring you a very useful site today - if only I'd seen it sooner, my weekend would've been a lot cheaper.

You see, my A3 printer, from a reputable company, had packed up. After trying unsuccessfully to fix it myself I called the manufacturer's "help" line.

Naturally, this was an 0870 number charged at 70p a minute. After having been redirected to a call centre in Eastern Europe and having to explain myself v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and without losing my temper (a big ask at the best of times)and then being put on hold for 10 minutes, I was told to call another 0870 number, to talk to an engineer charging £90 an hour. Like that was going to happen. I hung up.

On regaling this torrid and expensive tale, a colleague pointed me toward this site. By law, a company has to publish its geographical contact number, and this means you can often bypass the premium rate charges. It doesn't always work, but it sure is worth trying. Most of the major people you might have to call are here, so it's worth checking before you dial.

And if you're wondering about my printer, I can report that it made a very satisfying noise as it hit the concrete. From three floors up.

www.saynoto0870.com

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