The National Lottery’s #PleaseNotThem advertising campaign pleads for customers to keep playing the Lotto to prevent greedy Piers Morgan, Katie Price and designer Laurence Llewelyn Bowen from hitting the jackpot.
But now the company behind the National Lottery has itself been accused of being “greedy and foolish”, for telling customers – and from last week, retailers – to contact the organisation using expensive 0844 numbers that cost at least 17p per minute.
Last year, new Consumer Contracts Regulations outlawed the use of these expensive phone numbers by companies taking calls from existing customers. The Financial Conduct Authority in October ordered the banks to stop using the numbers and to offer standard phone lines instead, despite an opt-out for financial firms.
Many other bodies, including a number of charities and GP surgeries, have ditched the lines that say they cost “7p/min plus network charges”, but charge users considerably more – as much as £2.60 a minute for mobile users. It follows a campaign against their use.
However, Camelot, the company that runs the National Lottery, has not only continued using these controversial phone lines, but has just expanded their operation. Newsagents were furious when the company said last week that they will no longer be able to call the company for free and will instead have to dial an 0844 number.
Lottery players, some handing over hundreds of pounds a year for lottery tickets, are paying several pounds to call the firm. One woman, who was sent an email telling her that she had won a prize – but that it wouldn’t be paid until she called up, as her account had been suspended – spent more than £4 in three calls to the lottery operator.
“First of all I thought the email was a scam, but it suggested I had won a big prize so rang the number. I was grateful for the £25 prize but very fed up when our phone bill arrived,” she said.
In the past 20 years, the National Lottery has created more than 4,000 millionaires, and around 70% of UK adults play it in some form. Annual sales are more than £7.2bn, meaning call volumes can be high.
David Hickson of the Fair Telecoms campaign, said companies that continue to use 084 or 087 numbers are being both “greedy and foolish”.
“We are delighted that recently introduced regulations have outlawed many uses of 084 and 087 numbers – commonly being replaced by the equivalent 034 and 037 numbers, but we have to point out the ‘insanity’ of those who continue to choose to use them. The purpose of the National Lottery is to support ‘good causes’, it is a scandal that it is supporting the telephone companies in this way.”
Paul Baxter, of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, said he was “stunned” that Camelot is pushing ahead with plans to disconnect its freephone number and to replace with the 0844 number, as it introduces an new website.
A spokeswoman for Camelot, which in 2010 was bought by the Toronto-based Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan for £390m, said it had consolidated all customer contact numbers to provide “a more consistent service”.
She said the company had also invested in improvements to an interactive voice response system, a free email service for retailers and a new retailer website, “which will help our retailers to self-serve and so significantly reduce the need for them to contact us by phone”.
She added: “Calls to our 0844 numbers cost 7p per minute, plus the service provider’s access charges – they are classed as business rate numbers and should not be confused with premium rate numbers.”
