Consumers count call costs after directory enquiries reform |
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Published
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Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:00
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The deregulation of the 192 directory services seems to have cost the consumers high. They now have to pay much more for inquiries before the changeover.
The National Audit Office (NAO), responsible for inspection of government departments began considering deregulation of directory services last year and there were public apprehensions regarding the quality and accuracy of information even then.
| NAO agreed that since the abolition of 192 services almost a year ago, calls to directory inquiries had fallen by three million a week and confusion about the different prices of the 118 numbers had worsened. It said that the deterioration in service quality after the deregulation could not be held as a reason for the decrease in calls, since there were no accurate figures to justifying the performance of the old 192 service.
Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the public accounts committee, however, was extremely critical of the entire issue and said the public had totally lost out through the deal.
Even so, Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, accepted that mistakes had been committed but reiterated that services had recently improved. Matt Peacock, Ofcom director of communications, told BBC News that the market was gradually stabilizing and the old 192 service was not very effective. According to him, the new system would probably need some time to take ground. Once settled, its better range of services along with more accuracy would certainly pacify the consumers and benefit them.
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