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2014: General Discussion

Put in any number that you have to pay for (Not just 0870s) and search for alternatives. It'll usually find a landline number which you can then ring on to avoid the premium charges. A lot of places are on it, and it can save a fortune.

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Some companies got wise to it and changed after receptionists inevitably got blitzed with calls hahaha!

The other sneaky way is to search the website for numbers to call from abroad ;) - then take out the international code and VOILA! You have a normal rate land line.

:D
 
Alternatively if you use a mobile (iPhone or Android) you can always use an app that bypasses all the holding that nicks your money off you and keeps these premium calls FREE. I can recommend WeQ4U. It works with Towers numbers as far as I'm aware, and it has been a life saver when I've needed to call RAC when my car has broken down. It works really well and saves you being emptied of your wallet before breathing down the phone!
 
GaryH said:
My birthday is in December so I cant use them whatsoever.

In addition - I GUARANTEE that when you ring the premium 10p per minute number, that you will get the usual message saying "due to high call volumes" and you will wait at least 5 minutes to get through. No matter when I call the number whatever time of day it is, I get that message. I think they only have 1 person answering all the calls.... I wonder why....
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Sorry, I got throiuh last night with ZERO wait....still stupid to charge such a premium though
 
Just another point on this, the mobile network Three makes any call to 080 numbers free and reduces any 084 or 087 numbers to 5p a minute ;)
 
I think all these 0870 0845 etc numbers are being banned soon, they are a total joke though, I had to call towers last year about a works trip so i just called from work, i simply refuse to call these rip off numbers! Seems historically towers have always had them, i saw on one of the old adverts they used to have a 09 premium rate number, bad crack which they need to sort out
 
@phildenholm: You're right about them being banned, but only in certain circumstances.

Since June 13 this year, it's no longer allowed to only have a helpline number which would cost more to call than a call to "a friend or relative". That means that 01, 02 and 03 are allowed, as are 0800 and 0808 plus mobile numbers (07), but most other numbers are not.

However - this only applies to "helplines" for customers who want to discuss contracts which have been "concluded", ie. something you've already bought. An example here would be if I bought day tickets and had a query about them, or if I booked a hotel stay and wanted to change or cancel it. At the moment, Towers are probably breaking the law here, as their contact page does not "prominently" list any free numbers for queries to existing bookings.

Of course - it would be within the rules for Alton Towers to have a free number for queries with existing bookings, and a chargeable number for new bookings. However, the logistics involved in maintaining such a split, along with the cost of handling calls to the free number that should have gone to the paid number, means that it's likely easier just to have a single number.

What's more, it's debatable what the Friends & Family Booking line would be classified as: whilst it could be considered a way of booking new tickets (therefore it could be charged for), it's quite clearly advertised as a perk of the Annual Pass that you've already bought (therefore it should be free).

Here's the detailed regulations (PDF) - the relevant sections are D(17) and the entirety of J.

Hope this clears this up (and Towers get their act together!)

*puts away legislation for the evening*
 
Wow @Jordan impressive stuff.

I'm not going to read through that legislation so I will take your word for it lol
 
I am surprised Merlin has not moved all their call centre's to a single call centre.

I know its not nice for the people who would potentially lose their jobs, but from a business point of view, saving money, and potential increase for upsell (Stopping at Legoland, thought about tickets for CWOA) it would make sense for Merlin to have one call centre which handled booking at any of the 4 theme park's (Hotel stays and ticket sell).

You could even go further and just have all UK based attractions at the same call centre, and Annual Pass as well.

Ian
 
Not sure it would save money though because if they have them in places that already have space and localised they'll be able to be more attraction focused.

I don't really know how it all works though. But for me, having a big building and the inherent costs vs having it spread across existing sites with rentals etc covered would surely be cheaper, if not less coherent.
 
I actually thought that most of the services bar the obvious (Guest Services, Security, etc.) were already centralised? Don't most phone calls end up down at the offices at Chessington?
 
I always thought when you call Alton Towers, you went through the the building you walked past if you did not go on the Monorail. It has been a while since I last called, but I think all four parks still have different contact numbers (Not that, that means anything).

Ian
 
If you book tickets with Alton Towers (including MAP family and friends) the confirmation email includes a phone support number of 03333212001.

Therefore it seems like they have chosen to have premium rate numbers for initial sales/booking calls and the cheaper number for queries as per the new legal requirements.

I don't know what happens if you call the 03 number to book tickets, could be worth a go to save some money.

The other alternative is to call the advertised international number 01538 703344 - I doubt they would know you weren't calling from abroad.
 
Was at AT yesterday

The smiler was down all day until 4pm, there was then a huge 3 hour que

Rita broke down at 4pm with a que line of an hour

Charlie and the choc factor was outta service

The monorail broke down and people had to be evac'ed on ladders

Overall I think Towers is in need of the winter break to get stuff overhauled , it was a good day, but that darn smiler que was horrific AND I ended up on the painful train too.
 
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