AFTER months at less...
AFTER months at less than , fuel prices in America are set to rise again. Industry analysts warn a gallon (around ÷£1.72) will become reality again in summer, even without hurricanes in oil-producing Gulf of Mexico.
The Government is quick...
The Government is quick to criticise independent firms for scamming innocent punters with premium rate phone lines. But latest figures show the Department for Transport and its agencies are also cashing in on calls.
The biggest culprit of the lot is the DVLA, with more than five times as many ‘higher cost’ lines than any of the DfT’s other branches.
All ‘084’ and ‘087’ numbers cost up to 10p per minute from a landline and even more from a mobile, as a slice of this goes to the service provider. And the Swansea-based agency has no less than 16 of these lines – including ones for general enquiries about licence applications and MoTs. We called one local office ‘0870’ number and were on hold for nearly two minutes before an operator even picked up. The DVLA also has three 49 pence per minute ‘0906’ lines, officially classed as ‘premium rate’ by PhonepayPlus, the regulating body for these services. The DfT has previously admitted that in 2006 the DVLA raked in ÷£1,601,000 from its phone lines.
A spokesman for the Agency said
“The reason we have so many more lines than other DfT departments is because we’re a much larger organisation.” He added: “We provide a free online service for one of the premium lines, which has led to a 90 per cent reduction in calls since its inception.”
Motorists can also log on to independent site www.saynoto0870.com to find a list of alternative standard rate numbers to hundreds of premium or higher cost lines.