egafd.com

?1.70 a go..what a fucking rip off!

When it was 192 ran by BT it was a couple of pence.

Can someone tell me what the advantage of opening-up directory enquiries "to the open market" was?

Apart from making lots of money for a few fat cat bastards that is.

Yes another case of a privatisation for privatisation sake.

Surely opening-up something "to the open market" is supposed to stimulate competition and drive-down prices.

Oh yeah, tell me another.

The last time I used one of these privatised directory enquiry services I asked for the number of a local furniture shop, before I was given the number I was asked whether I'd like the number of a nearby DFS instead, because the supplier I was using had done a promotional deal with DFS. Of course all the time I'm listening to this spiel I'm paying for the call which is being charged at ?1.50 a minute or something.

Royal Mail going to be next. Just watch the price of a stamp go up then!

Will the service following privatisation be any better?

Will the service following opening up Royal Mail "to the open market" be any different for the likes of you and me?

I don't think so, it will be just like directory enquiries.

Just more expensive, but a greater choice of suppliers. Well whippy do for that!

I'd quite like to have my choice of suppliers limited to just one. Let's call it Royal Mail. But as compensation for such an appalling lack of choice I'll continue to pay 46 pence for a First Class Stamp.

How's that for an idea?

The danger of privatising the Post Office is not so much an increase in price but rather the end of a uniform cost of delivery regardless of distance. At present it costs the same to post a letter to your next door neighbour as it does to the other side of the country. Come a sell off, that , along with 1000's of jobs, will be high on the new owners' list of things to go.

Agreed.

I'm sure the sell off of Royal Mail will be just as successful as the privatisation of the Directory Enquiry service.

mrmcfister wrote:

When it was 192 ran by BT it was a couple of pence.

Can someone tell me what the advantage of opening-up directory enquiries "to the open market" was?

Apart from making lots of money for a few fat cat bastards that is.

.....

Royal Mail going to be next. Just watch the price of a stamp go up then!

......




The privatisations of gas, electricity, railways etc converted public services run for the people into a business run to make profit for a few fat cats at the expense of everyone else.

So much for governments running the country overall in the best interests of the people ......

Directory Enquiries wasn't privatised as such. No bought shares in any of the 118 companies.

The Government had no choice but to open up directory enquiries to the market - at least while we remain members of the EU. In the aim of ever closer union, all members have to have a directory service that begins 118. In France they have the same David Bedford lookalikes on 118 xxx.

In fact, when BT ran directory enquiries it was free...

"Privatisation" is another word for "Stealing". It is the process of giving an asset that someone has paid for, to someone else for nothing or next to nothing. It's a bit like giving your house to a stranger who then rents it back to you! So in the UK, infrastructure that you and your forebears slaved their guts out to build and maintain was passed on to underserving City crooks for a derisory amount, who in turn sold it back to you at an inflated price. What stuns me is Thatcher, the great, "Defender of British interests" never enshrigned in law, legislation that prohibited privatised industries to fall ino foregn hands. "State funeral?" the woman should be hanged as a traitor!

Of course privatisation also operates at a lower level, for example the selling of Council houses. No government had any right to do this, these properties are owned by the Nation not some crooked government, to sell them to gain votes!

One day we might get a government that has the balls to re-nationalise, with no compensation, some things, like water, gas and electricity.

When did privatising the Railways open it up for competition, i live in Kent where the only trains that run into London are operated by South Eastern Trains and passengers are well screwed by them, true competition would be at least two different companies running services on the same route so passengers have a choice !furious!

Go to Garwick airport long term carpark to witness the joys for "Competition". Can't remember exact amounts, but when you hit the T juncition, left is ONLY ?8.24 per day and the car oark on the right is, ONLY ?8.24 per day. Call me naive, bt isn't corporate price fixing a criminal offence?

Essex Lad wrote

>>>>>>Directory Enquiries wasn't privatised as such. No bought shares in any of the 118 companies.

The service was deregulated in 2003. i.e. opened-up to the market.

The different 118 numbers were allocated by lottery. Originally Surrey-based Leaf Telecom was allocated the 118118 number; The Number paid a reported ?2 million to acquire it.

By 2005 there were 200 ?118? numbers being operated by 70 companies.

I guess some of those companies were Public Limited Companies whose shares were available on the Stock Exchange.

More background here.



>>>>>>The Government had no choice but to open up directory enquiries to the market - at least while we remain members of the EU. In the aim of ever closer union, all members have to have a directory service that begins 118. In France they have the same David Bedford lookalikes on 118 xxx.

This is Daily Mail propaganda.

The Mail always come out with this one, blame the EU.

The last Labour and current ConDem government have used this ?we?ve got to open the Postal Service up to competition because the EU have forced too? arguement.

When interested parties do a little digging though the contention falls apart.

If you go to France, Germany and many other EU countries you?ll find that many of their utilities remain either state owned or continue to be operated as monopolies.

>>>>>>In fact, when BT ran directory enquiries it was free...

Before deregulation in 2005 BT had the monopoly on Directory Enquiries and charged 40 pence to use their 192 service.