It is now a legal requirement that businesses provide a standard rate number (ie 01, 02 or 03) for their customer service lines.
This law has been passed to ensure that no customer is forced to pay an additional charge – frequently incurred with 0845 and similar numbers.
This applies to any phone line that is in place for existing customers or members to make a query or complaint. The law does not apply to value-added services, such as technical support or sales lines.
034 and 037 numbers are non-geographic numbers that have been assigned by Ofcom for public services, non-profit organisations, and charities to replace existing 084 and 087 numbers.
The main benefits of using a 0345 number is the cost to your caller is usually the same amount as it would be when calling a landline 01 or 02 number.
For more information visit the Ofcom website.
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