Resident’s shock over vaccine phone costs
Paul Medland said that he was shocked to see a sharp increase in his phone bill last month, and on investigation it was largely down to his attempt to "do the right thing" and change an appointment at Newtown’s vaccination centre.
Mr Medland explained that he rang the Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) number (pictured) after realising he was unable to make his November appointment.
“I had to telephone the phone number they gave to query details and rebook my appointment, continuously ringing the number trying to get through but being kept on hold, then being disconnected after around 12 minutes,” he claimed. “It took me dozens of attempts over a three-day period before I finally got an answer.
“I had to repeat it as I was unable to attend an appointment, trying several times before giving up, ringing quite a few times trying to decipher the pre-recorded message so that I could email instead, as they spoke so quickly and quietly it was hard to understand. Even then I failed as the given email address was being returned with DNS errors and 'the site was not able to be found.”
Mr Medland, who said he rarely uses his landline, said that he then checked his phone bill which was “amazingly high” compared to normal.
“Searching through it became apparent that the excess was due to those calls to the PTHB Covid line, which I was under the impression would be a free call as most of the Government/health/job centre lines usually are.”
Each call lasting 11-12 mins cost him over £2 (£6.46 for 34 minutes) and he predicts there will be another £15-20 on his December bill, a hefty sum with him living on benefits.
“Because I have a conscience, I felt obliged to telephone to let the centre know I was unable to attend,” he said. “Making so many calls trying to get through could easily cause financial hardship for many like me on benefits, especially as you are not informed that it will cost you.
“This really should be a freephone number, not one that costs so much to ring. I am computer literate, yet it still took me half the day to track down the right site when I could not use the email address they gave.
“What chance do the elderly or those who do not have computer skills have? Life on benefits or retirement pensions is hard enough as it is, without another unexpected added expense.”
A Powys Teaching Health Board spokesperson responded to Mr Medland’s claims by saying this morning: “Until November 2021, our Covid vaccination booking hub used a 0345 number. Calls to 0345 numbers are charged by your telephone provider at the same rate as calls to UK geographic number.
“In November 2021, we upgraded the telephone system for our Covid vaccination booking hub. It now uses a 01874 geographic number. Calls are charged by your telephone provider at the standard geographic rate. Call charges will vary depending on your telephone provider and calls package."
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