A Rant

[drplokta]

Since I've abdicated, I guess this isn't actually legally binding. But everyone should do it anyway.

How to Write UK Phone Numbers

UK phone numbers are written as the dialling code, including the 0 national prefix, followed by the phone number. They may alternatively be written as +44 followed by the dialling code (excluding the 0 national prefix), followed by the phone number. You may not try to combine the national and international versions into one -- if you want to give both versions, give both versions. If you want, you can put brackets around a geographic dialling code -- but not around a non-geographic one that can never be omitted from the number. 7 digit phone numbers may be grouped 3-4 (with no punctuation). 8 digit phone numbers may be grouped 4-4. Nice and simple, isn't it? So why do so many people get it wrong?

Mostly because they don't know their dialling code. There are no such dialling codes as 0207 and 0208. London has a dialling code of 020 and eight digit phone numbers. All mobile phone numbers have five digit dialling codes (including the 0) and six digit number. The recently issued dialling codes starting 011 are all four digit codes and seven digit numbers.

So the following are correct:

020 7123 4567
07941 123456
+44 118 912 3456
National: 01244 123456
International: +44 1244 123456
(01244) 123456
0845 7484950

And the following are wrong:

0207 123 4567
0794 112 3456
+44 (0)118 912 3456
01189 123456
(0845) 7484950

Is that clear?

Comments

[the-gardener.livejournal.com]

There are no such dialling codes as 0207 and 0208.

Quite agree. But the reason so many people get this wrong is undoubtedly because of the way the codes were introduced, fooling a significant fraction of people into thinking that they were keeping their old seven-digit numbers and having the area code altered, instead of having their numbers altered. And all the tea in China won't make them believe otherwise.

[vampwillow]

the 0207 xxx xxxx structure was promoted for the dual-running year+ as being the change from 0171 xxx xxxx and I blame OFCOM for not just doing the full switch-over in one go as too many people didn't really take note that the structure then changed.

Also not helped by telco suppliers still using the format, eg. Telewest, where they print my call log using 0207 xxx xxxx numbers not 020 7xxx xxxx. I have complained, but does it bother them? pah!

[dev-iant.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. Even the usually intelligent people in my office still seem to think that the office number starts 0208.