To ask what the point of Maureen 118 212 is?

[MrsWilliamMorseCode]

AIBU to wonder who uses the 'Maureen 118 212' telephone directory service?

They've been around for ages, and I'm constantly hearing adverts for them. The cost to use the service is outrageous!

"Calls to 118 212 cost £2.50 per call plus £0.75 per minute (minimum 1 minute charge), plus your phone company's access charge"

At minimum they'll charge you £3.25+ just to tell you a phone number you could get for free from a simple online search. Why would anyone call them and waste their time enquiring about a phone number, taking their time to explain what they're looking for when they could just google it?

Am I missing something here?

Yeah you are missing something, not everybody in the country and ‘just google it’. I’ve never heard of the thing you are talking about. But not everyone uses the internet, my grandma is in her 80s and doesn’t, but she still may need a phone number. Many older people in her church community don’t use the internet either, or wouldn’t find it simple to ‘just google it’

Are you living in 2004? I haven't seen or heard a directory enquires ad in over a decade, never mind constantly!

The ad's on commercial radio all the time.

Omg this is a step back in time indeed! Remember the 118 118 skinny guys? It shows us how quickly the internet age is progressing.

Yeah if you listened to the radio you’d hear it. I have it on all day at work and I hear the ad multiple times a day. I must admit I was very surprised the first time I heard it as well!

We must listen to different stations. I've never heard it. Or at least, ive not noticed it.

I heard the add this week and thought exactly the same as you. Who would use it. My daughter who was in the car said what others said old people with no internet or if you had no wifi out and about.

I agree @MrsWilliamMorseCode , I was thinking the same. And to charge £3.25 to elderly people who have no other options to get a phone number is dreadfully exploitative

It certainly is. I wonder how many of the people who use this even realise how much they are paying.

I am only in my 60s but I can remember when Directory Enquiries was a service provided for free! I can also remember the library and the main Post Office in town having telephone directories for the whole country so you could look up a number from outside your area.

Was thinking this too, I've heard the ad lots recently and wondered who still uses it.

Fair enough that some older people may not have the internet. But I really do wonder what those numbers are that would allow for 118 212 to still operate at a profit.

My parents and in-laws are in their mid 70's and are practically glued to their phones and iPads. They're perfectly capable of using and keeping up with the latest tech, as are the majority of older people I know.

I live in quite a populated area with internet and phone coverage, so didn't really consider not having access to it. But even considering that, I'm curious how many people are actually using the service on a daily / monthly basis.

It must be the most boring job in the world or the handiest, depending on your mindset.

I think it’s very unusual for someone in their 80s these days, to not use the internet. My mum is in her 80s and uses her iPad & smartphone. She worked in online security prior to her retirement. I think people forget that elderly people today come from a slightly different era than elderly people 20 years ago.
Obviously there will be some exceptions and some elderly people who still can’t use the internet or are much older (in their 90s & beyond); However in my previous job, my role was to set up tech products for in store customers who needed help setting them up and by the time I left, the vast majority of elderly customers didn’t need my help! They either knew what they were doing already or had family members willing to show them in the comfort of their homes. Times are changing.

But are there actual human people operating the phones, or is it operated by an AI agent type service now?

Their website says:

"In essence Maureen is the efficient service with the human touch: friendly, personable, helpful and reliable.

Her personality is based on the image we have of the original telephone operators, someone who is switched on, helpful and perhaps a little quirky. Her values are efficiency, tenacity and dependability, i.e. she makes a commitment to you towards getting it right. The benefits for callers are a consistently personal service from UK operators, who understand your need and make the extra effort to help get the right number quickly and efficiently."

The way the above is worded is a bit open ended. 'Human touch' I'm still confused whether a caller would be speaking to an actual person and even if so, would they get to speak to a real person immediately or have to waste a couple mins (£££) before speaking to a real person.

The website also mentioned that 118 212 is affiliated with the Independent Radio News Ltd (IRN), the leading UK commercial radio news provider servicing the UK's top radio brands such as Classic FM, Magic, Capital, Heart and Talksport.

So these who've not heard the advert on radio probably aren't listening to any of the affiliated stations. I would assume it also means that 118 212 don't have to pay for the adverts either.

It’s really not that unusual. Plenty can use the internet yes, but not all. It’s not even always a case of ‘can’t’ Some don’t want to or don’t feel they can afford a table and internet connection.

Maureen! A blast from the past, indeed. For many years, only the Post Office, then BT, were allowed to run a directory enquiries service. Once it was deregulated, anyone could own one - remember the 118118 guys?

If anyone can run such a service, then the challenge becomes how do you differentiate your service? How do you drill your number into people's heads?

IiRC, Maureen was (maybe still is) owned by IRN, the independent radio news service, so had access to free/low-cost commercial radio advertising when the companies had unsold inventory (and breaks with no ads to sell in them) and a national footprint.

As the OP says, it seems a bit of an anomaly today, but I guess there's still a business in there. I have also heard an ad or two recently after many years away. I wonder if a radio company still owns it. Radio is almost all nationally networked now, so there is even more likelihood of unsold inventory in local and digital ad breaks, which would make something like Maureen work.

Yes, you're right. I mentioned their affiliation with IRN in my previous post.