London phone numbers

[SoupDragon]

I've just been processing ticket applications for a PTA event and am sooo annoyed with the number of people who say their phone number is 0208 654 blah blah blah. No it's not. It's 020 8654....

Petty and pedantic, yes, but it's simply incorrect to put it as 0208.

Bah!

You sound tired Soupdragon. Time to put those tickets away and take yourself off to bed.

Tinker, I love you

If someone has a new phone line set up next door to Soupy, then their number could be 020 3651 1234. The 7 and 8 historically represent inner and outer London, but not for new numbers. The reason that the London numbers changed from 0171 and 0181 was to allow local numbers to be 8 digit rather than 7 digit.

Pet peeve for our PTA raffle was number of parents who bought books of 5 tickets and wrote name and number on top ticket and then "as above" on all subsequent tickets!

Soupdragon is right.

But I still say 0208...

Yes, isn't that strange about mobile numbers? They are really hard to remember in that 4-3-4 format, but not in the 5-3-3 format. Weird eh?

Mwah Wendy.

I was tempted to refuse to issue tickets to the person who failed to complete a form for both her children, despite being asked to do so on the letter and reminded on the actual form part (in bold, capital letters). I didn't, obviously.

I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a ticket issuer actually...

Ah, Tinker, your mistake here is in thinking that pedantry has to be relevant to anything...

You are getting soft, soupy

molly

Tangential ramblings

First poster is obv soupy [wagging finger at us]

Oh, I know it doesn't matter, it's blindingly obvious what the phone number is meant to be after all, but like a true pedant it made me seethe.

And I've not had all the forms back yet...

[snort]

Have to say I seethe even more when I see a lingering 01 number

Actually the phone number thing bothers me far less than people who argue that Croydon is in Surrey (because its postal address is Surrey). The big "Welcome to Surrey" signs 4 miles south would be a big hint in and of themselves, ignoring the fact that the council is the London Borough of Croydon. What particularly winds me up is when the local paper publishes letters from duffers who claim that Crystal Palace is in Surrey because Selhurst Park is in the London Borough of Croydon which is in Surrey.

Totally irrelevant to the rest of the country but I feel better for getting that off my chest.

Ah. but it's poignant when you see an 01 on a shop sign isn't it?

They can't afford to change it, or aren't motivated enough, and you know they're going to go out of business sooner or later...

You should try living somewhere in Middlesex, LadyM - at least Surrey still exists, even if Croydon isn't in it.

Do other countries make such a pig's ear of their postal/admin addresses? I think not...

"because its postal address is Surrey"

Er, no it isn't. It's Croydon, CRX XXX. No Surrey at all. [pedant]

I need to go to bed before I get too cross

LOL you all have too much time on yer hands- im just happy for a call never mind 020 what-the-feck the phone is ringing go answer it and dont get yer thongs in a tangle about the prefix

You're Scottish FFS. What the f&&& do you know about anything?? [snigger]

Actually, stuff "scottish", you're outside the M25 and that's all that matters...

[scratches head].

Presumably one cannot actually live in Middlesex then?

[continues to scratch head].

But do you still get the annoying letters in the local papers?

LOL i live N london and do know - so go unpick yer tangas gals