Information number 12 is no more

As of tomorrow, in France, the simple old number 12, which you dialed for directory assistance, will be discontinued. Instead a  bewildering raft of new numbers is coming into effect, all beginning with 118. Each with different services and different charges for a call. A bit confusing. It's the result of a long lawsuit, and the conclusion was that it was not fair to other operators with long numbers to have to compete with the simplicity of the 12.

Here are some of the new numbers. The complete list is here.

118000  Le 118000

118001  Intra Call Center

118007  Allô Bottin

118008  PagesJaunes

118218  Le Numéro

118222  118 Teledis

118711  France Télécom

118712  France Télécom

118713  Le Numéro

The consumer-defense association CLCV has published a survey of the efficiency and cost of the numbers. Their conclusions were: For simple directory assistance at a low price, the best were 118 008, 118 218, and 118 711. The 118 710 is cheaper, but entirely automated.

For complex inquiries, such as looking for a professional number or that of an association or group, they concluded that these operators were better: 118 712 (France Télécom), 118 810 (France Télécom), and 118 001 (Intra Call). The 118 810 does not offer the possibility of putting the caller directly through to the number.

Comments

[Linda]

I am so thankful for Pagesjuanes.fr on the internet. This is how I get all of my phone numbers. I pray I never have to find a 118 number for information. It certainly sounds complicated.