National Lottery operator Camelot will disconnect its freephone helpline number from 7th December.
Retailers wishing to call the hotline thereafter will have to pay 7p per minute as well as their network provider’s access charges. A new Camelot website that will allow retailers to self-serve – including accessing sales history, checking Scratchcard inventory, and carrying out terminal troubleshooting – is not yet online.
The gap in free support has been a source of some anguish for newsagents. NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter said: “We are absolutely stunned that Camelot is pushing ahead with plans to disconnect its free phone number when it is still months away from launching its new website. In fact, we understand that the new site is still some way away from even being piloted.”
Camelot does offer an email facility for reporting problems, although Baxter suggested that retailers requiring engineering support “would not be comfortable” using this method.
The NFRN has asked that Camelot continues to offer the freephone number until the website is operational, and retailers are confident in its use.
