I find this very annoying and think it should not be allowed.

[RATTER15]

The voting will close at 8.30, however the lines will remain open, you will still be charged for your call but your vote will not be counted.

I think it was Blue Peter or the like that tripped up back along and lead to the publishing of the above statement that now often accompanies Xfactor etc telephone voting numbers.

Is this just another way of taking money from the foolish or uneducated.?
Couldn't they just close the lines at the appropriate times?

[ummmm]

The are just covering their arses after the last phone scandal. I would say the lines are closed except the odd call might slip through.

[Old_Geezer]

I suspect it has to do with the service provider still routing calls and wanting paying for it ? I'm guessing but supect the router of the calls aren't keen to jump to the timetable of the customer requiring the service. The customer can start ignoring incoming calls when they want.

[Supermike]

I agree with you totally Ratter15. In this age of technology surely they can switch off the phone lines when it's too late to vote. The only reason to leave them alive must be to get extra income.

Wasn't the Blue Peter fiasco to do with the fact that they had decided the winner but left the phone lines open? Something like that, anyway, it was a scam.

[venator]

Blue Peter won't be operating the lines - it will be an automated service of their phone provider.

As they can't shut down themselves, their solicitors will have advised them to use the usual wording in their ad.

[RATTER15]

Exactly, there must be a way of just switching them off? its not exactly rocket science is it?

[jackthehat]

I think O-G sums it up.
Otherwise the lines would have to be switched on and off many times over the course of a series....and that creates more room for error.

[Old_Geezer]

Was that Blue Peter ? I thought it was Richard and Judy; or was that different ? I never understood the controversy. IIRC, and I may not, it was a different situation where there was one winner, rather than a poll type thing ? The deal was never that the last correct caller would win, just that one of the correct callers during the time the lines were open would win. What would be the point of admitting the winner had been chosen earlier and they had opted to forgo any more income ? And what was the alternative, to always go for the last caller, in which case everyone opts not to bother phoning in for most of the period ? The complaint just didn't seem to make sense.