The number is - 087023929**

Its for the Hatfield campus if thats any help.  Each number is individual to the student I believe.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by Dave: '**' the last 2 digits

Thanks Dave, I just realised.

Can you provide us with some more information on the system? A web link (maybe on the university's site) would be useful.

The prefix 0870 239 was allocated to Torch Communications in 10/2004, so quite a new setup then. Torch is a trading name of Kingston Communications.

Hertfordshire University is on this list that use Keycom. Do you know whether this is correct?

Here is the universities "useful numbers page".
http://perseus.herts.ac.uk/uhinfo/index.cfm?DA3AB701-D37B-CAB6-EB04-B59098A79778

Heres the home page - http://perseus.herts.ac.uk/

I dont understand your last question.

wrote on Sep 26^th, 2005 at 4:18pm:

I dont understand your last question.

Who provides the service? Is it Keycom? The service might be known as Keytalk.

Do you know whether this is correct?

Yes its keytalk I believe.

wrote on Sep 26^th, 2005 at 4:38pm:

Yes its keytalk I believe.

See here, they use VoIP (Voice Over IP). That means it's most likely there isn't an alternative I'm afraid.

Damn.  Is that pretty much a definite?

wrote on Sep 26^th, 2005 at 5:11pm:

Damn.  Is that pretty much a definite?

I think so, see what others say.  :-/

Ok, thanks for trying mate.

Do you happen to know off the top of your head if an 0870 numbers is covered in BT together option 2? (Free weekend local and national calls).

wrote on Sep 26^th, 2005 at 5:40pm:

Do you happen to know off the top of your head if an 0870 numbers is covered in BT together option 2? (Free weekend local and national calls).

No they're not, if they were we wouldn't be here!

0870 rates on BT Together packages: Daytime 7.51p/min, Evening 3.75p/min, Weekend 1.50p/min

AFAIK, 18185 is the cheapest way of dialing 0870s. See Cheap Call Providers section. You may also like to check out Money Saving Expert.

Another suggestion is if there is a PC connected to the internet in the accommodation is to sign up to a VoIP service. See the above links for more info on this.  ;)

See my suggestions in Post 2 of the below thread for ways to try to challenge this abuse.  Of course in this other case it was an 0871 at 10p per minute at all times but most of the issues are the same:-

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?board=test;action=display;num=1127593168

You or your relative should also consider submitting a request to the university under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 asking for disclosure of the underlying geographic numbers that these 0870 numbers point to.

You should also ask for details of the revenue share received by the university on each call and/or whether the telecoms equipment and lines were installed by the phone company free if they were allowed to use ripoff 0870 numbers.  You should ask the university to reveal if their facilities/telecoms/acommodation manager examined the cost of these calls compared to normal numbers starting 01 and 02 and whether the phone supplier offered an option to provide 01/02 numbers if the university had paid something towards the cost of the installation.

Thanks NonGeographicalMan.

Ive been researching and I found this:
http://www.ex.ac.uk/phone/

They use keycom but they give instructions on how to call their halls using a normal national rate number.
Does that mean there may be hope?

Exeter is  my old University actually so its good to see they have steered clear of the 0870 scam.

They may also use Keycom as a telecoms supplier but I think they have probably agreed a different deal where geographic phone numbers are still used.

Clearly Keycom offered your university a normal geographic phone numbers deal too but your university decided to go for the scamming 0870 numbers because Keycom charged them less money for the telephone installation and ongoing maintenance etc, etc.

You may find this document of interest:-

http://www.ja.net/latest/news/2003/voicetraffic.html

You should submit an FOI request to your University asking for full details of the proposals submitted by Ofcom including whether these included a geographic phone numbers option.  Even if Keycom are routing the calls to your rooms using a voip system you can still have geographic voip phone numbers - see www.sipgate.co.uk

Apart from making life hard for the university with questions your only work around is probably using a service like www.voipbuster.co.uk which lets you call any geographic uk phone number for free.  Or as a last resort you could get Skype although they charge you to call geographic phone numbers unlike voipbuster

So I could call this 0870 number for free from my pc?
Is there a catch?

Or are you saying its free the other way round.  Just to make it clear, I'm trying to call into the uni.

wrote on Sep 28^th, 2005 at 12:42pm:

So I could call this 0870 number for free from my pc? Is there a catch? Or are you saying its free the other way round.  Just to make it clear, I'm trying to call into the uni.

No you can only call numbers starting 01 and 02 for free from your PC.  But if you go to www.sipgate.co.uk you can get a free geographic number for your local exchange issued starting 01 or 02.

All you then need is a handset or headset for voip calls to plug into your PC.  Then when someone calls you using the Sipgate voip 01 number your PC should make a sound like a phone call if it is on.  Or so I understand as I currently still use a normal BT phone line for my calls.  But on your position I would switch to using voip.

Or you could just use Skype on your PC which is easier but they charge a penny a minute for calling 01 and 02 numbers.  Also no 5.5p an  hour off peak with Skype.

Go to www.ebay.co.uk and type in voip in the search line.

Could anyone give me a sort of mini guide to doing this.
Ive had a look on the sipgate website and I'm not quite sure what to do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think you would be better off with Skype then.