Hey chaps,

I've been trying to get hold of someone who's advertised a green leather 3-piece suite but when I call the number I get an announcement saying this is charged at the "fixed telephone rate" and I should contact my provider to ask the exact rate.  COnsidering my existing provider is talktalk I can't see them knownig anyhing useful so hope one of you will know something about this.  I thought I knew all about phone codes/numbers but there's obviously more to learn.

The number is a geo number (or so it appears) but I've never seen a worcester number start with 5 before.  Here's the number: 01905 562109 - try it and you'll first get an announcement which isn't charged or at least I don't think so.   I've got a free evening and wknd package so should be free for me too but I can't think why it mentions the fixed rate business...  :o

Hope you can help  ;)


Smasher  8-)

Strange.  The end of the (American?) female's spiel says the number is not in use and directs listeners to http://www.inweb.co.uk/ (and the recorded voice on their Sales line - 0800 061 2222 - is the same as the one on the 01905 number).

The number is allocated as follows.

Code: 01905 56    
Area: Worcester Central
Locality: Worcester St Peters, Worcester, Worcestershire
Operator: Interweb Design
Tariff Band: National (inc VAT)
Service: Geographic

Thanks Heinz and orsonkart  8-)  I've never heard of this before - I presume it's charged normally or free for those with inclusive plans?  I can't find anything anywhere to suggest otherwise.

Well one thing's for sure, Smasher ain't getting a leather 3-piece suite just yet...  :'(

Smasher, is this numbers from the small-ads in a local newspaper or magazine like Autotrader?

If it's domestic, which it sounds as if it is, then I would have expected it to be a BT or cable (NTL/Telewest) number. That said, it could be a VoIP line.  :-/

Other than that, I will hedge my bets and say that the number is probably wrong.

[edit]I've just called the number using 1899 and got the message you refer to. I will let you know whether I get charged or not.

This message is presumably from the terminating network and should not be chargeable. I suppose that it's equivalent to BT's "The number you have dialled has not been recognised."[/edit]

It was actually one of the advert cards in Tesco.  I checked the number again last night and it's definitely the correct number from the card.   :-?

Presumably they mean "fixed" as opposed to mobile - and it is a shorter word than geographical; but perhaps I am being charitable?

Strange message to have on a geo number. Also it said that calls from mobiles may be charged at a higher rate!

Well, correctly, Vodafone have included this in my allowance, so it just a normal geo number

Sun 16 Jul 16:56     01905562109  00:00:37       £0.000  

I have just checked and I can confirm that I have been charged for calling that number!!  [smiley=angry.gif]

Surely I should not get charged for a number that is out of service and doesn't connect to a destination. :o

I picked another number at random that is allocated to Interweb, 01600 760088. Sure enough it too answers with the same message and is chargeable.

I sent a message to Ofcom...

Quote:

From: Dave Date: Monday 24 July 2006 22:31 To: contact@ofcom.org.uk Subject: Chargeable out of service numbers Dear Ofcom I would like to report some telephone numbers which appear to be out of service, but yet are apparently connected (and therefore billed) by the originating provider. I dialled 01905 562109 and was greeted with a message telling me that the number is charged at "fixed rate" and is operated by "Interweb Design limited" and goes on to say that "the number you have called is not in use". In which case, surely I should not be charged for a call to a number that doesn't exist! On looking up the information on the Ofcom website, I discovered that it is infact operated by Interweb Design Limited. I noticed that this company has numbers in other area codes and I picked one at random and dialled it. 01600 760088 also answered with the same message that was chargeable. Is a company operating within the law by charging for these numbers like this? Please investigate this as it cannot be right that calls to out of service numbers are chargeable and I wonder whether all of this company's other numbers connect in the same way. Kind regards Dave

And the response I received...

Quote:

From: OCCTelecoms Date: Friday 4 August 2006 10:01 To: Dave Subject: Ofcom Ref: ####### 04 Aug 2006 Dear Mr Dave Connection Charge Thank you for your email to Ofcom dated 25th July 2006, I apologise for the delay with this response. The term “out of service” would normally apply to an unallocated number which would give an unobtainable message/tone when dialled.  In this case the numbers you mention give a ringing tone and connect, therefore, they are technically “in service”.   In this circumstance it would seem that the term “not in use” simply means that the number is with Interweb and could be allocated or sold to a subscriber. I understand that you are dissatisfied with the charge applied to call these numbers; however, a connection was made so the charge is legitimate and chargeable. Yours sincerely :: Debbie Lawrence Telecoms Support

Is this another case of Ofcom shrugging its shoulders and saying "nothing to do with us"?  :-/

I took for granted that when a number is obtainable, it is connected to a subscriber's line. That said, I remember when I ordered a new phone line from BT, I was given my new telephone number which I rang after finishing the call to order it. It rang out unanswered.

It appears that Interweb has all of its numbers 'answered' by a recording, meaning that it can charge for the call. What's the point of having number unobtainable (NU), which is non-chargeable, when these sorts of companies quite clearly do as they please? Another 1 point to the telcos then.

Interweb can't exactly lose on this, because they have so few customers.  Their current customer base might be happy with their services, and wouldn't be put off by this issue being taken to the media.

However, if a newspaper or watchdog takes this issue seriously and slam interweb for doing this, they will obviously explain what VOIP means, and probably inform their audience how interweb go about their business, and why they use these numbers.

People watching, or reading and who have broadband will start thinking that VOIP is a good idea, and decide on interweb.

Those who haven't heard of them (like me before this thread started) and think they're a bunch of con artists wouldn't have heard of them beforehand, and wouldn't have signed up to them in the first place, so media exposure won't do them any harm, and possibly would do them some good.

OFCON seem to just agree that the number is in use, and they are right to connect the call to say the number isn't in use.

I wasn't charged for it (inclusive talk plan) though it did appear on my bill as £0.000 suggesting it was chargeable.  


Quote:

16/07  13:35  01905562109  WORCESTER  00:00:19  0.000

Ah well OfCON are still up to their usual antics.  Would the media really care about a problem like this as it hardly affects anyone??  :-[