Having signed up for BT's 24/7 package (ie £25/month gives one hour on a landline for no charge) I have been trying for three years to avoid o845 & 0870 numbers because I get charged for them. THIS SITE is a gift from on high and is saving me a bomb. I have always used the dodge of dialling the international (+44) number but have also found that if I ask the person on the 0845 to ring me back and then dial 1471 after the call I sometimes get the geographical number as the outgoing calls are not alaways number withheld. I can force of course by blocking number withheld calls. They to speak to me must then not withhold the number. Using 1471 I have just added a new one to saynoto0870 database.

Welcome to the forums stampmann.

I'm not aware of any £25 BT package.  

BT residential landline rental payable by DD is £11/month (£10.75 if you opt for online only billing) and, adding their top package, BT Together Option 3 at an additional £9.95/month, the total to only £20.70/month - so what are you paying £4.30 more for?

Anyway, sorry to have to bring you down from the euphoria of the marketing spiel but, in reality, you're not getting free calls - you're paying £14.25/month, in advance, for calls you might or might not make.  Indeed, you'll be paying that even when you're away on holiday and not using the phone at all!

It may not be too late to change your mind and, apart from using this excellent site as you obviously do, I'd recommend a few minutes reading bbb_uk's suggestions for reducing your costs and/or my own (they're very similar but mixing and matching to suit your own circumstances is best).

Yes of course you are right. I misquoted the figue as I was working from memory. The package (option 3) suits me as I work from home and use the phone a lot. My calls use to cost me a lot but I have seen a significant decrease in costs over the years. Perhaps I should have written that 0845 etc. mean that I pay twice.
I have seen other posts here about getting your own 0870/0871 to give to those organisations that will not give a geographical number. I understand that a small commission is earned but I have also heard that the authorities are going to ban the payment of such commissions. Is this true?

stampmann wrote on Jan 12^th, 2007 at 4:29pm:

Yes of course you are right. I misquoted the figue as I was working from memory. The package (option 3) suits me as I work from home and use the phone a lot. My calls use to cost me a lot but I have seen a significant decrease in costs over the years. Perhaps I should have written that 0845 etc. mean that I pay twice. I have seen other posts here about getting your own 0870/0871 to give to those organisations that will not give a geographical number. I understand that a small commission is earned but I have also heard that the authorities are going to ban the payment of such commissions. Is this true?

But you would be far better off with www.euphony.co.uk and their eutalk+18 package which gives you free calls to all UK 01/02 numbers and all landline geographic EU numbers for the equivalent of £4.33 per month over 18 months.  And yes this does work on your BT landline.  You just change your BT line rental back to Option 1.

By the way you don't say how you finally came across this site?

A friend told me about it and I have been using it for sometime now before getting round to joining. Thanks for all this advice I shall have to find time to explore some of these alternatives.

Hi Stampmann,  I am against your suggestion that your own use of 0870 may be a good idea.  Using 0870 puts money into the hands of telecom operators and as we are against 087x / 084x / 0700, using them only encourages them.

Well of course I am but I had seen it suggested here. My intention was to give it only to those organisations that will not give me a geographical number. The idea being that if they cost me money why should I not return the compliment! ;D

kk wrote on Jan 13^th, 2007 at 10:27am:

Hi Stampmann,  I am against your suggestion that your own use of 0870 may be a good idea.  Using 0870 puts money into the hands of telecom operators and as we are against 087x / 084x / 0700, using them only encourages them.

I agree with kk that we in this forum must take the moral high ground by having nothing to do with using 084/7 numbers ourselves.

While you may get some smug satisfaction out of giving an 084/7 number using firm an 087 number to call you back on their call centre staff just won't even get the point you think you are making and the telco scammers in the middle of the equation who sell these numbers will rake off yet more money into their already fat and bloated pockets.

Point taken it was just a thought which has been suggested elsewhere on this site. My other question 'though has yet to be answered:
" I understand that a small commission is earned but I have also heard that the authorities are going to ban the payment of such commissions. Is this true? "

stampmann wrote on Jan 13^th, 2007 at 10:38am:

Point taken it was just a thought which has been suggested elsewhere on this site. My other question 'though has yet to be answered: " I understand that a small commission is earned but I have also heard that the authorities are going to ban the payment of such commissions. Is this true? "

Views on whether people should have their own 0870 number vary.  I believe the moderators Dave and bbb_uk may hold a different view from I and kk.

As to earning a small commission the big companies can get 4p or may be even 5p per minute out of the 7p per minute to an 0870 which I would call a rather high percentage commission rate.  If you visit the website www.ofcom.org.uk and type in words such as NTS WAY FORWARD and NTS OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE you will find there has already been a long history on this issue.  Many of the responses from members of this website should give you a fuller understanding of all the issues involved as should the FAQ Sticky posts at the top of the forum discussion pages on this website.