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Main Forum >> Geographical Numbers Chat >> Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mobiles https://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1184781631 Message started by loddon on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:00pm |
Title: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mobiles Post by loddon on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:00pm
!0 Downing Street have now issued their response:-
"Thank you for the e-petition about mobile phone operators charges for 0800 and freephone telephone numbers. The independent Office of Communications (Ofcom)(new window) is responsible for numbering policy in the UK. Most Freephone numbers begin with "080" followed by a further eight digits. Freephone numbers can also begin with "0800" followed by a further six digits and these are usually free to the caller from fixed landlines. However, with regard to mobile phone network operators, the decision whether or not to charge for telephone calls to Freephone numbers is a commercial one for the mobile companies. Most mobile phone companies do charge for calls to Freephone numbers. Some operators have an automated announcement to advise the caller of the charge before the call is connected. Callers are therefore fully informed about exactly how much the call will cost them. The mobile company Orange provides free of charge from the Orange network more than 240 charity and helpline numbers, including Childline, supported by the Telephone Helplines Association. Orange does not charge for voice calls to 0800 numbers, except those identified as calling card services, but data calls are charged. Other mobile operators have made provision for free calls to some roadside recovery services and Childline 0800 numbers. T-Mobile provides free calls to AA, RAC, Green Flag and Childline. O2 provides free calls to Childline, Bullying Helpline and Crime Stoppers. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by NGMsGhost on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:41pm loddon wrote on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:00pm:
But for the poor customer its pure pot luck whether the number they need to call is free and there is no rhyme or reason to it. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by idb on Jul 18th, 2007 at 10:53pm
It wouldn't be so bad if 0800 was treated in the same way as geographic calls, with the airtime taken from bundled minutes (as happens here in the US), but from what I recall, the costs of calling 0800 are the same or similar to the costs for calling other 08 numbers.
So, for most cellphone users, it is more advantageous to call a geographic equivalent than to call an 0800 number. Ofcom=useless+joke organization |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by NGMsGhost on Jul 19th, 2007 at 12:16am idb wrote on Jul 18th, 2007 at 10:53pm:
Ofcom are now incredibly getting the BBC and other broadcasters to eat humble pie to defect attention away from the fact that this whole problem is in fact a direct result of their own regulatory ineptitude and corruptness. When I emailed the useless careerist Stephen Carter to expess my disgust at a particularly disgraceful Ch 5 Brainteaser ripoff a year or more ago he didn't even have the courtesy to reply. Yet the same OfCon is just about to allow the same ripoff industry to explode on to 0871 with their blessing and connivance. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 19th, 2007 at 3:48pm loddon wrote on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:00pm:
Can anyone else on other mobile networks confirm whether you're informed of the actual price of the call beforehand or just the fact that its not free and charged at 'standard' rates? (you can disconnect before the call starts ringing to save being charged ;) ) |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by Heinz on Jul 19th, 2007 at 3:59pm bbb_uk wrote on Jul 19th, 2007 at 3:48pm:
What? A government statement which isn't entirely true? How could that be? Didn't Tony Bliar promise us a 'purer than pure' government all those long years ago? |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 19th, 2007 at 4:23pm Heinz wrote on Jul 19th, 2007 at 3:59pm:
Besides, you don't know exactly what Ofcom have told the government. Ofcom may have said that mobile providers state the cost of the calls, etc up front but I doubt if Ofcom actually knows what the mobile networks announce when their customers call freephone numbers. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by Dave on Jul 19th, 2007 at 7:00pm loddon wrote on Jul 18th, 2007 at 6:00pm:
This sentance should end "for business customers". They scrapped this for personal customers, but I understand that they still do it for business ones. So yet again we have numbers that have a misleading term attached to them by the regulator. Where have we heard something like that before? |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by jgxenite on Jul 19th, 2007 at 10:37pm bbb_uk wrote on Jul 19th, 2007 at 3:48pm:
Calls to geographics are charged at 20p a minute on my O2 calling tariff so that would be "standard" rate to me. I thought 0800 numbers were included in my free minutes, but when I tried to call one, it said it wasn't free and I had to remove the 0 (making it 800 xxxxxx) before I could call. Weird... |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by NGMsGhost on Jul 20th, 2007 at 7:28am jgxenite wrote on Jul 19th, 2007 at 10:37pm:
O2 used to include 0870 and so probably also 0800 in bundled minutes for their contract customers and so may also only have charges Pay As You Go customers standard Pay As You Go rates for these calls. However O2 found they were losing too much money on 08 numbers and so have now removed them from bundled minutes like all the other mobile operators. Or depending on your point of view they see that a wholly useless regulator like Ofcom does nothing to stop 0800 calls to people like breakdown services being charged and knowing they can get away with it and make more money join the unscrupulous commercial crowd. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by jgxenite on Jul 20th, 2007 at 9:07am NGMsGhost wrote on Jul 20th, 2007 at 7:28am:
I'm on one of their "ye olde" contracts before they stopped including 0870 numbers, and I assumed 0800 was included too. Maybe it wasn't... however, I will be mightily peed off if they've taken 08xx numbers out of my free calls without telling me... |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 21st, 2007 at 8:39am jgxenite wrote on Jul 19th, 2007 at 10:37pm:
I'd complain to Ofcom but they're not bothered I can imagine because if they did anything it would possibly be to the (slight) detriment of teleco's moreso than us consumers and we all know that Ofcom doesn't like doing anything to upset teleco's. ;) |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 21st, 2007 at 8:40am NGMsGhost wrote on Jul 20th, 2007 at 7:28am:
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Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by Dave on Jul 21st, 2007 at 6:48pm jgxenite wrote on Jul 20th, 2007 at 9:07am:
Remember, you can call freephone numbers at geographical rates (being from inclusive minutes where applicable) using the dial through number 020 0222 0700 or 020 0222 0900. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by moneysavin on Jul 22nd, 2007 at 1:37am
If you have inclusive x-net minutes on any network you can call 0800/0808/0500 numbers and 0845 numbers as well at Evening and Weekends only by using the www.pre-dial.com 07730 access number. Click on Free Destination list for details.
O2 old ( Tariffs) contracts still include ngn numbers in their inclusive minutes apart from 0871. At the present time if you ask O2 they will still put you on an old tariff including these numbers. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 22nd, 2007 at 10:04am moneysavin wrote on Jul 22nd, 2007 at 1:37am:
Quote:
However, like you said, "at the present time..", so it wont be long before they are told they can no longer do that as well. Can anyone else confirm whether other networks actually inform you of the actual cost of calling freephone numbers, or just simply state something along the lines of 'standard' rates apply. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by GrahamH on Jul 23rd, 2007 at 12:14am
T-mobile don't tell you the rate, just that it's not free.
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Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by bbb_uk on Jul 24th, 2007 at 5:00pm GrahamH wrote on Jul 23rd, 2007 at 12:14am:
Does t-mobile say anything about the call costing 'standard rates' or something along those lines? So we know that o2 and T-mobile don't tell you the rate - just that it's not free. How about other mobile networks? |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by idb on Jul 24th, 2007 at 8:56pm Dave wrote on Jul 21st, 2007 at 6:48pm:
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Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by Dave on Jul 25th, 2007 at 6:32am idb wrote on Jul 24th, 2007 at 8:56pm:
Indeed. The National Telephone Numbering Plan might as well be torn up. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by Tanllan on Jul 25th, 2007 at 8:56pm Dave wrote on Jul 25th, 2007 at 6:32am:
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Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by idb on Jul 25th, 2007 at 9:30pm Tanllan wrote on Jul 25th, 2007 at 8:56pm:
The most appalling evidence of this is the response to the last 0870 consultation, which ensured that, whilst the 0870 scam would cease, it would shift, as predicted by many, to 084X and 0871. A Mickey Mouse (tm) organization. |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by mikeinnc on Jul 25th, 2007 at 11:03pm Quote:
A bit unfair to Mickey, methinks...... ;D |
Title: Re: Government Reponse -Petition 0800 calls on mob Post by a very nice man on Jul 26th, 2007 at 6:17am
A least you could see that 6 foot rat!
This lot sneak in like his smaller cousins. |
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