http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/news.aspx?id=53510&LangType=1033&ekfxmen_noscript=1&ekfxmensel=e0fa05763_38_288

T-Mobile includes ‘08’ numbers within new Flext tariffs

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Operator will allow '08' calls to be taken from monthly bundle of free minutes

T-Mobile is set to include some ‘08’ numbers within its new Flext tariffs.

The new tariffs allow the customer to call ‘08’ numbers such as 0800, 0845 and 0870 (excluding premium rate lines) as part of their bundle.

Mobile customers have traditionally faced extra charges from operators, while they are either free or charged at local or national rates from landlines.

Flext tariffs give a set monthly credit amount to use on a combination of texts and minutes.

The new tariffs also allow customers to make international UK to Europe calls that are deducted from their bundle.

The deal is available to upgrade customers and will soon be offered to new customers. Contract prices start at £35 per month.
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According to http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/price-plans/pay-monthly/flext/plans/

"08 numbers aren't included in allowances and cost up to £2.50/min"

Two pounds fifty per minute?! Yikes!

idb.

The tariffs the article is referring to are the new flext-refresh tariffs http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/flext-refresh/ which do include calls to all 08 numbers except 0871.

idb wrote on Mar 17^th, 2009 at 11:36pm:

The new tariffs allow the customer to call ‘08’ numbers such as 0800, 0845 and 0870 (excluding premium rate lines) as part of their bundle.

Surely all their PR person actually needed to say is that all 0800, 0845 and 0870 calls are covered but 0871 are not because they are premium rate numbers about to be regulated by the premium rate phone regulator - www.phonepayplus.org.uk

The bottom line is that all the telcos will continue to rake off a nice little earner on 0844, 0845 and 0870 calls but the ability of this campaign to reveal or stop the scam will now be thwarted by the fact that most of the public will perceive them as no extra cost calls.  I fully expect the inclusion of 0844 numbers in this TMobile package to be appropriately abused by all the GPs with their snouts in the NEG 0844 trough and also by the DH when it reports back on its so called consultation.

I am sure all these inclusive call packages have actually been dreamed up between Ofcom and their phone industry buddies at the NTS Focus Group in the unminuted section of the meeting that no doubt takes place afterwards in the nearest wine bar to Ofcom's HQ ;) :o >:(

There is an interesting further article on this tariff at www.lovemoney.com/news/household-bills/the-most-flexible-mobile-tariff-ever-3263.aspx

This shows that the free 08 calls are not really free but come at a substantial monthly subscription cost:-

See www.lovemoney.com/news/household-bills/the-most-flexible-mobile-tariff-ever-3263.aspx

Quote:

The most flexible mobile tariff, ever! Szu Ping Chan Published in Household bills on 25 March 2009 One mobile network is offering inclusive calls to international and 08 numbers, as well as unlimited mobile internet with its price plans... T-Mobile turned up the heat in the mobile world this week, announcing the launch of a new mobile tariff aimed to give more choice and value to customers. The provider is enhancing its popular 'Flext' price plan, and from 1st April, customers will be able to use their allowance for calls traditionally excluded from mobile plans, such as international calls and texts to 50 destinations, as well as local and national numbers such as 0845, 0870 and 0800. Another flexible friend... T-Mobile's Flext plan offers an innovative yet simple way of making your mobile allowance more flexible. Instead of a set number of minutes and texts, customers are given a 'credit allowance', which they can use on any number of minutes and texts of their choosing, as well as picture messages, and in some cases, voicemail. In my opinion, T-Mobile's move is a welcome one. It means that calling an 0870 helpline when your boiler breaks down or texting your beloved granny in Australia a lot easier on your wallet. The tariff also removes the hassle of having to fork out for money saving extras such as international phone cards, or having to juggle several different SIM cards, all of which can turn calling abroad into something of a circus act. Perks...and pitfalls Of course, it's not all rosy news, and in order to bag this tariff you'll have to fork out at least £40 a month, which certainly isn't cheap. This gives you an allowance of £225, plus unlimited internet access (included with all new Flext plans). If you are already using Flext, you can upgrade to the new tariff on 1st April. Alternatively, you can wait and opt for a cheaper £35 tariff (only available to existing customers) when your current contract expires, giving you an allowance of £180. Cheaper alternatives Of course, if you're not a big spender, then forking out the £40 monthly fee may not prove good value for you. For lower users still wanting value when calling abroad, the pay as you go Camel tariff from Orange offers cheaper calls to international numbers from your mobile, such as Australia from 6p per minute and Spain from 5p. Alternatively, specialist operators such as Lycamobile and Lebara Mobile offer calls to Europe and the US from just 4p per minute using their pay as you go SIM cards. When you consider each one minute international landline call takes 40p from your T-Mobile Flext allowance, these pay as you go offerings may offer better value if you're only looking to maike calls abroad. You can see T-Mobile's full list of Flext call charges here. In addition, T-Mobile is not the first network to offer inclusive calls to 0800 numbers. BT Mobile announced it was making calls to 0800 and 0500 numbers free from 1st May. This is a welcome addition to BT's decision to make 0845 and 0870 numbers free for landline customers on one of its call packages. Alternatively, if the prospect of changing plans and calculating the cost makes you dizzy, you could always resort to old lovemoney.com favourite saynoto0870.com, which lists geographical alternatives to those expensive 0845 and 0870 numbers. The site is a true gem for cutting calls which can cost a fortune - and makes calls free if you have inclusive minutes with your price plan. Of course, T-Mobile's latest offering won't be for everyone, and I'm guessing those used to paying next to nothing each month won't have made it to the end of this article. But when it comes to price plans, if variety is the spice of life, and you're a high-end user looking for more from your mobile, this may prove a value alternative for you. More: The cheapest mobile tariffs ever / Don't waste money on a diesel car

So pay £480 per annum and get a call allowance of only £220    I think we can see how the other £260 may be being used to pay in part for the free 08 calls, even though the rest of it clearly pays for the unlimited mobile internet plan (but unlimited mobile phone and not computer internet use where graphics are heavily stripped and the total amount you can download per month will not be that large given the limitations of a mobile phone's display and keyboard).

NGMsGhost wrote on Mar 25^th, 2009 at 11:20am:

So pay £480 per annum and get a call allowance of only £220    I think we can see how the other £260 may be being used to pay in part for the free 08 calls, even though the rest of it clearly pays for the unlimited mobile internet plan (but unlimited mobile phone and not computer internet use where graphics are heavily stripped and the total amount you can download per month will not be that large given the limitations of a mobile phone's display and keyboard).

But the termination charges mobile providers impose are higher than 084x/0870 so should it make that much difference? Only if there is a shift from on-net calls to off-net and 084/0870 calls.

Dave wrote on Mar 25^th, 2009 at 10:43pm:

But the termination charges mobile providers impose are higher than 084x/0870 so should it make that much difference? Only if there is a shift from on-net calls to off-net and 084/0870 calls.

That doesn't seem to have stopped all the other mobile networks from selectively excluding 084/7 calls from their bundles though does it. ;) ::)

I'm surprised the OFT, the Competition Commission or Ofcom has never launched an investigation in to this question. ;D

NGMsGhost wrote on Mar 25^th, 2009 at 11:20am:

So pay £480 per annum and get a call allowance of only £220    I think we can see how the other £260 may be being used to pay in part for the free 08 calls, even though the rest of it clearly pays for the unlimited mobile internet plan ...

The article says £480 a year gets £225 of value per month, at the tariffs reckoned within that allowance

andy9 wrote on Mar 26^th, 2009 at 12:22am:

The article says £480 a year gets £225 of value per month, at the tariffs reckoned within that allowance

But I presume no one actually paying just under 50p per minute would make anywhere near that many minutes of calls per month.........................

I've just been chatting to a particularly helpful T-Mobile operator  (based in Falkirk) about the upcoming tariff changes commencing May 1st this year. The reason for my call was originally to check my latest bill which is due on April 16th, because I had a suspicion that calls to HSBC were higher than I'd anticipated.  Indeed, my latest bill is £40.00 more than usual! I have been told by the helpful operator that HSBC are charging 40p per minute for their 0845 7404404 number, which I regularly have to use to transfer money from my business account to my personal joint account.
I am usually on hold for several minutes whilst being transferred to the relevant department(s), sometimes speaking to as many as three or four different people (with a hold in between), making these calls last anything up to an hour at a time.
I have to use my mobile for such calls as I am a courier and very often nowhere near my landline.
Has the HSBC any legal obligation to notify its' customers of these very high phone charges? If anyone knows I'd really appreciate a reply before I nip down to my local branch and swear at them. Thanks in anticipation, Andy.

Why did you not bother to look on the database, where you will see several geographical numbers relating to the number you quoted

Sorry if I misled you! I've actually tried the relevant numbers, also three numbers which HSBC have given me to apparently get me directly to the department I want....all of which take me to the switchboard/call centre!!!!!!
I had a look at this site quite a while back, to see if there were other numbers I could use, which I tried, all to no avail.
So it appears to me that HSBC is clawing a lot of money back through this 0845/0800 number system of theirs.
Thanks for replying, much appreciated.
Andy.

andyedwards wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2009 at 12:42pm:

… I have been told by the helpful operator that HSBC are charging 40p per minute for their 0845 7404404 number …

HSBC or any other organisation using one of these numbers don't set the charges for calling them. The telephone call providers are responsible for determining how much they charge.

This does not devolve HSBC's responsibility for imposing the covert premiums or subsidy it receives through use of such numbers.


andyedwards wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2009 at 12:42pm:

…I am usually on hold for several minutes whilst being transferred to the relevant department(s), sometimes speaking to as many as three or four different people (with a hold in between), making these calls last anything up to an hour at a time. I have to use my mobile for such calls as I am a courier and very often nowhere near my landline.

Use the widely publicised alternative, 01226 261010.


andyedwards wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2009 at 12:42pm:

… Has the HSBC any legal obligation to notify its' customers of these very high phone charges? If anyone knows I'd really appreciate a reply before I nip down to my local branch and swear at them. …

I fail to see how taking one's feelings at the local branch who do not govern this Company policy helps.

andyedwards wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2009 at 1:34pm:

So it appears to me that HSBC is clawing a lot of money back through this 0845/0800 number system of theirs.

HSBC will pay to receive calls on 0800 numbers. It is the mobile providers that charge the premium.

Brilliant Dave!! I'm sure I tried that number before, however, I've just called T-Mobile and I can use it with my Flext allowance. (It's 19p per minute usually according to T-mobile).
You've just saved me one heck of a lot of money, so I'm really grateful to you.
I was being ironic about the swearing BTW!! :-[ :-[

andyedwards wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2009 at 2:01pm:

Brilliant Dave!! I'm sure I tried that number before, however, I've just called T-Mobile and I can use it with my Flext allowance. (It's 19p per minute usually according to T-mobile). You've just saved me one heck of a lot of money, so I'm really grateful to you.

You mentioned the high price of calling "freephone" numbers (0500/0800/0808) from mobiles. There is a workaround.

Dial 020 0222 0900 or 020 0222 0700 and when it answers, dial the freephone number. That way you will be billed as per an 01/02/03 call.  ;)

[quote author=andyedwards link=1237332972/0#14 date=1238677308]I was being ironic about the swearing BTW!! :-[ :-[/quote]
Wasn't sure whether you were being genuine.  :-[