Sorry, it's not the answer for me.

I don't want to pay 2p (or 1p) per minute for my calls, I want to continue paying 1p per call.  That is what I pay at the moment (on 18866) to call any UK 01 or 02 number.

That is why I want all those using 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 numbers to be forced to revert to using or disclosing their 01 or 02 numbers as well.

Pud, Forgive me but .......

It's that sort of extreme position that'll get us nowhere at all !

It is not an injustice to pay a reasonable amount for phone calls.

1 pence per minute for ALL calls is certainly unrealistic.

If you shoot for the moon and miss you'll get the stars -but not reasonable and acceptable prices.

Keep extremism out .Go for a reasonable consensus.. You are unlikely to win with too cheapskate an attitude !

lavillegour

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Dear Lavillegour,

It would of course be the answer, more or less (other than for those who even begrudge paying 1p a minute less for 0870 calls than the BT Option 1 national daytime rate or of course those on BT Option 3 and equivalent "all inclusive"?! uk calls packages) except for a few salient points about 3U.

Firstly they are extremely small beer here and their uk telephone number normally leads to an answerphone with a promise someone will call you back.  You then get a call back from their many times larger head office in Germany from a German who speaks almost perfect idiomatic English (not Indian Call Centre no speaka da English).

But then in answer to my phoned question as to why I couldn't I sign up on line with them like 18866 the answer is sorry we don't do that facility and we need you to print out a form and sign it and fax it to us.  Also we need a copy of your latest BT bill faxed to us to prove you are who you are say you are (you will note the use of the ancient dictionary word fax here a normally almost exitinct species of activity these days but something that I'm afraid is still de rigour for fusty old Germanic 3U).  So they want your signature and  they want a copy of your BT bill for a few lousy pounds a month of phone calls whose cost price to them is almost nil.  I mean do they actually want all this to commit identity fraud or something?

Then the next blow is the news that there is no direct debit facility.  They want to send you a bill and for you to send them a cheque by post with your own stamp.   I mean have we entered a time warp here and returned to 1979 or something.   On complaining they think that you could possibly set up a manual ebanking payment facility and then remember to go and pay them monthly by the due date.  Of course as they are totally paper oriented perhaps the electronic payment will probably simply disappear down a German ebanking blackhole and they will send you late payment extra fees for £25 or whatever.  May be that is how they can afford to offer 0870 calls for a nominal 2p per minute - kowing that they will be able to fine almost all their customers for late payment.

I don't think that any of the above is probably really true and more likely the Germans are still 8 years behind re ebanking and also its probably actually the case that either the 0870 calls are costing them 5.5p a minute but as they have so few uk customers they haven't yet worked it out or it is a loss leader to get new customers or possibly they really have found a way to bypass the 5.5p termination charge they should have to pay for 0870 calls in the weekday daytime (possibly by routing the call to say Pitcairn Island by VOIP and then back by telephony).

So in short give it a go if you feel its worth the pain and let me know how many 0870 calls connect and how the billing situation goes.  But for me and most people here this is sadly why 3u are not the answer.

When I read your post about that company 3u Telecom I was a bit taken aback. My little (sozzled) brain said to itself : Well isn't that the answer. All we(or they) do is advertise a service provider such as 3utelecom and ALL of the captive Joe's (Joe Public) can merely register with them and place ALL calls to 0870 numbers through them. Simple What ? Logically the inevitable result would be that for example the DVLC would lose it's £1.2 billion 'profit'  etc etc .


I don't think companies using 0870 will lose their revenue, if you call them via 3utelecom.

What is more likely the case, is that as mentioned by someone else, 0870 is a loss leader, but such a small part of their business, that they haven't bothered to charge more yet.

It is possibly quite feasable to get your own 0870 number paying 3p per minute, 2 phone lines, one of which is signed up to 3u.  Phone yourself on your 0870 number, and get 3p per minute, which would equate to 60p per hour for the time you want to call yourself.  Those that work 9-5 can do it when they leave for work, and hang up when they return!!

I work nights, and such a system would be just as efficient as my current system of unplugging the phone when I get home from work so I can sleep!!

Just remember, a few years ago mobile phone companies still allowed inclusive minutes to call 0870 numbers, and of course until recently BT payphones, but when enough people took advantage of this loss leader, the mobile phone companies had to think again.

Anyway, back to the original subject of this post.  Although it won't affect too many people starting the day at 6am, instead of 8am, if not enough people kick up a stink about this, then the next step is to start the evening at 8pm!!

This would be far worse, as many people wait till 6pm to phone friends and family in the evening using off peak call packages, and sometimes get in touch with call centres who stay open till 8pm!!

Also, do 0870 providers now pay their clients the daytime rate for 6am-8am use.  If not, do the providers themselves get this extra revenue to pass on or keep.  If they don't then BT make alot more on those people wanting to phone call centres just before setting off to work!!

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I think the real reason is that the price of mobile calls has fallen past the point where they could fund 0870 calls. 6 years ago 25p per minute was common on contracts. But it's not impossible now - you have to get a bit more info. Look up http://www.simply-fone.com

It just reaffirms my concerns that the current "competition" is doing nothing to reduce prices. On the contrary, BT is pushing up call costs and Ofcom is happy with that.