[quote author=joe65  link=1128887840/30#44 date=1129393530]

Oddly , I've never had to.  as all the other Operators are so keen to tell me much BT is charging me. [/quote]

Are you aware BT has just started rounding each of your calls UP to the nearest 0.5p instead of the nearest 0.1p and that BT has just raised its call charges off peak on BT Options 1, 2 and 3 so that after the first hour you then pay 3p per minute instead of 1p per minute.

Are you aware that BT adds 20p per minute to their normal international charges for calling an international mobile number?

Of course if you hardly ever make any phone calls then none of this may be a problem for you.  Except that you do seem to be troubled by the cost of your 0845 and 0870 calls or you wouldn't have come here in the first place. ???

[quote author=joe65  link=1128887840/45#46 date=1129397228]
Thanks NGM,  I must admit the subtleties mentioned in your 1st para. I only understood from coming here. BT's  international charges - I gave up on long ago.   Hence my love affair with the revenue sharing Dial-Throughs for International.[/quote]

These chaps let you call 0870 for 5p per minute using a dial through number:-

http://www.dialaround.co.uk/rates.php

united kingdom [national rate] (land/wireless)  0844 566 76 76 5

[quote author=joe65  link=1128887840/45#46 date=1129397228]But it 's still difficult to find a good rate to Mobiles abroad (apart from developing countries - where they haven't distinguished from fixed lines yet).[/quote]

You can find some very good rates to international mobile numbers in countries which have split their fixed line and mobile number charging structures here:-

http://www.niftylist.co.uk

Spanish mobile numbers have just fallen to 7p per minute with Dialaround.  Some other European mobile cost only 1 or 2p per minute on various dial through services listed.

[quote author=joe65  link=1128887840/45#46 date=1129397228]
it is the justice of your crusade against this pervasive deceit that draws me to your cause.[/quote]

That is of course the strongest motivation which keeps all of us fighting so strongly on this cause's behalf against the most cynical and deceitful forces of big business

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I can't remember if it's been mentioned yet, but it's worth bearing in mind the minimum charge as well as the fact that these dial-through providers meter from the second that they answer and ask you to input the destination number. The minimum charge with BT is 5p, so all these calls cost you 5p. So for every 20 calls which don't actaully connect to your final destination, it costs you £1!

That said, if the final destination is an answering service, then you would incurr a 5p minimum charge if you dialled with BT directly anyway, even if you don't want to leave a message.

[quote author=joe65  link=1128887840/45#50 date=1129401546]
If you know of a good thread 'though, specifically on Dial-Through to refer to I'll refer to that & tidy up my previous posts on the subject[/quote]

Don't know of a specifically good dial through thread but if one cannot avoid calling an 0870 number (and sadly there are some of these such as Tivo Customer Services and Freesat from Sky and Alliance & Leicester Business Banking) and cannot call it at the weekend at 1.5p per minute then these chaps below are also useful:-

http://www.18185.co.uk

You have to register with a credit card but they are just one tendrel of the multi Octopus telecoms empire of Finarea SA who also run Dialaround,18866, voipbuster and many others.

The advantage here is that there is no charge for calls that do not answer (you dial a prefix code and calls are billed online for those that answer) and calls to 0870 cost 4p connection + 4p per minute so for 5 minutes that is 24p which is cheaper than Dialaround without wasted time being charged while the number is connecting and without being charged for calls that do not answer.

But its a bit of an extreme length to go to just for 0870 numbers (although of course I have done so in my relentless fight against them) as Finarea's cheapest brand for all other uk calls is http://www.1899.co.uk which relies on the same system of online billing and using a prefix code (1899) and again you dont get charged for calls that are not answered.

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This has been the price for Option 1 on DD since OfcoN allowed it to become a compulsory minimum BT line rental plan (on 1st July 2004) unless you fulfil the very strict and limiting criteria for either the Light User Scheme or In Contact Plus (no broadband allowed on the line for instance).

My water company levies a £10 standing charge for 6 months and the metered water only costs about £30 on top of that for a 2 bed flat for 6 months.  So how do BT justify £31.50 against £5 a quarter standing charge for a significantly less essential service.

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Am I the only one who thinks it's misleading to advertise it as "now only..." when it's actually exactly the same price it's always been?

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Really? Or did you mean not allow you?

I know someone who would be interested in this, as they were on light user before going on the (dial-up) internet, which is now a large proportion of their bill (being 0845). So this would be a big incentive for switching to broadband as the reduced line rental would offset the cost.

In this case, they really are light users, it wouldn't be simply that they could make VoIP calls. But I thought the rules didn't allow people on the scheme to have broadband as it would be an obvious loophole!

Would I qualify for BT Light User Scheme if making all my calls via eg. 1899  then (ie. No Chargeable BT Calls & not Carrier Pre-Selection)  ?