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SAYNOTO0870.COM › Main Forum › Call Providers › 1899 from University halls phone?

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1899 from University halls phone? (Read 21,569 times)

NonGeographicalMan

Ex Member

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #15 - Oct 17^th, 2005 at 11:21am

Quote:

Does anyone know who is going around and selling Universities this concept? Surely it must be a rip off initiative from only one or two companies? Presumably the same people who sign up Hospitals? Do they give the Uni back a cut of the excessive profits? Who are these guys?

You are correct that the basis of the scam is precisely the same as Patientline i.e. the university claims it can't afford to install wireless internet and phone systems to the rooms itself and so Mr Private Enterprise says he will put in a system for free so long as the students have an 0870 number (which he describes to the gullible university as BT National Rate) for calling in and can only call out using a calling card at his special high rates.

There seem to be a number of different companies operating in this area. The only one I have picked up on others talking about here is some outfit called DognBone -

http://www.dognbonezone.co.uk

However I believe many larger companies are also in on the scam as just a nice little earner.

These are DognBones standard rates for uk calls for students. Perhaps not as bad for geos as you might have thought but clearly expensive off peak and at the weekend and also for calling in on an 0870 number of course

Impressively low rates for Vodafone (better than landline in some cases) but nasty that 0800 calls are more expensive that uk geo numbers.

UK Local calls
£0.04
£0.04
£0.03
UK National Calls
£0.05
£0.04
£0.03
UK Free Call
£0.05
£0.05
£0.05
UK Mobile fm1 [o2]
£0.25
£0.15
£0.15
UK Mobile fm2 [Other]
£0.25
£0.15
£0.15
UK Mobile fm3 [T-Mobile]
£0.25
£0.15
£0.15
UK Mobile fm4 [Orange]
£0.25
£0.15
£0.15
UK Mobile fm5 [Vodafone]
£0.07
£0.07
£0.07
UK Non-Geo Local (ONLY 0845)
£0.10
£0.10
£0.10
UK Non-Geo National (ONLY 0870)
£0.13
£0.10
£0.10

« Last Edit: Oct 17^th, 2005 at 11:27am by N/A »

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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: 1899 from University halls phone? Reply #16 - Oct 17^th, 2005 at 12:00pm Quote: My son is at Loughborough Uni, and they banned Skype last year. Paula, are you aware we have an alternative for Loughborough? See this thread.
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gray

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Posts: 25

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #17 - Oct 17^th, 2005 at 2:18pm

OK. From a little more research it seems that these guys are the main contenders for the 'rip off merchant of the year' award 2005.

www.keycom.co.uk

They control telecoms in all these Uni's

Aston University, Coventry University, Cranfield University, Exeter University, Greenwich University, Hertfordshire University, Keele University, University of London, London Institute, Loughborough University, University of North London, Royal College of Music, Roehampton University, Russell Sq Nottingham, University of Salford, Shaftesbury Housing, St Mary's, Stafford University, Stoke, Sussex University, University College London, Unite - Aberdeen (King Street Exchange), Unite - Aberdeen (Meal Market Exchange), Unite - Aberdeen (Old Fire tation), Unite - Birmingham (Londonderry Hs), Unite - Bristol (Hotwells House), Unite - Cardiff (Evelian Court), Unite - Coventry (Paradise Street), Unite - Edinburgh (James Craig Court), Unite - Exeter (NothenHay House), Unite - Glasgow (Buchanan View), Unite - Glasgow (Cooper place), Unite - Huddersfield (Firth Point), Unite - Huddersfield (Snow Island), Unite - Leeds (James Bailie Park), Unite - Leicester (Newarke Point), Unite - Leicester (St Martin's House), Unite - Liverpool (Myrtle Court), Unite - Liverpool (Student Village), Unite - London (Imperial Wharf), Unite - Loughborough (Harry French Court), Unite - Manchester (Kincardine Court), Unite - Manchester (New Medlock), Unite - Manchester (Park View), Unite - Newcastle (Cam Court), Unite - Newcastle (Magnet Court), Unite - Nottingham (St Peters Court), Unite - Plymouth (Central Point), Unite - Plymouth (St Teresa House), Unite - Preston (foundry Court), Unite - Preston (Trinity village), Unite - Sheffield (Devonshire Court), Unite - Sheffield (Exchange), Unite - Sheffield (LeadMill Point), Unite - Southampton (Orion Point), Unite - Stoke (Hanley Park)

I can see a published alternative geo number for one location, can we assume that every client has a hidden geo number? Presumably outbound is via some kind of CPS or CFS system that ties them to their billing system with other options including breakout being blocked? Isn't it tought enough being a student without having to put up with this? Can we at least help out by finding some inbound alternatives?

« Last Edit: Oct 17^th, 2005 at 2:25pm by gray »

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Dave

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Posts: 9,902
Yorkshire
Gender: male

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #18 - Oct 17^th, 2005 at 2:22pm

Quote:

I can see a published alternative geo number for one location, can we assume that every client has a hidden geo number? ....

I don't know, but I'm trying to see if there's a pattern between universities. Most specifically, (going by the ones we've found) if there's any clues as to which telecom provider(s) the geographical numbers might be allocated to.

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Paula

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Posts: 19
Hereford
Gender: female

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #19 - Oct 18^th, 2005 at 2:51am

My son is at Loughborough Uni, and they banned Skype last year.

Thanks Dave, and yes, I do have his geographical number, but it is easier to chat to both kids at the same time! My daughter tells me that at Leicester Uni, calls from her room phone cost 8p per minute!!!! This is since they installed broadband in the Halls - so, she gives me a missed call from her mobile to mine, and I call her back on 18185. What a circus, trying to remember which prefix to call!

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bigjohn Supreme Member Offline Posts: 2,316 Gender:	Re: 1899 from University halls phone? Reply #20 - Oct 18^th, 2005 at 8:21am [quote I call her back on 18185./quote] Do you call her back on 0870 at any time of the day on 18185.What mobile networks are you and the family on?
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NonGeographicalMan

Ex Member

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #21 - Oct 18^th, 2005 at 10:05am

Quote:

My son is at Loughborough Uni, and they banned Skype last year.

This is since they installed broadband in the Halls - so, she gives me a missed call from her mobile to mine, and I call her back on 18185. What a circus, trying to remember which prefix to call!

You do realise that BT is cheapest for 0870 at the weekend at 1.5p per minute I assume? Its only in the weekday daytime that 18185 has a big advantage. Even in the weekday evenings its only on a call of about 8 minutes plus that 18185 will be any cheaper than BT.

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SAlbrow

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Posts: 4

Re: 1899 from University halls phone?
Reply #22 - Dec 3^rd, 2005 at 10:59pm

gray wrote on Oct 15^th, 2005 at 10:40am:

Well worth looking at a VOIP solution. All students have a network connection in their room these days and most and run a PC during waking hours. Skype would be the simplest to setup (you will need it at your end too) but there are other options possible.

No call charges at all, just a cheap headset to buy if you haven't got one already.

The IT department of the Uni will give you advice on other options such as getting an FWD or VOIPUSER number and running Xlite or a similar softphone. (Free download & free calls between users in the same system).

Thats the funniest thing i've ever read, i'm at bournemouth, the idea of getting any advice on VoIP from them is silly. We have a Cisco IP phone system in our rooms which also links to the uni phone system (handy to calling, er, the IT Helpdesk, admin departments, the student union etc) and they give us 01201 210xxx numbers which is nice. They also block everything except skype, only allow 0800 (NOT 0808 or 0500 or 1xxxx), don't allow FTP, don't allow VPN etc... so the idea of getting anything but skype to work is obsurd, and i'm probably quite lucky. I just wish they'd realise that SIP is better than skype and 0808 is also freephone then i'd be laughing (although they probably don't actually LIKE us using skype).

It's interesting as the halls i'm in are a UNITE property, but the university provide the phone and internet themselves (does help having a Uni owned halls opposite, new uni office next door and opposite, and lots of uni offices and other buildings close by I suppose - probably made more sense to add us in to the same network). The DDI's are provided by a mixture of NTL, BT and C&W, however they are now going for the 01202 9xxxxx range which is NTL (i'm assuming our DDI's are as well)....

just in case anyone is choosing a University based on the phone service, there are better things to worry about i'm sure.

« Last Edit: Dec 3^rd, 2005 at 11:05pm by SAlbrow »

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