Has anyone noticed how BT are charging their customers who dial the alternative Geographic Dial -Up number for Internet  access posted on this site at the same rate as 0870 numbers.
  It's a geographic Birimingham number 0121...  but comes up on the bill as about 90p for an hour (ie 1.5p/min) at weekends.     It's also Marked as 'National'.
   All other geographic calls are showing as 3p/Hour, for the first Hour.

So beware anyone who thinks they're saving by avoiding the published 0845 LoCall Number, you're actually paying ~50% more.

Now I know you people will say why on earth are you using BT, but that's not the point.  

Anyone relying on numbers from This site or these threads :-

here
&
here
&
Dave wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2005 at 8:51pm:


for Dial-Up Internet Access  BEWARE !

joe65 wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 3:27pm:


Alternative number for which company?

Presumably it shows as a 0121 number on the bill?
Doesn't that merit a strong complaint to BT that they are not charging you at the published rate for a geo number?
On the other hand, dial-up internet access is, by definition, usually revenue sharing, so you can't really expect it at standard geo rates.
But any literature should still make the charge clear.

Ah, so have we (well, joe65) uncovered some small print whereby BT can charge National Rate, but actually chooses to charge what we know as normal 01 and 02 for most 01 and 02 numbers?
So this meets the rule if not the spirit of the law:-[ (I hear the Spirit of Numbers Past clanking away in the background )

Tanllan wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 3:58pm:

Here

Some threads are in the requests section. One is land lines for ISPs.

The BT page says:

Quote:


So they could start charging for fax calls at a different rate then!

joe65 wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 3:27pm:

Not being too picky but when I tried it and checked, they were charging it at the same rate as the 0845 number (or Non Discounted Local Rate as explained on their website) !!

On the bill they show this as a National call, and !! Also when I asked them about this, they advised me the same would happen if any Geo number for ISP's on their list was called.

Funnily enough, if you check in the BT Together ISP and numbers exclusion list, the Bt Internet number 0121 478 9200 was not found, so read into that what you will !

DaveM wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 9:26pm:

It says on the page you linked to:
Quote:

That suggests to me that they are charged at 3p/min and 1p/min as this is the chargable rate. But 'National call' (ie a geographical one) on BT Together is the same as a local one! Thus, all geographicals are the same. So how come geographical ISP numbers (on that list) are charged at non-discounted rates?

So what rate does BT Together charge for calls to 0845 ISPs? Whilst evening and weekend rates are the same, at 1p/min, on 'discounted' and non-discounted tariffs, discounted ones charge 3p/min in the daytime whereas non-discounted ones charge 3.95p/min to 0845. Or does the fact that there isn't an exclusion list for 0845 mean that we assume that it's a standard 0845 charge?

DaveM wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 9:26pm:

But isn't this fair enough as pay as you go ISPs make money from their 0845 numbers?

DaveM wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2005 at 9:26pm:

But...
Quote:

You must enter it without spaces, as it says in the text above the box you enter the number in. Would it not have been possible to devise it so that it can handle spaces?

I'm afraid BT are correct.  I think their t&c (as well as other teleco's) do state that calls to non-voice (ie data calls) are excluded from inclusive mins.

You could try other teleco's unlimited packages instead in a hope that they haven't realised yet.

I know for a fact Euphony haven't realised yet and I believe Primus haven't caught on yet neither.

The thing is that eventually they will catch on simply because if you're on the internet for hours at a time or very regular then teleco's (especially BT) will have monitoring equipment of somekind that possibly checks that the number that appears to be very popular (ie an internet geographical number) is in fact a voice call, or a data call.  I believe this is what has happened now with BT realising that the number you've been using is actually a data call (ie internet type call).