Telegram_Sam wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2009 at 1:09pm:

The company you're calling does not set the call rate, your call provider does!


Virgin Media publish call charges for all types of calls at www.virginmedia.com/callcosts

Firstly, refer to the "UK non-geographic calls" document, page 2 identifies the 055114 as being chargeband PG21.

Then refer to "Residential tariffs" to find out the cost of calling PG21 numbers. Page 14 shows they have a connection fee of 8.8 pence, and cost 4.79 pence per minute during the daytime and 1.96 pence per minute during the evening.

Location Independent (g21) 055/056
1.96 / 4.79 ppm evening/daytime rate on Virgin talk plans, inc. VAT.

Source: here.

These are VoIP precursors to the new 03 range, that never really took off due to the hoops you had to jump through to actually get one!  Some tariffs from some suppliers bill them as 01/02/03 numbers, others don't.  But as a general rule, nobody has heard of them and you'll get any old random answer if you try and ask customer services!


Edit: oops missed this had been answered on the next page!  Leaving it here for the alternate source link.

michael.mclaughlin wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2010 at 2:07pm:

Welcome to SAYNOTO0870.COM.

I've joined your posting to a thread already running on this.

0551 numbers are non-geographic "corporate" numbers and Santander uses them in its branches that used to be Abbey. They are not revenue sharing numbers, hence the fact that they are listed in the geographic number column in the database.

BT charges these numbers the same as a geographic, 03 or 0870 call; i.e. 0551 numbers are inclusive where applicable. I believe, unfortunately, that many other providers levy a premium to call them, although you will have to check to see if that is the case with yours.

Please can you tell me the location of the branch so I can add it to the listings? 

Dave if the 0551 numbers are posted in the 01/02/03 column do you not think that this could mislead people into dialling these numbers and assuming that they are charged same as 01/02/03 and therefor included in packages?   I appreciate your point about non revenue sharing but this is irrelevant to the user if they are charged by their telco without them being aware.

It is in my view totally and utterly wrong for this site to be listing 0551 numbers in the 01/02/03 column when 0551 numbers are not ever charged at 01/02/03 rates.

As 0551 numbers are usually more expensive to call than 0845 numbers and are also not part of call packages (unlike 0845 on BT, TalkTalk and many other landlines) then why are they being listed as alternatives to 0845 numbers at all, let alone under the 01/02/03 column.  If they are going to be listed at all for these branches as alternatives then it should surely only be done under "Other Information" with a suitable caveat.

Dave wrote on Sep 27^th, 2010 at 10:05am:


So what of landline customers who are not with BT and who are with TalkTalk, Sky, Virgin or numerous other landline companies and what of mobile phone customers.  And what of the numerous mobile phone customers with inclusive call plans that do not include these numbers.

If in the majority of cases apart from BT customers using 055114 numbers are subject to an extra charge and BT is the exception to the rule then surely users of the site should be warned about this.  Especially when 055114 will be an unfamiliar code and the only other use of 05 is for 0500 Freephone numbers.

Quote:


And what about non BT landline customers not to mention users of BT Payphones who also will be charged a premium rate for calling 05514 numbers.  For you to simply list the number in the 01/02/03 column when it is physically not an 01/02/03 number and not charged on an 01/02/03 basis on most landline call plans apart from BT's is inappropriate.  Ditto when it is not part of inclusive bundled minutes on any mobile phone calling plans.

If you are going to list the number do not list it misleadingly as being an 01/02/03 number when it is not and I certainly would not like to see the column heading changed to include 05514 when it is not charged the same way as other 01/02/03 numbers by most call providers other than in BT's domestic landline call packages.

I do hope that we are not getting into the tempting, but dreaded "Calls cost xx from a BT Landline, other providers may vary" syndrome.

If all other providers follow the BT pattern then fair enough. I have not done the work properly, but at a quick look Virgin Media appears not to treat "PG21" as inclusive, although it charges less than for non-inclusive calls to geo numbers. If my quick look was correct then surely these cannot belong in the 01/02/03 column, even though it may be untrue to say that they are never charged on the same basis. One could say that 0845 and 0870 are sometimes charged at the same rate as 01/02/03, and in the case of some mobile situations the same is true for 0800.

With the present columns, if there is some value in offering 0551s as alternatives I would suggest that they probably belong in the "Other Information" column.

I think it a great pity that Abbey (now calling themselves Santander as if they wish to extinguish all mention of any Britishness about their name or organisation and to remove any last vestiges of our British heritage and culture in favour of an amorphous and vanilla flavour across Euroland) seems to be falling over itself in its desperation to rip off and scam its customers by eliminating the use of all normal geographic numbers and getting all confused over their use of 0845 and 0551 numbers.  It is a shameful and demeaning sight to behold to see a once solid and dependable company, formerly a mutual society for the mutual benefit of its members, debasing its relationship with its clients and the British public at large.

I have been a user of Abbey National financial services ever since they first expanded their mission from being purely a savings and mortgage organisation into the venture of operating current accounts and other services.   I have always thought the design, function and style of their on-line systems to be first class, something which sadly could not be said about the former management which so disastrously lost its way and weakened the company that they allowed themselves to be taken over and the Abbey National identity lost forever.   The one good thing that can be said about Santander is that, so far, they have not interfered with, absorbed or messed about with the on-line systems which still work excellently as far as I am concerned.   If they were ever to do such a thing then that would probably be the final straw which would compel me to look elsewhere for such services.

Having said that, I notice that we have listed on our database a large number of 0800 numbers which can be used to contact "Abbey" although they are mostly unverified.   Whilst I prefer to conduct almost all my business through the Abbey on-line systems I can say that I find 0800 032 8929 to be an ideal alternative for contacting Abbey and can be moved to "verified" (moderator please note).   Although promoted mainly as a sales and advisory line, one is greeted by a mercifully short welcome and menu and I have been put through to my local Branch after using this number and indeed to other services.

So at the moment there is no need to use either of the controversial and disliked 0845 or 0551 numbers. I hope that this is helpful.