Before i start i found this deal over on MSE.

This a sim only deal which looks good value. the part that caught my attention was the bit which says,
quote
"Free numbers:We also believe that a free number should be just that, so all 0800 and similar numbers really are free. "  
Does anybody on this site use or give any info on this company.

http://giffgaff.com/    

Many thanks,

Maxwell.h                                                                

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A quick review of the giffgaff website shows that they are trying a slightly different business model, one feature of which is giving away free 080 calls.

It is important to understand that giffgaff is meeting the balance of the cost of the call (through O2) over and above what the recipient is paying. This is not in any way a radical change to the arrangements for 080 calls as such, it is just another part of a very cheap package.

If the giffgaff model takes off and captures a significant share of the market, then this idea could spread. Alternatively, once a significant share of the market has been captured there is a lesser need to offer such attractive prices.

The long term future of charging for mobile services depends on what happens as a result of the reduction in the termination rates for incoming calls, which presently cover the equivalent of the "line rental" element of the cost. Once these become negligible there should be no reason why the full cost of 080 calls from mobiles could not be met by the recipient. We do however wait to see if and how the mobile companies will make up their lost revenue.

Giffgaff offers Call Waiting and Call Divert, which is unusual with pay as you go services.

The fact that you can call freephone numbers for free on GG means you can get cheaper calls to certain destinations via services like http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php eg UK Landline Calls 1p a minute 5p connection.

bigjohn wrote on Aug 14^th, 2011 at 1:36am:

Have they caught on to this?

I would have thought that they won't allow 'freephone' dial through numbers to be free.

There is a long running giffgaff thread on online usage history. This has been running for over two years now and has been "accepted". Despite this, members are still waiting.

I believe that any telephone service should offer a method of viewing call records and with the information age we live in, this should be easier than ever to accomplish. It should be mandatory for providers to make such information available to subscribers.

ihate0845 wrote on Apr 12^th, 2012 at 12:59pm:

I have read of issues where there have been issues with giffgaff's system. It is backed by O2 which must be a plus point.

Expensive pay as you go?? 10 pence per minute would seem to be quite low for pay as you go services.

ihate0845 wrote on Apr 12^th, 2012 at 1:10pm:

You said that giffgaff is an "expensive PAYG system". By definition on "pay as you go" you pay for your calls and with giffgaff you pay 10 pence per minute. Add-ons such as giffgaff "Goody Bags" are extra.

Looking around at other providers this would seem to be one of the lowest priced calls of any pay as you service. So my point stands.


ihate0845 wrote on Apr 12^th, 2012 at 1:10pm:

Is this any different from other pay as you go services which offer bundles that can be purchased on an occasional basis? Do others remind users?

It would seem that the sensible answer is for subscribers to set reminders on their mobile phones if they are not notified by their operator. It would be good to see operators notifying users, probably by text message.