NGMsGhost wrote on Nov 11
th, 2010 at 8:22am:
One wonders why there isn't a pre connection announcement for anyone calling the Channel Islands or Isle of Man from a UK line to avoid there being a problem. Ditto Channel Islands and Isle of Man mobile numbers also have codes within the main 076 to 079 prefixed UK mobile number blocks and some UK mobile providers include them in bundled minute plans and some don't.
A good point for discussion has been raised; I offer some comment, including some general points on pre-call announcements.
Given the complexity of our numbering system, there is an onus on anyone giving out a telephone number to make it clear what it is, in respect of any possible unexpected calling cost. A person or a business based in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Mann would probably make callers from the UK mainland aware of the fact that they are based offshore in some way.
One should always be aware of who one is calling before making a telephone call, or be ready to accept a risk if choosing to call an unknown number. I strongly advise against the practice of calling back to a number provided as CLI, simply to find out who called. I disagree with and oppose those, including Ofcom, who recommend this practice.
Because nearly all providers have a very complex charging structure, it is the responsibility of the caller to make themselves aware of the costs of making a call, insofar as they are able. The fact that providers do not make this information readily accessible
prior to calling is an unacceptable disgrace, which is not relieved by pre-call announcements.
Where certain numbers are treated very differently from others that are similar, e.g. where 076-079 calls are generally free of charge, apart from certain exceptions which are expensive, then I can see a strong argument for a pre-call announcement. This should simply advise that the call is not free, as would have been expected, and advise the caller to refer to their tariff before choosing to proceed.
I am not sure whether appropriate terms for this to be a regulatory requirement could be defined. I believe that pre-call announcements can only be a long stop, a last resort to be engaged to cover cases where proper methods of advising call costs are likely to have failed. They should never be seen as an acceptable alternative to proper information being provided at the proper time - when one is contemplating making a call. Advising that a call which is likely to be thought to be free of charge, is not, could however be a case where the longstop is required. (The 080 from a mobile anomaly is an obvious example where a common misconception has to be addressed.)
I am aware that detailed pre-call cost announcements are a feature of some fringe low-cost services, designed for those of very limited means or with the time and will to go to lots of effort to save money. They cannot however have a place in the general telephone system, where there are many different tariffs and meaningless warnings or unnecessarily repeated advice would be an annoyance.
The classic exception with mainland geographic and 0845 numbers being excluded from packages are those used by ISPs. A pre-call announcement is obviously unsuitable for these cases.
For those mobile providers who exclude some 076-079 numbers from unlimited packages, when these are used by the vast majority of callers, I believe that it is worthwhile to ask them to consider providing a simple pre-call announcement. There may be other cases where vital cost information could not be readily made available to callers before they make a call, or the need to check is likely not to be recognised.
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