catj wrote on Aug 24
th, 2011 at 2:25am:
Quote:calls to 0870 free at weekends or weekends and evenings,
I'd imagine that the vast majority of these calls are made Mon-Fri in the daytime - specifically, during working hours.
0870 calls are now added to the list of those which are included at the time that the selected Plan is in effect.
The whole point of the way in which landline services are provided nowadays is that one needs to select the Plan that reflects the times when one makes calls. The level of the penalty charges imposed for calling outside the terms of one's package, e.g. during working hours if subscribed to Talk Evening and Weekends, makes it essential to only incur such charges very rarely.
We have not properly come to terms with the fact that calls to Geographic Rate numbers (which should now include 0870) are not subject to call charges under normal circumstances. Simple arithmetic shows that call inclusive packages are not some "extra" for those who make lots of calls, but a basic element of one's telephone service.
I can understand why the least inclusive (i.e. the cheapest) call packages are offered as the default. I would however make a case for considering the "Anytime" options as the norm, with discounts available for those households where generally nobody is at home making telephone calls during the working day or weekday evenings. Having taken the discount, one may expect to incur penalty charges for calling during times outside those covered by the selected package.
All of that said - calls to Business Rate and Premium Rate numbers are obviously subject to call charges, as some of the charge has to be paid on to the recipient.
BT's inclusion of 0845 is an exceptional situation, enabled by its special regulatory status and brought about by mistakenly anticipating Ofcom's intentions for future regulation. BT correctly anticipated the change to 0870 by just over six months and expected to be perhaps twelve or more months ahead of the game with 0845. As it has turned out the expected change to 0845 has not happened, as Ofcom has decided to take a different course.
The VM Call 08 packages are an unusual marketing ploy, not followed by other providers. As with BT's inclusion of 0845, they stand outside the norm. We wait to see what effect forthcoming regulatory changes have on these exceptional arrangements.
We may not be very far away from a situation in which calls to mobiles join calls to geographic rate numbers as part of "normal" telephone usage. There will be lots of issues raised, but this will serve to further isolate calls to Business Rate and Premium Rate numbers as exceptions.