CJT-80 wrote on Sep 24
th, 2012 at 12:18am:
catj wrote on Sep 23
rd, 2012 at 8:35pm:
Specifically:
080
Special Services - No charge to Customer (except where charges shall be notified to callers at the start of the call)
Exactly - this refers to the stipulation already in the specific General Condition - A Pre-Call Announcement must be used.
If anyone knows of a user who is prepared to test it, there could be some purpose in checking that the PCA is in place.
A 12.5p charge for a call to a 080 number without a PCA would be illegal.
In this case, a published tariff is not sufficient notification - because of the widespread assumption that calls to 080 numbers are free to caller.
bigjohn wrote on Sep 23
rd, 2012 at 4:44pm:
They are no longer shown as "inclusive" as in the past but have a "Free" price per minute.
Looking again, I see that this is what makes the difference. There has been a change. The same definition of the set-up charge appears in both.
Quote: A 12p / 12.5 call set-up charge applies to all non-inclusive calls, unless calls are charged at a fixed rate
As noted, the change from "inclusive" to "Free of a per minute charge" is significant. Being free, they are not "
charged at a fixed rate". Previously they were "inclusive".
Clearly this charge applies to all customers. It introduces the concept of an "Access Charge" for all 08 numbers.
The
number ranges document confirms that 0808 is treated the same way as 0800. One wonders if this includes the 0808 80 "helpline" numbers, for which EE waives its charges on calls from mobiles!
A document detailing the
"Important changes to Orange Home voice prices – 19 September 2012" fails to mention this change - obviously EE does not see it as "important". The reader is invited to "
Please read this document carefully and check the dialled numbers to understand if these price changes impact you". There is no reference to 080.
On a wider front, this must be seen as another example of EE's attempts to undermine Ofcom's efforts to simplify non-geographic numbers. When the next round of announcements are made (target - end of 2012) this will include the proposed amendment to the General Conditions to make all calls to 080 numbers free to caller. It appears odd to see a provider moving against the known direction of travel!
Some of us think that EE is shaping up for what we hope will be a fight with Ofcom. It has already got away with using existing spectrum for 4G ahead of the auction, so it may feel that it already has the upper hand.