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BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs (Read 17,091 times)
blutak
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BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Feb 11th, 2014 at 3:50pm
 
I have BT 'AnyTime' which allows calls to 020 numbers without any extra call charge. For the past 3 years I have been using 02071320032 without charge by BT to connect to LycaTalk for calls to USA . Without any warning, from January 6th BT has started charging me a set-up fee of 15 pence plus 9 pence per minute to use the 020 number. They claim that it is a 'Non-Voice' line, therefore outside the terms of the 'AnyTime' plan. What about energy companies' automated meter reading telephone lines: these are 'non-voice' but are not charged extra by BT. What is the difference?  Is BT jealous of the success of LT who can still make a profit at a fraction of the cost of their own charges? LT charge one penny for two minutes including VAT for UK-USA calls with no call set-up fee. BT would charge a set-up fee of 15 pence then 19 pence per minute plus VAT for the same call - a massive price difference. For just 33 days, BT have charged me 24 pounds plus VAT to use the LT number. Together with the increase in so-called Line Rental and 'AnyTime' fee, my quarterly bill has risen from 60 pounds to 96 pounds overnight. Needless to say, after being a customer of Post Office Telephones (as it was then) and its successor BT for over 50 years, I am now looking for a different telephone provider. 
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bigjohn
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #1 - Feb 11th, 2014 at 7:58pm
 
Have you tried using one of the alternative 0330 numbers ?
to see if they charge for that.

http://www.lycatalk.co.uk/en/rates

They can charge you for  calls to dial-through or calling card access numbers even if they are geographic numbers,as can any other supplier.That one must have have flagged up as getting a lot of traffic.

One way around it is to use someone like www.localphone.com where your allocated your own geographical numbers pointed at the target numbers. So it keeps you below radar.
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« Last Edit: Feb 11th, 2014 at 8:07pm by bigjohn »  

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blutak
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #2 - Feb 11th, 2014 at 8:57pm
 
Many thanks for that information BJ. I will try the 0800 access number for LycaTalk - the cost of 1.5 pence per minute including VAT is still way below the scam amount which 'British Terrible' charges. As you suggested, BT may have picked up on my frequent use of the 020 7 number, so started charging me. When I spoke to BT about the new charges, the billing supervisor was curious why there were no Premium or Business (08xxx) calls on my bills: I told him in no uncertain terms that I was not prepared to pay extortionate sums to the people to whom I was speaking.   
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Dave
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #3 - Feb 12th, 2014 at 12:39am
 
There was, quite a few years ago, a look-up service on BT's website. I'm not aware of one now, although I appreciate that it wouldn't have helped you.
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CJT-80
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #4 - Feb 13th, 2014 at 5:18pm
 
blutak,

I would also dispute the charges as they have NOT informed you via letter or e-mail they have would be charging you for calls to that number...

It's at least worth a try!

Smiley
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Regards,

CJT-80

Any comments made are my own and are not those of SayNoTo0870.com
 
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Dave
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #5 - Feb 13th, 2014 at 6:20pm
 
CJT-80 wrote on Feb 13th, 2014 at 5:18pm:
blutak,

I would also dispute the charges as they have NOT informed you via letter or e-mail they have would be charging you for calls to that number...

It's at least worth a try!

Smiley

Indeed.

Your compaint is one that you dialled this number before the introduction of the charges and that you should therefore have been notified of them.
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blutak
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #6 - Feb 15th, 2014 at 6:53pm
 
I did mention this to the Billing call-centre Supervisor: he replied that "indirect access calls are chargeable as is shown on your contract with BT" and therefore no notice was necessary.
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NGMsGhost
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #7 - Feb 15th, 2014 at 9:28pm
 
blutak wrote on Feb 15th, 2014 at 6:53pm:
I did mention this to the Billing call-centre Supervisor: he replied that "indirect access calls are chargeable as is shown on your contract with BT" and therefore no notice was necessary.


Try sending an email to Libby Barr, CEO of BT Retail, as listed at :-

http://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=12034

If you point out that BT had never previously excluded calls to this number from their from call packages and that if it is going to do so it surely has to write to any customers affected in advance or alternatively play an announcement to a caller telling them that calls to this number are not part of an inclusive calling plan then you may well get somewhere.

They may listen if you in particular make it clear that now you have been alerted to the hidden premium rate charge you will not be calling this number in future and you would haves stopped calling it straight away if you had been advised on the day it happened that the call rate had been vastly increased or rather was no longer part of your call plan.

You might also want to threaten (in a polite way) that you may have to take this matter to the Telecommunciations Ombudsman (see http://www.ombudsman-services.org/communications.html) if you reach deadlock with BT on this matter and they do not refund the call charges to you.  An investigation by the Telecommunications Ombudsman is likely to cost BT several hundred pounds (it will not cost you anything) and BT may well also not want an Ombudsman adjudication on their dubious practice of excluding certain 01/02/03 numbers from their Anytime call packages as opposed to the more normal and accepted practice of setting a "Fair Use" cap on the maximum number of minutes per month of calls you can use under the Anytime call plan.

Worth a short I would have thought if you feel strongly enough on the matter.  BT can't just change the calling rate to a number without letting their customers know in advance this will be the case so they can alter their actions accordingly.  Can you imagine the fuss if a restaurant or supermarket tried on the same kind of practice with customers.......

Customer Service Advisers just follow the party line (especially at BT where they are given almost no discretion) so you will only get the matter properly looking in to by writing to BT Retail's Managing Director where the buck usually stops being passed.
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« Last Edit: Feb 15th, 2014 at 9:29pm by NGMsGhost »  

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blutak
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #8 - Feb 17th, 2014 at 4:58pm
 
NGM'sGhost: Many thanks for this very useful information. I will try to contact Ms. Barr using your suggested argument: I will keep you posted as to the outcome.
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NGMsGhost
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Re: BT now charging for access to LycaTalk after 3 yrs
Reply #9 - Feb 17th, 2014 at 7:52pm
 
blutak wrote on Feb 17th, 2014 at 4:58pm:
NGM'sGhost: Many thanks for this very useful information. I will try to contact Ms. Barr using your suggested argument: I will keep you posted as to the outcome.


This shocking practice of charging customers a completely different rate for a product from the one that seems to be advertised and changing the price of the product the consumer is using without telling them beforehand seems to all be too common in the telecoms industry but almost unknown anywhere else than in the land of Pay cable and satellite television.

BT was also caught out only 10 days ago on BBC Radio You & Yours for having increased the minimum cost of a phone call from a BT Payphone using a credit card from £1.20 to £6.50 while the minimum cash fee was 60p.  Under pressure from You & Yours and Ofcom they announced an an embarassing U-Turn and that they would be returning to the old £1.20 charge and refunding customers.

What is so shocking is that it is always BT that is up to these unscrupulous practices including of course having hiked the cost of landline phone rental 150% over 10 years when inflation has been only 50% whilst they also have a new income source from flogging monthly broadband rental on the same line.  Not to mention despicable practices like their Connection Fee at 15p per call instead of 5p minimum charge 10 years ago.

In my view if BT is going to bring in a charge like this where it did not exist before it should advise someone like you that the practice will be changing and tell you what your charges might be in the next quarter if you go on calling the number.  However to make this change silently behind your back is totally outrageous.

I am fighting precisely the same kind of battle with Orange Spain as reported at http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1380832616/0 over having been charged 15.4 Euros per minute to call a UK 03 number that I had every reason to expect would be charged at 0.01 EUR per minute, just as calls to UK 01 and 02 numbers are from the Orange SIM Mundo tariff.  And nowhere does Orange Spain advertise that they consider UK 03 numbers to be Premium Rate.  Not to mention Ofcom GC17 specifically saying that they aren't and can't be Premium Rate.

Good luck with your battle and let us know how you get on.
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« Last Edit: Feb 17th, 2014 at 7:56pm by NGMsGhost »  

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