Should I switch from BT?

jem16 · 13 August 2005 at 12:55PM

I've been reading through the many posts where people have routed their calls to numerous providers other than BT and am wondering whether to make a switch.

Up until now I have used a BT Together plan that is no longer available to new users. It's BT Together Local calls option which for £4.50 extra each month gives me local calls free during weekends and evenings. I do not spend enough on national calls to warrant BT Together 2 at an extra £6pm and nowhere near enough to warrant BT Together 3 as I'm at work during the day and my two sons are at uni ( living at home ) during term time. They have been warned not to make many, long daytime calls and tend not to, although they might if calls were free/cheaper.

However looking at my last few bills I'm wondering whether it's even sensible for me to have the option I have - although I'd have to be sure about giving it up as I couldn't get back on it - as I'm thinking my call level doesn't warrant it. In the last three quarterly bills my maximum number of free calls has been 220 using about 28 hours worth of calls. How many local calls would I have to make each quarter to benefit from the extra £4.50pm?

I have now been looking at justdial saver lite for evening and weekend ( with the bonus of having national calls ) and using call18866 for daytime use. Mobile calls being capped over 20 minutes at off peak and weekend with justdial saver seemed good as my sons phone friends on their mobiles. Has anyone used their service? Do calls get through all the time?

How about 18866? Do calls get through OK with that service too?

Basically I'd like to save money but don't want to end up with call problems. I just want to pick up a phone and be able to get through right away.

Hopefully someone can advise?

the_devil_made_me_do_it · 13 August 2005 at 2:11PM

I was with NTL for my landline. I deceided to switch my landline provider to BT & purchase a V4 dialler from Orchid (see thread about orchid diallers). So at present I'm on BT's basic option and I believe I pay them £10.50 land line rental. I've signed up too 18866. 1899, 18185 and have all my local, national, international, mobiles and 0845/0870 numbers routed via 18866. 1899, 18185 now. I can't comment on savings yet, as I haven't had any bills yet to check, but going on what other money savers have said, I'm confident I'll be saving quite abit.
Looks frightening when you purchase your dialler and download the programme from Orchid that you use to devise your routing plan, but actually, it isn't too bad. And if you do find it a struggle, Orchid customer services are excellent and will set it up for you/go throuh any problems with you, which is a bonus.
Once everything is set up, everytime you make a call, an automated voice tells you what that call is costing ( you hear the automated voice once during the ringing tone), so you can always monitor how much you are spending, plus, you can monitor your invoices online at anytime, just login to 18866. 1899, 18185 and check your invoices from there, very easy.
So, I think basically, you wanna keep ya BT line, tell them you want to have their basic fone package, and buy a dialler. Set up accounts with the providers of your choice and your away. Save getting dis connected from BT and having a faff on trying to get re connected to soemone else.
If you only intend using 18866, then go for the cheaper V2 option, you just plug that into ya fone line and your away, no need to programme.

BexTech · 13 August 2005 at 2:27PM

As above.

Make sure you keep your line rental with BT.

Join a CPS provider - Tele2 are doing free evening and weekend calls at the moment.

Join 18866 for your daytime calls which aren't free on Tele2 as 18866 charge only 2p per call - they are very reliable. You may want to add 1899 for certain other calls.

I don't bother with a dialler box, don't want to spend the money!

jem16 · 13 August 2005 at 3:11PM

BexTech wrote:

As above.

Make sure you keep your line rental with BT.

Join a CPS provider - Tele2 are doing free evening and weekend calls at the moment.

Join 18866 for your daytime calls which aren't free on Tele2 as 18866 charge only 2p per call - they are very reliable. You may want to add 1899 for certain other calls.

I don't bother with a dialler box, don't want to spend the money!

Thanks for the info.

CPS provider - I was thinking about using justdial saver lite as the evening and weekend calls don't seem to be for a limited time like Tele2. Or do you think Tele2 is a better service?

Was thinking about the dialler box as my two sons would probably not reliably use the prefix. I take it you just manually enter the prefix each time?

Heinz · 13 August 2005 at 3:15PM

jem16 wrote:

Up until now I have used a BT Together plan that is no longer available to new users. It's BT Together Local calls option which for £4.50 extra each month gives me local calls free during weekends and evenings.

That £4.50 would pay for 225 calls to UK 01/02 number if you were to use 18866.

I'd recommend you changed to BT Together Option 1 - so you just paid BT (by DD) £10.50/month for your line rental.

Then, as suggested above, sign up for a CPS which'll give you at least free weekend calls to UK 01/02 numbers without you having to pay them a monthly fee (but keep an eye on expiry though because some are crafty and put 'a monthly fee of £x.xx will apply after 12 months' into their T&Cs and you can get caught by that 12 months down the line).

Thirdly, sign up for www.call18866.co.uk and use the 18866 prefix to make all your UK 01/02 calls (even local ones - on which you'll have to use the local STD code) weekdays.

BT are generally regarded as cheapest for 084/087 calls (so you'd bypass whichever CPS you choose by dialling 1280 before such calls) but the new player on the block, 18185.co.uk, is offering 4p/minute for 0870 calls weekdays at the moment - so you may consider signing up for them as well.

BexTech · 13 August 2005 at 3:24PM

jem16 wrote:

Thanks for the info.

CPS provider - I was thinking about using justdial saver lite as the evening and weekend calls don't seem to be for a limited time like Tele2. Or do you think Tele2 is a better service?

Was thinking about the dialler box as my two sons would probably not reliably use the prefix. I take it you just manually enter the prefix each time?

Not used JustDialSaver myself nor know anyone that does, so can't comment on their service, though they do offer mobile calls at a reasonable cost.

I use TalkTalk as at the moment I get free evening and weekend calls, and as most of my friends and family are also on TalkTalk we can call each other for free at anytime.

I know some people on Tele2 and they are happy with them.

Might be worth going with JustDialSaver and finding out how their service is, as well as the other indirect providers.

jem16 · 13 August 2005 at 3:34PM

Heinz wrote:

That £4.50 would pay for 225 calls to UK 01/02 number if you were to use 18866.

Yes I was beginning to think my Local calls option was false economy. Even 200 calls on Option 1 at 5.5p per hour is only £11 compared to the £13.50 I'm spending each quarter. Also as you say I would get 675 calls with 18866 each quarter.

jem16 · 13 August 2005 at 3:38PM

BexTech wrote:

I use TalkTalk as at the moment I get free evening and weekend calls, and as most of my friends and family are also on TalkTalk we can call each other for free at anytime.

I don't know anyone on TalkTalk at present.

Might be worth going with JustDialSaver and finding out how their service is, as well as the other indirect providers.

You may be right. As far as I can see there's no minimum contract time with CPS providers so I can just switch around.

Do you use call18866 much? Do you just manually enter the prefix when you want to use it?

Edinburghlass_2 · 13 August 2005 at 3:42PM

Jem16, call18866 is definately worth using and as I have been using it for two years with absolutely no problems I can certainly recommend it.

I would suggest you go with which ever CPS offers the longest amount of time with free evening and w/end calls and then when that ends switch to another.

I had the same BT package then went to Onetel when it was cheaper and then to TalkTalk when they had a similar offer but free for one year. That year is about to come to an end but as I have several friends on TalkTalk which gives me free calls I will probably stay with them and drop to their basic package.

HTH

jem16 · 13 August 2005 at 3:48PM

Edinburghlass wrote:

I would suggest you go with which ever CPS offers the longest amount of time with free evening and w/end calls and then when that ends switch to another.

HTH

That's why i was looking at just dial saver lite as the free evening w/end calls seems to be for ever ( or at least till they change their t&c ). However perhaps they are not as reliable as somebody else? I suppose I can juts change again if necessary.

the_devil_made_me_do_it · 13 August 2005 at 5:16PM

you don't have to dial any prefix if you bought a dialler, it does it for you, so no chance of forgetting or mis-dialling :j well recomended, especially if you have different people using your telephone.
I ain't using talk talk or tele 2, I'm a simple person whos happy making some savings, don't like to over complicate things

Should I switch from BT?

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