Help with UK landline to Spanish mobile

[codger]

We've used a variety of call relay services over the years thanks to Martin's CallChecker but are getting increasingly frustrated.

We need to find a RELIABLE and CONSISTENT relay service which will provide an override from a BT landline in the UK to a Spanish mobile -- it's actually in The Canary Islands, not mainland Spain.

We don't want to sign up to a pre-paid service, rather, we prefer a provider which simply charges the cost-per-minute to our BT phone bill, as and when.

I won't bore others here with a long story but basically we've encountered too many outfits promising call rates of from 2p to 12p per minute which aren't, in fact, providing any kind of connection at all.

The latest call relay service -- taken, like all the others, from MSE CallChecker -- deliberately blathers on for exactly one minute at the start (so as to get its first 10p of the call, whether the overseas connection is made or not) and then comes back with number unobtainable.

In fact, the number, when then dialled direct from our BT landline, answers immediately.

It's now obvious to us that what we need is something rather more than the CallChecker list alone: we need the benefit of others' personal experience.

Amongst the thousands of MSErs out there, is there anyone who uses, and can recommend, an override / call relay service, BT landline UK -- Canary Islands (Spanish) mobile?

Many thanks!

[Heinz]

I use 18185 (8p/minute) myself and get connected every time. Admitedly, the mobile I call is on Menorca, not in the Canaries.

However, if you don't want to open an account, one of the gateway providers is your best bet (charges appear on your BT bill).

The drawback (apart from the one you've highlighted) is that you start paying before you've even dialled your target number.

There are 3 such gateway providers charging 7p/minute via 0871 numbers:

http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert...r/spain-mobile

EDIT.

It appears the Telcos don't treat the Canaries as part of Spain!

See http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert...islands-mobile

and http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert...canary_islands

[codger]

Heinz: many thanks for that! I think you've identified the crux of the problem here and the explanation for all the problems we keep encountering.

MSE Callchecker at the moment shows only italk247 providing an override UK landline / Canaries mobile.

But in fact it's italk247 that has consistently proved to be one of the worst overriders we've dealt with: it doesn't connect, its rates vary wildly (2p not that long ago for a non-connection, now 10p for a non-connection) and it takes great pains to ensure its "welcome message" is a full 60 secondsworth of useless hype.

We're going to try again with Planet Calling, because this is our landline-to-landline override service and has proved consistently dependable for the past 12 months. . . apart, that is, from mobiles to the Canaries.

We've wasted what seems like hours, ploughing through MSE CallChecker lists for UK landline / Canaries mobile override providers, all of which turn out to have anything but an agreed idea as to how to identify what the customer is actually after:

* some list Spain (mobiles) only;

* some list Canary Islands (mobiles) as a different calling destination to Spain (mobiles).

Either way, none of the overriders we've checked have actually managed to connect to the Spain mobile or the Canary Islands mobile. They've just pocketed the money from their 'welcome message" and run.

Planet Calling, which as noted has in our experience been a service well worthy of recommendation to others, does at least appear to have gone to the trouble of listing different numbers for different Spanish mobile networks (MovieStar, Vodafone Espana, etc).

We're now going to work through 'em (sigh).

If we're successful, this is surely going to indicate what too many of these providers are telling MSE CallChecker about their "service" simply isn't true. . .

Hence my disappointment at seeing the awful italk247 currently getting star billing on MSE for its (non-existent) override BT landline / Canary Islands mobile service.

[gorblimeyguvnor]

Hi, wife calls father-in-law in Teneriffe quite regularly using 18185 at 8p per min. Mobile number starts 0034 and generally no connection problems.

[Heinz]

Originally Posted by gorblimeyguvnor

Hi, wife calls father-in-law in Teneriffe quite regularly using 18185 at 8p per min. Mobile number starts 0034 and generally no connection problems.

Interesting, and that may account for 18185's website not listing Canary Islands as a separate international destination - they actually treat the islands as part of Spain (which, of course, they are).

Better still, 18185 charges on connection, not halfway through dialling and not at all if the target number is engaged.

codger - is that your solution?

[codger]

gorblimeyguvor / Heinz:
Can't thank you both enough -- seriously!

I've actually taken a leaf from your respective books and been in touch with 18185.

As a result, I've now registered our UK landline number, UK mobile and appropriate credit card with the service (it'll take until tomorrow for registration to be confirmed.)

It very much looks as though our family's comms problems are over, thanks entirely to the prompt help of you pair. So. . .

Muchas gracias, amigos!!

[redux]

On any of these services, there really is no need to listen to the welcome message until it's end; just dial the destination number.

If your landline has inclusive package to UK landlines, or you'll call off-peak, then also look at callthrough from DialNow or JustVoip for about 5p/min and no connection fee