International and UK CallChecker Discussion Area

Heinz

As you'll realise if you check out the 'HERE' link in my signature below, I'm a Primus Saver Option 2 'subscriber' - but there's no way I'd pay anything like 3½p/minute to call NZ.

In fact, it's 3½p/minute is 3½ times more per minute than I'd pay (even though I'd never even consider using a pre-pay provider, the CallChecker shows me 7 gateway [dial-through] and 2 prefix [indirect access] providers which offer 1p/minute rates).

BTW, the Callcheckers only show rates from BT landlines.

theloft

Heinz, Can you or anyone else help. My credit card was changed due to an attempted fraud, resulting in 18185 not being able to get their bill paid. I emailed 18185 several times, (because as the bill had not been paid they blocked my access), telling them that I could not log in to change my credit details. Eventually I sauggested that I get a completely new account. They closed the old one but I still cannot get the site to register any new details. I have emailed them countless times, but keep getting standard responses back, all ending with -"Register on our website" . As I am unable to do this I am knackered. If you can suggest a way round this I would be grateful.
I too am a Primus 2 user and if I go to Cheapchat or similar, do I need to access BT with 1280 first ?
Thanks & Happy Christmas to all.

Heinz

theloft wrote: »

Heinz, Can you or anyone else help. My credit card was changed due to an attempted fraud, resulting in 18185 not being able to get their bill paid. I emailed 18185 several times, (because as the bill had not been paid they blocked my access), telling them that I could not log in to change my credit details. Eventually I sauggested that I get a completely new account. They closed the old one but I still cannot get the site to register any new details. I have emailed them countless times, but keep getting standard responses back, all ending with -"Register on our website" . As I am unable to do this I am knackered. If you can suggest a way round this I would be grateful.
I too am a Primus 2 user and if I go to Cheapchat or similar, do I need to access BT with 1280 first ?
Thanks & Happy Christmas to all.

OK. Recoverable quite easily (I think).

I think the problem at the moment is that their system won't let you change card details online because there's an outstanding bill. You need to clear that first.

I assume you have received an email like this:

Dear 18185 customer,

We are sorry to inform your bank has declined payment. This could be due to several reasons but unfortunately our creditcard acquirer is not in a position to inform us of the reasons why a card payment has been declined. However to ensure you can continue making discount calls we would like to request alternative payment of your invoice.

There are two ways to settle your outstanding amount of £ 1.86 **

1. Change your payment details
To have the outstanding amount collected from a different credit/debit card please go to customer login. Once logged in please click the link 'Your personal details' and follow the instructions to change your payment details. Please note that if you change your payment details we will automatically try to collect from your new credit/debitcard; therefore there is no need to transfer the funds once you have changed your card details.
If you enter new credit/debitcard details please ensure your card is valid (see the valid from date on your card) as we will immediately try to re-collect. If your card is not valid yet please wait until it's valid before entering your new details.

If several previous attempts to collect the outstanding balance have been unsuccessful and you receive the message that we will not accept new payment details you can only settle the outstanding amount via online banking.

2. Online banking
Please go to customer login to view instructions how to pay by bank transfer. Please ensure to mention your customer number 123456789

Unfortunately we do not accept cheque payments or postal orders.
It may take up to 7 working days before your payment is received and processed.

You can view your itemised invoices online on www.call18866.co.uk. Once logged in click on “Your online itemised invoice” or “Invoices / Itemised calls” at the bottom of the page where you will find all your invoices listed. By clicking on “Invoice” or “Itemised calls” you can see an itemised list of all the calls you have made.

Kind regards,
18185 Credit Control
www.call18866.co.uk

** The outstanding amount of £ 1.86 relates to invoice no. 123456789/x plus any previous invoices that may have remained unpaid minus any bank transfers you may have arranged in the past.

This is an automatically generated email, replies should be sent to Customer Services) when making a payment. We match payments by customer number therefore if you do not mention your customer number as a description your payment may not be automatically added to your 18866 account.

If so (or if you've just received the usual email notification of the bill), you know exactly how much the failed credit card call was for (i.e. the instead of the £1.86 in the above email) and that is the amount you need to settle. The easiest way to do so is to make an online BACS payment. I got the below information following someone else's failed payment to 18866 but I know it has also worked recover the situation for someone else's 1899 account so there's every chance it'll work for 18185 too (they're all the same company after all). In other words, as long as you quote your correct 9-digit 18185 account number on the 4th line, it should get through OK.

Pay to: CONNECT TELECOM UK
Sort code: 15-10-00
Account number: 22069880
Reference: Your 9-digit 1899 A/C number

Give it a week or so and I reckon you'll be able to go online and change the card details.

Best of luck.

theloft

Heinz wrote: »

OK. Recoverable quite easily (I think). I think the problem at the moment is that their system won't let you change card details online because there's an outstanding bill. You need to clear that first.
Thanks, but THAT is not the problem! when I could not log in to change my card details, I paid them by bank transfer. This was received OK and they told me that I could go ahead and log in, but I could not. I cleared all history, temporary files etc. Ensured Cookies were allowed and still could not log in. 18185 have been no help, just sending standard responses. Eventually I suggested closing account and registering a new one, but the site will not accept my registration! A conundrum I think you will agree. I will no longer be able to log in to my old account as that has been closed and I can no longer use 18185! What about my query on Cheapchat?

Heinz

I think the problem with 18185 may have been because you didn't wait long enough after making your BACS payment and so their systems hadn't caught up with the fact that you'd settled the outstanding invoice when you tried to make changes.

I always recommend using the 1280 prefix when dialling 0844/0871 numbers to ensure you pay the BT price list for such calls.

Although I have no personal experience of CheapChat, they appear to be just another gateway provider so, yes, use the 1280 prefix.

theloft

Heinz wrote: »

I think the problem with 18185 may have been because you didn't wait long enough after making your BACS payment and so their systems hadn't caught up with the fact that you'd settled the outstanding invoice when you tried to make changes..

Thanks, Heinz for the confirmation. It must be some other problem, because I cannot log in to 1899 either (are they sister companies?). I waited several days and tried numerous times, but no luck. Do you think it may be because I ama very low user, as we call the States once a fortnight, NZ every 6 months and use 18185 for mobile calls. Now I have read your full precis again I am going to ask Primus to put me on their penny mobile call deal.
But it is really weird that I cannot log in to either 1899 or 18185. I am not having this trouble anywhere else.

Heinz

theloft wrote: »

TDo you think it may be because I ama very low user, as we call the States once a fortnight, NZ every 6 months and use 18185 for mobile calls.

I don't think the 'low user' aspect can be the cause - I had a completely dormant 18866 account for over a year and, when I resurrected it (put an elderly relative onto it), it worked as if I (she) hadn't been away.

redux

It makes me laugh that cheap calls providers have spent ages falling over themselves to offer very cheap rates to non-existent destinations, perhaps only in order to appear well in rate comparisons like here.

And now that one of those destinations does actually exist, none of them that I've tried so far can route calls to there anyway.

Alinaviolet

Hi,

It states Jajah as 2p a mimn to Portugal mobiles,this was the case and i used them for moths having found the info here.

But since last Monday,6 days !! there rates on site still say 2p but any time i try to call its 11p a minute !!! big difference on jajah forum others have same problem and jajah support is near non existant.

I feel if its now going to be always 11p a minute their website is very misleading ......

I had a reply from jajah saying that it says in small print that call charge may vary but 11p per minute is all its been for past 6 days now...

Any chance martin or someone can look into this
please,I would be most grateful as i phone a couple of times a week and cheapest alternative i found is dialnow and its much more expensive than jajah old rates

Thanks
Sue

far

redux wrote: »

It makes me laugh that cheap calls providers have spent ages falling over themselves to offer very cheap rates to non-existent destinations, perhaps only in order to appear well in rate comparisons like here.

And now that one of those destinations does actually exist, none of them that I've tried so far can route calls to there anyway.

I have to say that for 5 years now, my mother and I have been taking advantage of these so-called "unreliable" cheap call providers and whilst not every connection has been successful, clear or without problems; the fact is that over 90% of the time, the calls have been successfully completed and are at least as clear as calling via BT. The simple fact is this - you can use BT if you wish and, if like my mother, you call overseas destinations 2-3 times a week, you can pay hundereds of pounds extra if you wish. However, if you don't wish to, try some of the providers in the call checker and see how you go. You can always go back to BT if you wish.