VoipCheap Credit expiry problem

pricefighter

Some interesting info posted here: http://doulos.wordpress.com/technical-information/betamax-voip/
regarding these suppliers.

GBSahne

Having signed up to VOIPcheap in May / June, the T & C clearly state that the credit will expire in 120 days. However I received an e-mail stating that if you add an additional £10 now then you will retain this credit.

This I did and the credit went from £10 to £20.

After 4 months of using the service though, the calls are no longer free but even so are a fraction of the cost that SkyPe charge. Calls to UK (normal landline) are 1p per minute.

This change from free to charging is also described within the T & C but it states something like, if it is deemed that excessive usage is being used then charging will apply. It doesn't say at what level this is but 4 months of free calls plus now being charged 1p/min is still considerably cheaper than using our landline from Turkey to call the UK.

BexTech

VoIPStunt still offer free calls to the UK and has 120 day free calls per top up.

George_Bray

I signed up to VoipCheap yesterday for the first time. I paid the "£10" credit top-up but was surprised to see that a 50p processing fee and 19% VAT was also added, admittedly before I confirmed payment, so it came to £12.50.

It didn't say anything about the credit 'expiring' so I hope it won't expire or be misappropriated/stolen.

The VoipCheap FAQ notes say:

How long does my credit last for calls?
At VoipCheap, your credit will NOT expire.

What's the deal with the Freedays?
Buying credits entitles you to 90 Freedays (unless stated otherwise). This means you can call all countries in the free* destinations list for 90 days at no costs. When the 90 days are over, you will keep your credit, and the normal rate will be charged for these destinations.

So am I correct in thinking I can make most standard UK landline calls free for 90 days and, after that, I'll pay 1p per minute for UK calls, but with no connection fee, as I get with NTL or 1899. That way, I can use up the £12.50 credit and the average cost of my calls per month should fall. I'm hoping for 90 days free and about 90 days at 1p to use up the £12.50 (1000 minutes).

Is that correct does anyone know? Have VoipCheap stopped the theft of the credit amounts?

redux

George_Bray wrote: »

It didn't say anything about the credit 'expiring' so I hope it won't expire or be misappropriated/stolen.

So am I correct in thinking I can make most standard UK landline calls free for 90 days and, after that, I'll pay 1p per minute for UK calls, but with no connection fee, as I get with NTL or 1899. That way, I can use up the £12.50 credit and the average cost of my calls per month should fall. I'm hoping for 90 days free and about 90 days at 1p to use up the £12.50 (1000 minutes).

Is that correct does anyone know? Have VoipCheap stopped the theft of the credit amounts?

The rest of the thread is a couple of years old. Some time around then the T&C were changed after being tested in German law, and the credit now does not expire [off-topic: similar for German mobile SIM cards].

You might top up again before the freedays expire, using the credit against chargeable calls such as mobiles or 0845 numbers. But for the future, note also that some of the other Betamax brands get slightly better value of 120 freedays for €10 (+ vat) top-up.

Compare all the brands' rates at http://backsla.sh/betamax

kwikbreaks

> note also that some of the other Betamax brands get slightly better value of 120 freedays for €10 (+ vat) top-up

Unfortunately you can't rely on the websites being accurate though - VOIPCheap says 120 days but when you actually top up that magically transforms to 90. I've only just started out on this route since a move from BT to cable made my old 1899 go from 0p per minute to 1p per minute due to having to use an 0808 number instead to access the service.

VOIPCheap works fine but seems to be a bit of a shambles regarding accuracy of pricing etc. If I get 90 days at 0p per minute followed by my £10 credit (which cost more due to the service charge + 19% German VAT) usable at 1p per minute I'll still be well in so can't complain (well I could but I doubt I'd get anywhere).

luci

I've been using Voipbuster which has 120 days free, but this week installed internetcalls.com as it has 120 days free with free calls to the UK.

Blue_Max

ralph wrote: »

When I signed up THERE WAS NO TIME LIMIT. Thus they are breaking the contract entered into when they accepted my money.
I use it regularly to phone China (0.5ppm), but that is 2000 minutes! I occasionally phone UK mobiles using it as well. I also use it for (ALWAYS) free landline calls.

I have £5.65 left on my account.

My credit expires tomorrow. I have fruitlessly emailed them about their contractual obligations. Their own published telephone & fax numbers are false.
My assigned number is used for incoming calls.
I have tried to put more money into my account today, but it says I have too much credit and won't let me!
Has anyone any suggestions, before I lose my credit / number / account?

ralph wrote: »

I was unable to buy more credit. My balance has now gone to zero.

THEY HAVE STOLEN MY £5.65

Now when I access my account I can buy more credit. Min £10 + 16% VAT = £11.60

the quote above and other comments in this thread worries me.
Cos I have quite a lot of credit with them. Much of it is likely to be unused even after the 'freedays' run out.

I have also experienced lots of incorrect charges and they fail to put them right. Complaints to their so called 'customer service' never get replied.

'Terms of Use' link is given at the bottom of the page by various brands of Betamax aka Dellmont Sàrl.
It shows that they are based abroad and with a PO Box address.
Dellmont Sàrl
PO Box 201
L-2012 Luxembourg

Since they are based outside our jurisdiction, it is not practical to make a claim through the Courts.
eg. by using the Small Claims Procedure.

Any helpful comments / suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanx