BT 8p call set up fee - when did this start?

Stephenbw

I was on an 18 month Evening & Weekend calling plan with BT and received an email yesterday advising me that I could now change this.

When looking at the various options I noticed that it now says: "Calls to numbers beginning 01, 02 & 03, excluding Channel Islands. 8p set–up fee applies.". When did this start?

I currently use 18185 during the day and BT evenings & weekends but it looks like I will be better off using 18185, with their lower 5p set-up fee, all the time from now on, and restrict my BT calls to 0845/0870 numbers where there is no alternative number.

Heinz

You lost me there.

18185 charge 5p per 01/02/03 call at all times.

On your call plan, BT charge 0p per 01/02/03 call (for up to 60 minutes) evenings and weekends.

I'd say 0p beats 5p every time so using BT evenings and weekends and 18185 weekday daytimes makes more sense.

Stephenbw

Unless I am misunderstanding, it clearly says that there is an 8p set up fee for calls on the Free Evening & Weekend plan.

Link to page

EDIT: It is not made clear on the link I provided above, but it on further investigation it appears that inclusive calls do not have a set-up fee.

Call Set-up Fee
The call set-up fee does not apply to inclusive Weekend calls for customers on the Unlimited Weekend Plan, inclusive Evening and Weekend calls for customers taking the Unlimited Evening & Weekend Plan or the Broadband Talk Evening & Weekend Plan, inclusive any time calls on the Unlimited Anytime Plan or the Broadband Talk Anytime Plan, and calls to Freefone services. Other exclusions apply. From 16th January 2009, the call set-up fee for non-inclusive calls from landlines and for non-inclusive Broadband Talk calls changed from 6.85p to 8p per call. The call set-up fee of 2.93p per call for BT Fusion, In-Contact Plus, Light User Scheme and BT Basic customers remains unchanged.

Sorry for any confusion I may have caused

BT_company_representative

Hello Stephenbw,

BT scrapped its minimum call charge introduced a Call Set-Up Fee on 1 October 2006.

The Call Set-Up Fee is to cover the costs of connecting the call. If the call is free (e.g. you call a landline number during the weekend and you are on the Unlimited Weekend Plan) then the call set-up fee does not apply.

All the best,

Stephanie
BT Support

buglawton

Now being charged 8p + VAT for any call to an 0844 number by BT. Looks like a minimum charge as lots of 8p calls there each lasting varying seconds. Nearly as a scandalous as the original 0870 debacle. So taking up Virgin's bundled line+ broadband deal is looking like a bit of a no-brainer now.

syko29793

buglawton wrote: »

Now being charged 8p + VAT for any call to an 0844 number by BT. Looks like a minimum charge as lots of 8p calls there each lasting varying seconds. Nearly as a scandalous as the original 0870 debacle. So taking up Virgin's bundled line+ broadband deal is looking like a bit of a no-brainer now.

you will now pay virgin 8.80p per call set up fee and all your 0870 and 0845 calls too.

Ypaymore

buglawton wrote: »

So taking up Virgin's bundled line+ broadband deal is looking like a bit of a no-brainer now.

Apart from the dearer call connection charge/ call set up fee you will incur with Virgin, they charge more then BT for calls to 0844 numbers.

Heinz

buglawton wrote: »

Now being charged 8p + VAT for any call to an 0844 number by BT. Looks like a minimum charge as lots of 8p calls there each lasting varying seconds. So taking up Virgin's bundled line+ broadband deal is looking like a bit of a no-brainer now.

Why? Do you think Virgin doesn't do the same? It is always the case that, when using one of these 'gateway' numbers to access a cheap route to an international (or other) destination, the call is deemed to have been connected (i.e. you start paying) as soon as you have finished dialling the gateway number's 11 digits and the recorded announcement starts (i.e. before you even start dialling your target number).

Ypaymore wrote: »

Apart from the dearer call connection charge/ call set up fee you will incur with Virgin, they charge more then BT for calls to 0844 numbers.

For some (certainly for those for which BT would charge ½p per minute) they charge double - and they add 1p to many of the others (e.g. 1p = 2p, 5p = 6p).

buglawton

With Virgin I would get a practically free phone line to offset the higher charges to 0845/0870 etc that VM charge. have hesitated to do it up to now due to BT being competitive with their connection charges - until I read this thread and realise it's crept up to nearly 10p ( I remember this being a few p about 5 years ago - is inflation really 25% per annum?)

Scrounger

BT prices up again on 1 October 2009:

From 1 October 2009, the call set-up fee will increase to 9.05p.

From 1 October 2009, the UK Daytime pence per minute rate will go up from 4.5p per minute to 5.25p per minute.

Detailed in the August 09 'BT Update' magazine (page 9).

Scrounger

Farway

buglawton wrote: »

With Virgin I would get a practically free phone line to offset the higher charges to 0845/0870 etc that VM charge. have hesitated to do it up to now due to BT being competitive with their connection charges - until I read this thread and realise it's crept up to nearly 10p ( I remember this being a few p about 5 years ago - is inflation really 25% per annum?)

You would also be at the mercy of anything Virgin cared to charge or do, becuase once you have parted from BT and the copper landline, and had fibre optic cable configured, you have no choice what ever of supplier, there is only Virgin