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Directory inquiries

alanty
alanty Posts: 25 Forumite
in Phones & TV
i got a shock when looking at my BT bill
i am being charged £3.18p for a 16sec call (118 505)
and £2.30 for a 1min &9sec call (11800)


I called BT customer services and the person with a poor understanding of English who answered my call apparantly did not know what directory inquiries was till i explaned to him then he did not know what the bt directory inquiries number was and he then had to ask someone and after a considerable delay i received an answer ,BUT NO EXPLANATION OF THESE CHARGES.This is a condensed version of what went on
Then he asked if there was anything else he could help me with

Then to top it all i was asked to complete a survey about customer satisfaction of the service i had received

It beggers belief


Any comments anyone or explanations?
«1

Comments

  • Viper_7
    Viper_7 Posts: 1,220 Forumite
    You pay for the service!

    You'll get the same service free on-line via BT

    Anything else we can help you with?!
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    Or, far cheaper, follow Martin's recommendation:
    The GM Group's 118 226 allows up to two enquiries for 23.5p

    For a flat 23.5p no matter how long the call lasts, you can make up to two enquiries per call. Run by a little known company G.M. Group, actually the Directory Enquiry service is provided for it by BT, with the same call centre staff doing it as its other operations. The service is really designed to appeal to businesses, yet there's nothing stopping consumers from using it.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • david29dpo
    david29dpo Posts: 3,976 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Have you not seen the stupid ads on tv with the ripoff charges?
  • Jemma-T
    Jemma-T Posts: 1,546 Forumite
    If you used the service you should pay for it.

    Free online version http://www.thephonebook.bt.com/publisha.content/en/search/residential/search.publisha

    And yes, it really is free.
  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    DON'T use any of these services !

    The BT web site isn't bad, though it can be a bit pedantic about exactly how you put in names etc.
    Think of other ways you can get the number, if you want M & S in Aberdeen: try their website or 'phone your local branch and ask them.

    Above all - if you HAVE to use one of these companies DON'T take up their offer to "connect" you !
  • DonnyDave
    DonnyDave Posts: 1,579 Forumite
    Why do people still ring directory enquiries services on the phone??

    The same information can be gleemed for free off the internet:

    BT: https://www.thephonebook.com
    192.com: https://www.192.com

    Or via a mobile phone's WAP browser:

    BT: wap.thephonebook.com
    Dave
    Say no to 0870!
  • BexTech
    BexTech Posts: 4,772 Forumite
    There's always the 2 free DQ services.
    It's PAC not PAC Code, it's MAC not MAC Code, it's PIN not PIN Number, it's ATM not ATM Machine, it's LCD not LCD Display, it's DVD not DVD disc... It's no one not noone, It's a lot not alot, It's got not gotten... Panini is the plural of panino - there is no S!!
    (OK my English isn't great, the sciences, maths & IT are my strong points!)
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    BexTech wrote: »
    There's always the 2 free DQ services.
    It's been down to one for a while now.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I always use BT.com - never had a problem
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • BexTech
    BexTech Posts: 4,772 Forumite
    Heinz wrote: »
    It's been down to one for a while now.


    Shows how much I use them!
    It's PAC not PAC Code, it's MAC not MAC Code, it's PIN not PIN Number, it's ATM not ATM Machine, it's LCD not LCD Display, it's DVD not DVD disc... It's no one not noone, It's a lot not alot, It's got not gotten... Panini is the plural of panino - there is no S!!
    (OK my English isn't great, the sciences, maths & IT are my strong points!)
This discussion has been closed.
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