BT not allowing 1280 to qualify for caller display?

moginstein

Hi, I have just found a low usage charge on my BT bill of £2.50, for caller display. My line rental is with BT, calls are provided by primus, but I can call 1280 for calls to be routed via BT. Having queried it, the charge has been removed, but I was told by BT that I just had to make 6 calls per quarter, or 2 per month to qualify for it for free. In the last quarter, I made 9 calls - so should have had no problems.
I have now been told this option has been withdrawn - is this true (there could have been some confusion as I transfered from quarterly to monthly bills just after).
Hope BT represetative can clarify.

BT_company_representative

Hi Moginstein

I am really sorry but the 1280 prefix no longer does the trick in all instances. I imagine this might be the reason why your 9 chargeable calls were not logged . There is some info on it here:

http://www.calls.bt.com/1280/?s_cid=con_FURL_calls_1280

I hope this helps clear things up.

Cheers

Craig
BT Support

Heinz

Not for the first time, a BT 'advisor' has been making it up as he/she goes along.

I am also with Primus for my calls and use of the 1280 prefix 'does the trick' as Craig puts it.

BTW, Craig's link is an old one which explains, almost in code, that some CPS calls providers have changed to providing their CPS calls packages by using BT Wholesale's WCLI (Wholesale Calls Line Independent) and, because that routes calls over the BT network, using the 1280 prefix cannot route an individual call over the BT network - because all calls are already there!

Primus does not use WCLI so the 1280 prefix does work (i.e. its use does override your CPS provider and does route an individual call via the BT network).

moginstein

Absolutely correct Heinz - and mysteriously, the 9 calls I did make are all on my BT bill as part of my inclusive package. Nothing on the BT website to say anything else about it being removed - any BT rep want to check to see if I have been misinformed? The information I have been given by BT on the e-mail states
" I am afraid, 1280 option has been withdrawn. "
I can still make calls using 1280, and these are appearing on my BT bill as inclusive - so do they qualify for caller display and its just a mix up in the months, or have the rules changed without warning?

Heinz

moginstein wrote: »

" I am afraid, 1280 option has been withdrawn. "

At a guess, that 'almost but not quite correct' grammar came from India - and we all know the veracity of the replies people receive from BT's Indian sub-contractors!

moginstein

Latest update - they now agree that I have made 9 calls, but warn me that 1280 is being removed, and they don't know when, refering me to http://www.calls.bt.com/1280
Still haven't said if the error is from changing from quarterly to monthly billing, or what has gone wrong.

For anyone else, I would advise that when you make you 1280 call to qualify, you check that it is appearing on your bill (as BT say that your provider will allow it but charge you and it won't be a BT call).

Oh - by the way - it seems strange that I am being charged £2.50 for caller display, when the website states

"Otherwise, you will be charged £5.25 per quarter/£1.75 per month."
http://btsupport.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/btsupport.cfg/php/enduser/cci/bt_adp.php?cat_lvl1=1895&p_cv=1.1895&p_cats=1895&p_faqid=11528

Heinz

moginstein wrote: »

Latest update - they now agree that I have made 9 calls, but warn me that 1280 is being removed, and they don't know when, refering me to http://www.calls.bt.com/1280
Still haven't said if the error is from changing from quarterly to monthly billing, or what has gone wrong.

For anyone else, I would advise that when you make you 1280 call to qualify, you check that it is appearing on your bill (as BT say that your provider will allow it but charge you and it won't be a BT call).

Oh - by the way - it seems strange that I am being charged £2.50 for caller display, when the website states

"Otherwise, you will be charged £5.25 per quarter/£1.75 per month."
http://btsupport.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/btsupport.cfg/php/enduser/cci/bt_adp.php?cat_lvl1=1895&p_cv=1.1895&p_cats=1895&p_faqid=11528

Again referring to that old link is just another (IMHO, amateur) attempt to convince you to 'come back to BT' (1280 is not 'being removed' per se, it just won't work on CPS calls services if the provider has changed/changes to providing same via BT Wholesale's WCLI).

Where chargeable, Caller Display went up (along with a number of other Calling Features like Call Diversion) from £1.75 to £2.50 on 1-7-09 (IIRC) so it sounds like they have forgotten to update that part of one of their plethora of convoluted websites.

BT_company_representative

Hi moginstein,

The info you got in the email isn’t correct, BT isn’t withdrawing the 1280 prefix.

The 1280 prefix will not work with some providers, but yours doesn’t fall into this category, and the prefix will still work with them.

I can’t say exactly what’s going on without checking your account, but it’s good to hear the advisor was able to find the “missing” calls and you got the charge refunded back.

By the sound of it you were able to get this sorted, but if you’d like me to look into this further just drop me an email with your details (but remember to include your MSE username!) I am glad however you got the rental for the caller display back. The email address is [EMAIL="btcare@bt.com"]btcare@bt.com[/EMAIL]

Heinz, many thanks for pointing that error on the site out, I’ve reported it to our website guys.

Cheers,

Stephanie

moginstein

Thanks Stephanie and Heinz
Dissapointingly, the e-mail I have still doesn't answer why I was charged in the first place, and the person who answered is hankering after feedback for personal development (as they think they have answered my problem).
I have asked for further clarification, but would appreciate it if I could possibly contact you if it isn't resolved. Can you PM me with your e-mail?
Many thanks,
Moginstein

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DVardysShadow

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi moginstein,

The info you got in the email isn’t correct, BT isn’t withdrawing the 1280 prefix.

The 1280 prefix will not work with some providers, but yours doesn’t fall into this category, and the prefix will still work with them.

I can’t say exactly what’s going on without checking your account, but it’s good to hear the advisor was able to find the “missing” calls and you got the charge refunded back.

Time for BT to crack the whip over its call centres and brief them properly rather than letting them make up rubbish on the hoof.

The Indian Call centres debacle will be recognised as the ruination of BT in about 20 years time - ie too late. Ho hum, lets wait for the undergraduate Business Studies case studies to come out!