Primus and 0844calls

littlemissmoney

Hi

I joined Primus Saver 2 last month and just got my first bill (£1.19 :T). During the month I made a few evening calls to mobiles and used 0844calls. Before the mobile calls I dialled 08444282525 and got the automated message saying "calls charged at 4p per min". But on the Primus bill I have been charged 1p per minute after VAT. I'm not moaning (obviously!) but am I missing something here? If not, others might want to try this

mobilegossip

The 4p a minute announcement relates to calls made via BT.

Calls can vary depending on supplier,but not usually downwards.

littlemissmoney

Thanks, that seem excellent then Are the Primus charges to 0844 numbers on the web anywhere just to confirm 1p a min is correct?

I can only find this:
http://www.planet-talk.co.uk/SaverRates.aspx?source=saver

On my Primus bill the 0844calls are showing as "BT Local Rate Call". But the prices of these calls don't seem to be on that webpage. I am just worried the prices might go up and I wouldn't know untill it was too late and I got the bill.

mobilegossip

I understand from posts that i have read here and elsewhere that Primus charging of NGN calls is a " bit of mess" and to be on the safe side its best to use the BT override service 1280 and place your calls through BT.

bbb_uk

I agree with mobilegossip and use BT override service 1280 and route the call via BT to ensure you get charged as mentioned.

The way revenue sharing on these numbers work mean that generally many companies charge the same or slightly higher than BT. If Primus are charging less than the price mentioned on Calls0844 then it is very likely a mistake on Primus' behalf because simply they can't undercut BT unless its a mistake or special limited offer (the latter is not likely on these numbers).

littlemissmoney

Thanks mobilegossip and bbb_uk Now I have to decide whether to risk using Primus and hope the calls stay at 1p or use BT and know they are 4p. Hmmmm :cool:

mobilegossip

littlemissmoney wrote:

Thanks mobilegossip and bbb_uk Now I have to decide whether to risk using Primus and hope the calls stay at 1p or use BT and know they are 4p. Hmmmm :cool:

They have been known to charge for Freephone calls i understand.So check your bill carefully.;)

bbb_uk

littlemissmoney wrote:

Thanks mobilegossip and bbb_uk Now I have to decide whether to risk using Primus and hope the calls stay at 1p or use BT and know they are 4p. Hmmmm :cool:

If you are certain the calls are only 1p/min then continue to use Primus but be careful to check bills regularly in case they realise their mistake and correct it accordingly.

When/if Primus do realise their mistake then check that the price charged by Primus is 4p/min and not slightly higher like OneTel charge.

The use of 0844 isn't that common yet (but is likely to be when 0870 loses its revenue share) so teleco's don't bother adding extra money on top of the cost of the call. In contrast to 0845/0870 many teleco's charge an extra premium on top of these calls because they are very, very common so it's a nice little earner for the teleco's. In fact, NTL (and possibly Telewest) from October will charge 10p/min daytime to an 0870 number whereas BT will only charge 7p/min.