International & UK CallChecker discussion

Heinz

rapido wrote: »

Still doesn't work... now it says "number you have dialled is not recognised" and disconnects.

Obviously no-one reads this thread!

-rapido

I do - but I'm not sure what you expect of readers.

Twice in 8 months your call attempts have failed. I'm afraid that is the chance you take with these cheap companies. Hopefully, others have read your comments and will, if they see fit, avoid using 0871 335 0011.

jhp

rapido wrote: »

Still doesn't work... now it says "number you have dialled is not recognised" and disconnects.

Obviously no-one reads this thread!

-rapido

Have you bothered to tell them ?

http://www.planet-talk.co.uk/instant/contact-us.html

rapido

Heinz wrote: »

I do - but I'm not sure what you expect of readers.

I didn't mean you! I meant those who maintain the Callchecker.

Yes, I did tell Planet Talk after each occasion, no reply so far.

I suspect they have no reason to "fix" it as they make more money when a call doesn't succeed.

NonGeographicalMan

paul203360 wrote: »

A copule of times i have used 0844Calls and CheapestCalls to dial abroad. After dialing the access number and entering the number i wanted to call, it starts to ring, someone speaking that countries language answers and says hang on i will just get them. Then you can hear somone running to find the person you were calling. After a few seconds the line goes dead.

This has happened on two different calls now and must be a scam, i asked the person i was calling the first time it happened who that was answering and they had no idea what i was talking about. They had the phone with them and it never rang at all.

I just tried calling a Spanish mobile number of my English relative out in Mallorca (Spain) from my PostOffice HomePhone landline via 0844calls at a supposed 2.04p per minute plus 9.6p per connection (the area where all the 0844 robbers and your telcos sting you due to the great connection fee ripoff that useless OfCoN and the equally useless OFT do nothing about) .

Each time the line sounded like it was ringing but then it stopped and then it started ringing again and finally I was told by a verbal announcement that the line was busy. This makes no sense as I later established with the person I was calling that their line was clear all the time but that their phone made some weird chunterings at the time I would have called but these were nothing like its usual ring sound for an incoming phone call.

Then I called them with 18185 and of course I got straight through with excellent voice clarity but at 8p per minute. But at least you only pay if the person you are calling answers you (I disabled that ripoff called voicemail when I was last out there) and the call connects normally.

I don't know why this site lists the various scam brands like 0844Calls for calling Spanish mobiles as in several summers of trying to call my relatives out there on a Spanish mobile they have never worked but have always eaten up lots of connection fees and first minute call fees for which you get precisely nothing. I am beginning to think MSE must be getting advertising revenue from 0844calls to still be in the listings at the top of the list (due to the cheap price quoted) and does not check if the service actually works. The feedback given on these services also seems to be wholly misleading since they also all have exactly the same score.

Come on MSE sort your act out and only list overseas calling services that actually work and that are not a deliberate and blatant scam that rely on the call connection fee and first minute of call ripoff without you ever speaking to anyone. I totally agree with rapido that MSE throught its negligence in listing 084/7 services that take your money but don't ever work seems to be in bed with the scammers.:mad::mad::mad::eek:

manstead

Cheapest calls to UK Mobiles I can find is 4.09p a minute using the access number 0844 904 4039 from call123.co.uk.

NonGeographicalMan

manstead wrote: »

Cheapest calls to UK Mobiles I can find is 4.09p a minute using the access number 0844 904 4039 from call123.co.uk.

You will find it is not the cheapest because of connection fees per call to 0844 numbers of 10p per call plus 4p for the first minute even if the person you are calling doesn't answer.

Contrast this with https://www.18185.co.uk where you just dial a prefix code on your landline then the normal number and are not charged if the other person doesn't answer (if they don't have voicemail).

Most of the cheapest 0844 providers seem to only manage to quote this price by purposely failing to connect a large number of their calls which they then still take the money on.:eek::mad::mad::mad:

Heinz

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

You will find it is not the cheapest because of connection fees per call to 0844 numbers of 10p per call plus 4p for the first minute even if the person you are calling doesn't answer.

12½p if you're a BT residential customer.

NonGeographicalMan

Heinz wrote: »

12½p if you're a BT residential customer.

Those complacent idlers at the OFT should clearly start an investigation as the 12.5p minimum call charge in no way reflects the true underlying cost of connecting a call or any reasonable profit margin on doing so

But of course as long as they still produce leaflets claiming there 0845 number is "local rate" then what hope is that the OFT will ever actually "get it"?

18185 connection fee is only 4p for international calls or 5p for UK calls by the way.

Heinz

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

18185 connection fee is only 4p for international calls or 5p for UK calls by the way.

But you cannot make 0844 calls via 18185 (unfortunately) so you're stuck with your calls provider's connection/set-up fee (which almost invariably, is a sheep-like following of BT's prices).

chappy

Hi all,

Going over to Spain next week and I am looking for the cheapest way for our son to ring us from our uk landline, which is Virgin, to a Spanish mobile,

I have always used Phonecheap but last time we went over the monthly virgin bill was a lot more than we was expecting,

I have been looking at the voIP website, are the calls clear enough to hear the other person and do they have a good connection rate

Also 18185 can anyone tell me how good these are,

Many thanks
Jayne