Scary News From Talktalk!

Bleata

I am shortly off to Asia and due to illness want my family to be able to call. My Mum is with BT but has done the deal for all landline calls to be inclusive for something like £10.99 with TalkTalk. I heard that for Mum to be able to use International Callchecker without incurring extra charges she can over-ride Talk Talk by ringing 1280 and then waiting for a dialling tone. The dialling tone didn't happen today. I rang TalkTalk, and asked for a "supervisor". I was told that since 2nd October 2006 the over-ride code does not work, and a punter with such an arrangement will have no other choice than to go through Talk Talk and use their international rates. Is this true? Have I missed an article?

Ta,

Bleata:mad:

Edinburghlass_2

I don't know how you would get a dial tone after dialing 1280

You dial 1280 followed immediately by the number you are dialing to route the call through BT.

Poppycat

You can use 18866 to get around talk talk. Although I dont use international calls I do use local/national during daytime via 18866 when I am with talk talk.

Calls in UK are free. International vary but examples are Pakistan 5p, India 14p, South Korea 3p

http://www.call18866.co.uk

Edinburghlass_2

Cheaper with www.call1899.co.uk or https://www.call18185.co.uk as 18866 connection charge is 1p more

If you have free call display you need to route at least two calls per month through BT by using 1280 to keep it free.

Poppycat

Argh yes I forgot that one, same company I think, although I just use 18866

Since using them I saved quite a bit over last 18 months.

billsavings

If your Mum has switched her line rental to Talk Talk the BT 1280 service will not work,and they can also bar calls to access numbers like 18185.

If her line rental is still with BT, 1280 should work, you pick up phone get ringing tone,then dial the number in full prefixed by 1280 eg 128001234567891,but you want get another ringing tone immediately after 1280!!!

But as suggested its a good idea to register her with https://www.18185.co.uk for cheaper intl calls.

billsavings

Poppycat wrote:

Argh yes I forgot that one, same company I think, although I just use 18866

Since using them I saved quite a bit over last 18 months.

I am surprised you are still using 18866 .:D

https://www.18185.co.uk is cheaper for geographical,mobile,and non geo 0845/0870 calls.

Bleata

Thanks to everyone for replies.

However, I am still not clear. Yes, I am familiar with International Call Checker, plus am registered for myself on my cable line with 18185. But the supervisor at Talk Talk told me that since Oct 2 BT subscribers registered with Talk Talk will be charged Talk Talk international rates for calls abroad, whatever numbers they dial. Is this not true then?

Bleata

bbb_uk

I agree with billsavings.

So long as you continue to pay linerental to BT and NOT TalkTalk then TalkTalk can't stop you from using override providers whatsoever because they dont have you on their linerental.

That means assuming just your outgoing calls only are going through TalkTalk then just the likes of Call18185, etc by dialling their shortcode 18185 and then the number you require.

If, however, you pay your linerental to TalkTalk they may (and have done so to many people) stop you from using Call18185 or even the BT override 1280.

To be honest, it sounds like the £10.99 inclusive deal is the one they did with free broadband as well in that case the linerental is also with TalkTalk which means the choice of other suppliers can be severely reduced if TalkTalk have chosen to block indirect access codes like Call18185, etc and/or BT.

Edinburghlass_2

By a BT subscriber I take it you mean the line rental is with BT and calls with TalkTalk?

I have my line rental with BT and my calls through TalkTalk and this is simply not true. If I dial 1280 on its own, there will be no dial tone because it is not a complete number. If I dial 128045679012345 or whatever the call is then routed through BT and has nothing whatsoever to do with TalkTalk.

As a "BT subscriber" with TalkTalk for my calls, since 2 October I have used 18185, 1899 and 1280 all of which go onto to their own separate bills and are nothing to do with TalkTalk.

This is all assuming your mother doesn't pay her line rental to TalkTalk as well as her calls.

Bleata

Thanks very much for last two replies - I will find out today exactly what deal my Mum has. For certain it doesn't include Broadband, as she does not have a computer.

It's all still complicated though!

Thanks again,

Bleata