Sky Talk Unlimited charges for local call numbers

prowla

We've been caught out with our Sky Talk, where they charge 6.13p/min to 0845 "Local NTS" numbers that are supposedly at local rates to the caller.

We generally try and find an alternative national number via saynoto0870, as national calls are included in our package, but sometimes there isn't one given.

Does anybody know if Sky are planning to change their billing for these numbers?

Buzby

'Local' may be a descriptive geographical term, but has no relevance to telecom billing these days, as there is no such thing as a 'local call'. It was the GPO/PO/BT that instigated the 'local' exchange call tariff, followed by 'a' rate for calls outside the local area up to 35Km, and 'b' for those over this mark - supossedly 'long distance'.

When all this was dispensed with, the cost of a call within the UK was based not on distance, but time (duration), and this was copied by the competitors.

Heinz

Buzby wrote: »

'Local' may be a descriptive geographical term, but has no relevance to telecom billing these days, as there is no such thing as a 'local call'. It was the GPO/PO/BT that instigated the 'local' exchange call tariff, followed by 'a' rate for calls outside the local area up to 35Km, and 'b' for those over this mark - supossedly 'long distance'.

When all this was dispensed with, the cost of a call within the UK was based not on distance, but time (duration), and this was copied by the competitors.

.... in July 2004.

prowla

Sure - that may be the case in terms of the mechanics of making the call connection and pulling back the billing info from the switches, mediation, and all that.

The point is that the business pays to have the number provided as if it were a "local" one (non-premium rate), but Sky charge for calls on it whereas BT don't.

david39

I think that Sky, as do all providers, define their free calls not as local but as numbers with certain prefixes - usually 01xxxxxxx and 02xxxxxxx and this gives free calls to most parts of the UK, whether local or not.

Some providers also offer other specific numbers as free, including 0345 and 0845 and 0870

Heinz

prowla wrote: »

Sure - that may be the case in terms of the mechanics of making the call connection and pulling back the billing info from the switches, mediation, and all that.

The point is that the business pays to have the number provided as if it were a "local" one (non-premium rate), but Sky charge for calls on it whereas BT don't.

And Virgin charges more than 10p/minute to call 0845 numbers.

The consumer can choose - change to a provider which includes 0845 calls if that's cost-effective.

Kazipoo

prowla wrote: »

Does anybody know if Sky are planning to change their billing for these numbers?

This was one of the reasons I have taken my business elsewhere, it was costing me an extra £5 a month because these are the main numbers I called.

When I asked the rep why they don't offer these calls for free when others do, she did not know, she also informed me that there are no plans to make any changes in the near future as far as she was aware.

Paul_Varjak

When 0845 (actually they were 0345 at the time) numbers first came out, calls were charged at the LOCAL RATE - as if they were to the same exchange or adjacent exchange area. This was 3.36p/minute (from memory) at a time when national rate calls were (from memory) 7.9p/minute.

The concept of LOCAL RATE disappeared when BT reduced all UK geographical calls to the local rate charge (around 3.36p/minute). At the same time, LOCAL Rate numbers became Lo-Call numbers (still charged at 3.36p/min) 0870 numbers which had been charged at the higher 7.9p rate continued to be charged at that rate, even with the lowering of national rate (01) calls from 7.9p down to 3.36p.

Now, what is interesting is that BT now charge 7.95p/minutes for daytime UK calls (01/02/03/0870) but 0845 daytime calls are now just 2p/minute! The anomaly is even more bizarre when you consider that 0845 numbers still share revenue!

McKneff

As far as I'm aware 0870 numbers are actually included in the sky free call package evenings and weekends

Paul_Varjak

McKneff wrote: »

As far as I'm aware 0870 numbers are actually included in the sky free call package evenings and weekends

I think more telecom providers give inclusive calls to 0870 numbers than to 0845 numbers. I know Opal Telecom also provide inclusive calls to 0870 numbers, but not to 0845 numbers. I think it is a reflection of the fact that 0845 are revenue sharing numbers but 0870 numbers are not.

McKneff

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

I think more telecom providers give inclusive calls to 0870 numbers than to 0845 numbers. I know Opal Telecom also provide inclusive calls to 0870 numbers, but not to 0845 numbers. I think it is a reflection of the fact that 0845 are revenue sharing numbers but 0870 numbers are not.

Wow, I didnt know that, I though that all those numbers were revenue sharing.