NumberGroup ramping up 0845 rental from £1.60 to £10/month

jhp

Yes you should be able to port your number.


Some suppliers still supply free of all charge.

EG : http://www.skycomuk.com/

However it is generally true to say that it is more expensive to call a 084 number than to call a geographic rate (01/02/03) number.


See: http://www.fairtelecoms.org.uk/when-are-084-calls-more-expensive-than-geographic-rate.html

DonnyDave

isofa wrote: »

Whilst you are entitled to your opinion, I completely disagree, our customers certainly aren't alienated – fortunately I have a successful 20 year old business to back this up. We use different 0845s for different projects, all 0845s are inclusive minutes on BT call packages and have been for years, still the misnomer that they aren't is widely spread. Those not on call plans/packages only pay a low rate. It has totally changed to how it used to be. 0845s are not to be confused with 0870 or "premium rate numbers" used to generate income for support ones.

BT is uniquely regulated on the amount it can charge for calls to 0845 numbers. This regulation dates back to the days when most calls were originated using its services.

The current Ofcom consultation proposes that this restriction be removed and that BT be allowed to add its own Access Charge, just as other call providers do now. The Access Charge is the mark-up of the "0845 product"; at present BT's is practically zero.

That is, the amount BT charges at the moment is about that which is passes on to the terminating communications provider (roughly equivalent to Service Charge).

At the present time, users of these numbers frequently quote BT's perverse retail charges. The consultation also proposes that users of 0845 numbers will have to declare their Service Charge which amounts to around 1.5 pence per minute.

This means that prices will have relevance to all telephone users and not just those of BT. Every 0845 user will promote its Service Charge and every originating provider will promote its Access Charge for these numbers. The total cost of the call will be the subscriber's Access Charge plus the Service Charge of the organisation they are calling.

digp

try aql.com

isofa

molerat wrote: »

As far as I am concerned 0845 numbers are a "premium rate service", any business that wants my business over the phone will not get it with one of these numbers.

To the OP, now you know how we feel about getting ripped off.

Well fortunately we are all entitled to our opinions.Yours and mine differ considerably on this topic.

For my line of business, as a consultant who only deals with medium and large businesses, your response is simply not applicable. Fortunately I'm not losing any customers either, I've been flat out since I set up, in fact I'm so busy during this so called "recession" I barely get time to check threads on here either ;-)

Personally I don't deal with end users or personal customers - it's not in my line of business - therefore the actual cost of the 0845 to my callers is pretty much irrelevant.

The separation for many projects is what we (and many many others use) these numbers for - this thread was about a service provider ramping up their charges significantly. It is also essential when running large projects for various clients from a home/office.

Whilst I concede some other operators may charge more for 0845 calls, including mobiles, for me and many others, it's simply not an issue.

isofa

nick88 wrote: »

They don't just provide 0845 numbers: they've got 020 and other geographic numbers, as well as the free of charge 0800 ones.

Not really sure why people would use 0845 numbers: you don't get any payback from numbergroup, and if you just want to hide the location, an 03 number is the same price to the caller as a geographic one.

That's an interesting Nick, I've had this number long before 03s were introduced in 2007, way back in the early/mid 1990s 0845 was the obvious choice for me, as I certainly wouldn't have picked a true premium rate 0870 (imo) in those days.

BigAunty

Apart from 0845, is there another way of having a non-geographically specific business contact number (excluding a mobile)?

One that is cheaper to callers than 0845?

nick88

isofa wrote: »

That's an interesting Nick, I've had this number long before 03s were introduced in 2007, way back in the early/mid 1990s 0845 was the obvious choice for me, as I certainly wouldn't have picked a true premium rate 0870 (imo) in those days.

I agree - years ago, I think the idea of 0845 numbers was the same as the 03 numbers are now.

I've just gone with getting new numbers: going to pay for a few more months whilst I get all my contacts switched over.

nick88

BigAunty wrote: »

Apart from 0845, is there another way of having a non-geographically specific business contact number (excluding a mobile)?

One that is cheaper to callers than 0845?

Yes, that would be the 03 numbers: they cost the same as a landline and are non-geographically specific.

CANDYTROOPER1922

Keep Well Away. Numbergroup Disconnect Numbers and never pay out!!

I have had an ongoing battle with Numbergroup also known as numbergroup.com the company details are Numbergroup Billing Services Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 7390302
(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

The company keeps changing their company address due to small claims hearings to stop CCJ's being lodged against their company address and has changed 3 times within 6 months. Checkout the particulars on company house for free.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team) The directorship of companies is banned due to fax scams where the callers would be charged 50ppm to reply to faxes and he would slow down the receiving speed.

I was reselling the services that numbergroup provided but once they increased the prices from £0 per month to £10.00 per month my business couldn't continue. I then started to withdraw all the revenue that numbergroup held from the call rates to the 0845/0871 etc numbers i had with them and they decided to cancel my account and leave me with several unhappy customers as (Text removed by MSE Forum Team) disconnected the phone numbers with instant affect. After several letters and emails to the company addresses and directors i got no where.

Numbergroup then paid for the director addresses to be removed from websites such as check director and check company.

Several of my customers had stationary with their company telephone numbers on that where now useless because the numbers had been disconnected and numbergroup would not give them access to the telephone number.

Numbergroup filed a defense against my small claim which i responded stating i gave the company all the details they asked for and that i did not break the t and c's like they had accused me off. Numbergroup was requesting a list of how my services where being used which i provided but they still continued to not pay me. The CCJ was awarded to me because numbergroup did not attend but due to the company using virtual addresses i had the company account frozen and the money removed from there account.

Keep away from them at all costs try soho66 unlimited call forwarding for a fixed fee:)

nicstar

Shark Infested waters...

Do not use this Numbergroup bunch of cheats. Seriously!

My experience? I bought premium 0844 memorable no.s off them worth £500 each. The ongoing pointing service (to your landline/mobile etc) was free. Then they entirely move the goalposts to a paying sevice and started billing monthly. I contested it , I repeatedly requested my original terms of service (t&c's) from them and they basically don't send, dart around the issue, and then disconnect my numbers!

Now they have given or probably sold on numbers that I bought outright to another customer who won't de-allocate them.

All this whilst being particularly rude and disrespectful.

Amongst the rude staff - He who shall not be named was a particular pleasure to talk to and basically treated me like a !!!!!!!!!! as he was convinced I hadn't paid for my numbers - I did! and I told him but he didn't believe me until I sent him the order details.

What a joke, cost me a fortune in reproducing business cards, marketing material, changing websites etc..

I had a third party co. trying to port the numbers from them which just went round in loops for months or what felt like years and on two attempts to port and in the end, the numbers can't be ported because they haven't the proper agreements setup.

Can't believe someone else is using my numbers I bought, it's an outrage I tell ya!