Question about NTL and cheaper calls

Munki_2

Ok, I'm sorry if this has already been addressed in other posts, but I can only seem to get vague information about this.

I've read through the cheapest call providers article a few times, however I am with NTL cable for my phone line (and my house never had a BT line, so £75 just for the sake of a BT line is probably out of the question at the moment).

What are the additional charges (e.g. connection charges?) that NTL charge through the call providers? Is it a simple matter of a fixed amount extra (1p?) on top of the amounts mentioned in the article?

I know some calls are classfied as free... but if there are charges that NTL do differently to BT, then it would be nice to know.

Also, does the carrier pre-select products like one-tel work with NTL? I'm guessing not...

All in all, I'm wondering if someone has take the time to look at the article and do a version of the tables that is relevent to NTL customers?

I' look forward to anyones views/answers on this, as to be honest, the landline calls are pretty much the only element of money saving that I haven't addressed yet! :-)

Cheers all,

Munki.

BexTech

CPS not available on NTL.

NTL do not charge for access to the 0808 number that 1899 use, so if you were to use 1899's 0808 service to call a UK landline then NTL would charge you nothing as 0808 is a freefone number, and Call 1899 would charge you 3p for the call.

18866 charges are higher for non-BT users, so 1899 would be the better option.

If you have NTL broadband you could use 1899 VoIP service and then the UK call would be completely free.

Munki_2

Thanks for that... I'll check out Call 1899 then and see what my potential savings are... Are there any things to be wary of with call 1899, or is it a WYSIWYG service?

Cheers!

Munki.

BexTech

1899 is fine, though it is more a 'What You Hear Is What You Pay' service.

http://www.call1899.co.uk/mobilerates.php details the call costs, though the prices do change occasionally, as they are buying in spare capacity, the price announced prior to the ringing tone will be the price charged, as it can be a day or two before the website is updated with the new call cost.

Munki_2

BexTech, what do you mean by 'What You Hear Is What You Pay'? Or am I just missing the joke RE: WYSIWYG... if so, it's just late in the day, and my brain has switched off already! ;-)

Cheers,

Munki.

BexTech

1899 have a "tariff message":

Before each call you make, the operator will inform you of the call charges per minute for the destination you are calling. This unique tariff message is free of charge, therefore if you hang up before your call is connected, you will not be charged a penny!

Munki_2

Thanks Bextech, one thing I'm not sure about is you say they charge different prices for calls from NTL lines... yet they don't mention this on the website (as far as I can see) - other than the 3p connection charge, which I assume is the same for BT & NTL. So do I have to use the connection message option then to be sure what I'm being charged - i.e. are Call1899 being sneaky and do I have to keep a heads-up for them catching me out?

The only real calls I make is to UK local, national (daytime, evening & weekend) - apparently free + 3p CC; UK Mobiles (all times) - 10,12 or 2p + 3p CC; Spain (Landline & possibly mobile) - 2 & 15p + 3p CC; and Germany - free + 3p CC. If anyone knows these to be any different to the rates charged to BT Call1899 users I wouldn't mind knowing... :-)

Cheers,

Munki.

WiseSteward_2

Hi Munki

Thanks Bextech, one thing I'm not sure about is you say they charge different prices for calls from NTL lines... yet they don't mention this on the website (as far as I can see) - other than the 3p connection charge, which I assume is the same for BT & NTL.
[End Quote]

BexTech gave the 1899 link in post #4 above.
Here it is again for convenience.

You will no doubt be interested in the fact that call18866 offer a similar service but now only charge 1p connection and 0.5p/min from non-BT landlines, according to their latest price list for non-BT users.

Hope this is helpful.

Best wishes, Graham B

Munki_2

WiseSteward wrote:

BexTech gave the 1899 link in post #4 above.
Here it is again for convenience.

Thanks Graham, I have seen the webpage that BextTech gave, but it didn't clarify that there was any difference in the way the service works for NTL users compared to BT users. However Martin stated in his article that 'They can be accessed from cable phones too, but still charge more and aren’t as competitive'. This doesn't seem to be the case, does it?

WiseSteward wrote:

You will no doubt be interested in the fact that call18866 offer a similar service but now only charge 1p connection and 0.5p/min from non-BT landlines, according to their latest price list for non-BT users.

That's excellent... that makes things a bit cheaper :-) It says 0.5p/min for 'UK fixed' on that list.. but in the 'quick rate check' it says united kingdom is 0.0p/min... and at the bottom of the page it says '18866 calls are subject to a 2p connection fee'... yet through the 0808 number they say it's 1p connection charge... blimey, how cofusing!?? ;-)

I need a coffee... ;-)

Cheers,

Munki.

WiseSteward_2

Hi again Munki

You're not wrong about the confusion

I rather suspect that the 'quick rate check' only refers to charges via BT landlines.

Call18866's connection charge was only 1p for BT & non-BT landlines until 23/3/05 when it was increased to 2p. It's possible therefore that the 1p at the top of the non-BT price list has been overlooked and should have been updated to 2p. But let's be positive and hope the 1p is right.

Best wishes, Graham B

BexTech

With Call 1899 from NTL line you dial the 0808 1 708 708 and then dial the destination followed by #.

BT, Talk Talk, Tele2, 18866 and 1899 etc etc do not have different rates for local or national, they are the same rate.

Using 1899 from an NTL line to a UK landline will only cost you the 3p connection charge.

Using 18866 from an NTL line will cost you 0.5p / min plus connection.

So you can see you would be better off using 1899 on a NTL line.

Calling a landline in Spain on NTL with 1899 will cost 1p/min + connection charge, with 18866 it will be 2p/min + connection.