0844 in BT Anytime 21 December 2012 at 1:22PM in Phones & TV 5 replies 9K views

JoeWebber

I use BT Anytime, but I am finding that more and more organisations are using 0844 numbers which are excluded from this contract.
Does anyone know if 0844 will be included at some time, or if any other provider includes in their all-in package, or if there is any other solution.
Many thanks.

HappyMJ

Use the website saynoto0870 to try and find an alternative number.

yourbestoption

If it is a new organisation then avoid them.
If it is an existing organisation then change to another one that does not use 0844.
If it is not possible to change, then ask them for their international number. This may be 01/02/03 or 0870, all of which are included in BT Anytime.

Ypaymore

If you have inclusive minutes use these peoples 03 access number http://www.weq4u.co.uk/ that should cut the cost of calls to most well known users of 084/087.
Or as suggested get alternatives from www.saynoto0870.com

Little or No Prospect of BT including 0844/0871. Virgin offer a paid bolt on. T-Mob include them in most new contracts inclusive minutes.

JoeWebber

Many thanks for the replies.

Ian01

As the call price includes a Service Charge to the benefit of the called party, there is little prospect of 084 and 087 numbers being included in call allowances. 0870 numbers are currently an exception since Ofcom suspended revenue sharing in 2009. These are inclusive on most landlines. 0845 numbers are another exception if you're with BT. BT subsidises the 2p/min Service Charge from monthly call package subscriptions and includes these calls within those call package allowances. They don't do this for 0844 or 0871 numbers with an identical 2p/min Service Charge. Changes coming next year will see these inclusive deals for 0845 and 0870 numbers coming to an end.

Consumers have been confused and caught out by the fact that 0843, 0844 and 0845 numbers are very expensive from mobiles, 0843 and 0844 numbers are expensive from landlines, and 0845 numbers are inclusive from BT landlines but not inclusive from other landlines.

Consumers have also been confused and caught out by the fact that 0870, 0871 and 0872 numbers are very expensive from mobiles, 0871 and 0872 numbers are expensive from landlines, and 0870 numbers are inclusive calls from many landlines.

The public are becoming aware that 084 and 087 numbers are generally a rip-off. They have expected them to be cheap everywhere because they have been influenced by BT's distorted price for 0845 calls and the distorted landline price for 0870 calls. Ofcom is about to end that confusion by removing those distortions. In future, there will be no distinction made between 0845, other 084, 0870, other 087, and 09 numbers. They will all be defined as "numbers with a Service Charge to the benefit of the called party and an Access Charge to the benefit of the originating phone network" (and generally costing more than calls to standard 01, 02 and 03 numbers). Some providers might make the Access Charge component "inclusive", but this is unlikely to be the case for the Service Charge component.

The Consumer Rights Directive will shortly come into force. This requires businesses using 084 and 087 numbers for customer service to move to a new 01, 02, 03 or 080 number. Users of 084 and 087 numbers can move to the matching 034 or 037 number at any time. 03 numbers are inclusive in call allowances on mobiles and landlines.

In the public sector, GP practices were banned from using 087 numbers in 2005 and 084 numbers in 2010. HMRC has recently made the move from 0845 and 0870 over to 0300 and 0345 numbers. In the Public Accounts Committee enquiry on 2nd September 2013, DWP committed to move from 0845 to 0345 and the Cabinet Office will produce a policy for the rest of government and various public services "within six to eight weeks".

Once Ofcom's "unbundled tariffs" are in force, all users of 084, 087 and 09 numbers will have to declare the Service Charge they impose on callers. Those that cannot justify imposing a Service Charge will move to 01, 02 or 03 numbers. Those that think they can justify it will have to declare it, but public opinion might ultimately force these businesses and organisations to reconsider their usage of 084 and 087 numbers.

Consumers should start asking businesses "when are you activating your 03 number?"