Beware 1899 Misinfo On Us Calls

darbooka

1. 1899's itemization page notes that calls are billed based on rates published on its website.

2. The front page of its website carries an announcement (and encourages site visitors to send this to friends) from 26 January, stating:

"26.01.2005: Canada, Germany, USA for only 3p per call !!!
1899.com has more super deals in store for you!

Call any landline in the following countries for 3p per call!!
-Canada
-Germany
-USA

You will only pay our 3p connection fee per call and no charge per minute! So, talk as long as you like for only 3p per call."

3. In my experience I am seeing calls to the USA being billed a per-minute rate and NOT just the "only 3.p per call !!!" indicated on the front page of the 1899 website.

4. My attempts to raise the issue with 1899 through their indicated online customer service facility has not succeeded to gain any response.

Still in my humble opinion a substantially worthwhile service overall, but misleading with regard to pricing of calls to America. And good value is no excuse for a company to present misleading or outdated information to its customers.

barjam_2

darbooka wrote:

1. 1899's itemization page notes that calls are billed based on rates published on its website.

2. The front page of its website carries an announcement (and encourages site visitors to send this to friends) from 26 January, stating:

"26.01.2005: Canada, Germany, USA for only 3p per call !!!
1899.com has more super deals in store for you!

Call any landline in the following countries for 3p per call!!
-Canada
-Germany
-USA

You will only pay our 3p connection fee per call and no charge per minute! So, talk as long as you like for only 3p per call."

3. In my experience I am seeing calls to the USA being billed a per-minute rate and NOT just the "only 3.p per call !!!" indicated on the front page of the 1899 website.

4. My attempts to raise the issue with 1899 through their indicated online customer service facility has not succeeded to gain any response.

Still in my humble opinion a substantially worthwhile service overall, but misleading with regard to pricing of calls to America. And good value is no excuse for a company to present misleading or outdated information to its customers.

i remember reading when i first joined 1899 and 18866 somewhere it said if the price or the call differs from the website to what you hear on your phone it will be the one you hear on the call that will be the correct price even if it say different on the website ie the website might say 0.0p per min but when you dial it might say 3p per min then the 3p will be the correct price

darbooka

logical; however that doesn't appear on the front page of the website. And, moreover, in this case on the call charges page it stipulates that the rates billed are the rates on the website and it doesnt mention anything about what might be said on the pre-call phone recording. Also, they give the option of turning off the pre-call rate reminder recording so those who do would have no idea what the rate is other than relying on the information on the website.

Edinburghlass_2

Both 18866 and 1899 sometimes change their prices and don't update the website, this I might add has happened both ways, they can go up and down.

This increase was posted here some days ago and the information is usually to be found here well before the website is updated. They keep their prices down by not having a manned call centre and email replies can be few as well as website updates.

As barjam says, keep the call cost announcement enabled and what you hear is the price you pay. If you decide that it is more expensive than you want to pay please check out Martin's Call Checker for other suppliers.

darbooka

I'm still a fan of both these companies; however, the practise of changing rates without updating something as simple as the front page of their website - specifically when the website indicates that the rates are as per their indications on their website - is not proper and I am not sure it would pass the Advertising Standards Authority rules or similar guideliness.
They may well be acting detrimentally to their own credibility when they do what they're doing with regard to keeping their published rates current. It is not an expensive task that would affect their pricing, to have someone adjust and update their rate card every so often.

FF99

darbooka wrote:

I'm still a fan of both these companies; however, the practise of changing rates without updating something as simple as the front page of their website - specifically when the website indicates that the rates are as per their indications on their website - is not proper and I am not sure it would pass the Advertising Standards Authority rules or similar guideliness.
They may well be acting detrimentally to their own credibility when they do what they're doing with regard to keeping their published rates current. It is not an expensive task that would affect their pricing, to have someone adjust and update their rate card every so often.

If fairness to 1899 they have actually removed USA from the list of 'free' calls in the top right hand corner of the front page, where it used to be, so the page has been updated. It now only appears in a news item dated January. You are right that they should have included a further news item referring to the increase. Whilst they are at fault this could resonably be seen as an oversight rather than deliberate misleading.

rastor2003

When was the 18866 connection charge of 1p increased to 2p, and were we given advance notice of this? I seem to remember that we were advised that the connection would be increased for international calls but the 1p connection charge to UK land lines would remain at 1p.

April2

rastor2003 wrote:

When was the 18866 connection charge of 1p increased to 2p, and were we given advance notice of this? I seem to remember that we were advised that the connection would be increased for international calls but the 1p connection charge to UK land lines would remain at 1p.

I'm afraid your memory is playing tricks on you. Their 21/3/05 e-mail read:

Dear customer,

Just because we already offer ridiculously low prices does not mean we can't have a spring sale! Call the following countries for only 1 pence per minute!

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland

From the 23rd of March 18866 will apply a connection fee of 2p per call.

Please note that calls to landlines within the U.K. will remain 0.0p per minute, so that still makes 18866 the cheapest telephone company by far! Compare this to BT's 5.5p for the same conversations; a 63% saving!!!

For more details and free online registration please visit www.call18866.co.uk.

Kind regards,
The Call18866 Buying Team

rastor2003

Hello April2

Thank you for your reply.

Rastor2003

andy88_2

darbooka wrote:

I'm still a fan of both these companies; however, the practise of changing rates without updating something as simple as the front page of their website - specifically when the website indicates that the rates are as per their indications on their website - is not proper and I am not sure it would pass the Advertising Standards Authority rules or similar guideliness.
They may well be acting detrimentally to their own credibility when they do what they're doing with regard to keeping their published rates current. It is not an expensive task that would affect their pricing, to have someone adjust and update their rate card every so often.

The rates are continually adjusted.

There is a link on the front page of their website

Connection fee: 3p. Rates in pence per minute. For a complete overview, please click here

This is just above the picture of a woman's face.

There are also links elsewhere for prices from non-BT lines and a printable text version of both rate pages, which always show the current date.

I have no reason to disbelieve that these are updated. Sometimes the heading is Destination, sometimes International Rates. Sometimes the countries are with lower case initials. Sometimes UK calls are at the top, sometimes in alphabetical order.

As you suggest, it is probably not an expensive task. If it were they might not bother.

darbooka

In the case of 1899 it is manifestly misleading when to get to an accurate rate the user has to click through to another page while at the same time in front of their face there is a large attention-grabbing price promotion price under the label "latest".
If they can update the rates on inside pages then they should update or remove outdated prices on their front page and not continue to benefit from, or misleady by, outdated promotion which appear to be the current price!
Also, the account itemization page refers users to the website for particular country rates but it doesn't specify what part of the website (it could easily have made a link) and morever the 0.0 to USA promotion is also not only on the website but on the very front page.
NOT the way to do modern business in this society.