Help - phone call charges

Wig

When you call Lloyds Bank on 0845 and they transfer the call to another department will you still be charged 0845 for the duration of the call? Even if the number they transfer you to is a landline or a freephone number?

I think the answer is yes, is it always yes? Are ther any companys with contact centres that have some special magic that would mean if they transfer you to a freephone number that from the point of the transfer you get charged nothing?

So My next question is ... when you phone 118 118 and they transfer you ... How then is your phone bill charged? If they transfer you to an 0870 would you then be charged 0870 for the call? If the answer is yes,,,... how does that work?

Torry_Quine

Wig wrote: »

When you call Lloyds Bank on 0845 and they transfer the call to another department will you still be charged 0845 for the duration of the call? Even if the number they transfer you to is a landline or a freephone number?

I think the answer is yes, is it always yes? Are ther any companys with contact centres that have some special magic that would mean if they transfer you to a freephone number that from the point of the transfer you get charged nothing?

So My next question is ... when you phone 118 118 and they transfer you ... How then is your phone bill charged? If they transfer you to an 0870 would you then be charged 0870 for the call? If the answer is yes,,,... how does that work?

If you call an 0845 number then you will be charged at that rate for the duration of the call even if transferred.

If you use 118118 or such a service they are not transferring your call but connecting it for you and as such they charge a premium on top of the normal cost of an 0870 call for instance.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

Torry_Quine wrote: »

If you use 118118 or such a service they are not transferring your call but connecting it for you and as such they charge a premium on top of the normal cost of an 0870 call for instance.

The OP should be aware that this option is definitely not a good choice for a wannabe Moneysaver.

Wig

Ok thank you,

To my mind this is common knowledge, that when you call an 0845 and you get transferred to an 0800 you are still charged 0845...

But what do I do when faced with someone who does not understnd this, someone who thinks the charge of the call might change... How can I prove it to them, for example by quoting from BT website or something?

afzaal1988

Wig wrote: »

Ok thank you,

To my mind this is common knowledge, that when you call an 0845 and you get transferred to an 0800 you are still charged 0845...

But what do I do when faced with someone who does not understnd this, someone who thinks the charge of the call might change... How can I prove it to them, for example by quoting from BT website or something?

If you dial 0845 number than you will be charged for 0845 number.
however if they transfer your call to someother number than the person who transfers the call has to pay or if its 0800 number than he doesnt pay anything but since you dialed 0845 orignally than you will still be paying for 0845.

Otherwise companies can give you 0800 numbers and when you call they transfer your call to premium number without you knowing and you end up with massive bill.

billsavings

afzaal1988 wrote: »

If you dial 0845 number than you will be charged for 0845 number.
however if they transfer your call to someother number than the person who transfers the call has to pay or if its 0800 number than he doesnt pay anything but since you dialed 0845 orignally than you will still be paying for 0845.

Otherwise companies can give you 0800 numbers and when you call they transfer your call to premium number without you knowing and you end up with massive bill.

Exactly it is not possible to alter the price of a call in mid call wherever it finally ends up being answered.

Wig

OK,

So everyone is clear that it is not possible, yet the idiotic organisation I work for is saying that it is possible and that the customer will get a free phone call, and they say they have consulted with BT. and had it confirmed that we will pick up the cost of the call, but we also have a freephone number ...

And what I think BT has told them is that when our customers call 0800 on freephone and we transfer them to one of our 0845 then WE will pick up the cost of the call.
And my organisation is applying this advice the other way around, and saying when they call 0845 and transferred to 0800 they will suddenly get a free phonecall mid-call

I know this to be Bull S@#% and I need some evidence to show them they are wrong.

Is there anything I can show them?
Is there a technical help email address at BT that I can write to?

Thanks

afzaal1988

just show them this thread, so many of us can't be wrong

iniltous

Not all calls are originated on BT and BT isn't the only company that provides 0845 non geographic numbers , you are absolutely correct though, the person making the call gets charged whatever their provider charges for 0845 even if the call is subsequently transferred to a 0800 number, that would be a free call from landlines if dialed directly
This does smack of sharp practise and I would have though the regulator OFCOM or the premium rate number regulator PhonepayPlus may be interested, why doesn't your organisation tell the caller the 0800 number so they can redial themselves ?

Ypaymore

A. Its not possible.

B. Should they be using 0845 now anyway or are they exempt. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310044/bis-13-1368-consumer-contracts-information-cancellation-and-additional-payments-regulations-guidance.pdf#page=23&zoom=auto,0,580

A freephone number alternative is not acceptable until July 2015 when all mobiles will have free freephone access.

C. From June 2015 all users of 084 phone numbers will have to declare
the “Service Charge” of up to 7p per minute which is part of the cost of
calling them.

The Service Charge, which is presently bundled together with the phone
company’s Access Charge, will need to be declared .By then they have decide what they are going to do. Change their materials to declare it or change their numbers to stop imposing it.

See Ofcoms new site : http://www.ukcalling.info/


PS. How about a caller calling the 0845 number from a Mobile which charges to call 0800 numbers how do they think the charging on that might work in practice,if it did work but of course it doesnt.

PS PS. Are they actually transferring calls to the 0800 number or are they pointing them at the geographical alternative for the freephone number, if the former they are wasting there money anyway.