Elderly relative and calls to 118500

cavyslave

Oh no! Why didn't they tell me that I wonder? I specifically asked if calls to premium rate numbers could be barred, including 118500, and she said yes!

iniltous

The type of call baring BT mentioned was using a pin, it can bar different types of call, not just premium rate calls , but there is also a general PRCB premium rate call baring that can be applied to the line , or at least they used to offer this, but I doubt if it covers calls to 118 numbers, just what used to be 0898 type calls
It's a bit unfair to say BT won't allow baring to 118 numbers, the industry and OFCOM won't allow BT to bar calls to other telecom company's, these other company's would be up in arms about that.
If ordinary call baring is set, (bar all calls) then obviously this could confuse the person as they would have to enter a PIN to make a regular call,apart from 999 calls, and call baring is a charged for service, PRCB isn't and doesn't have a PIN to turn it off and on, once it's on it's on, but wouldn't solve the problem of 118 calls

poppasmurf_bewdley

iniltous wrote: »

The type of call baring BT mentioned was using a pin, it can bar different types of call, not just premium rate calls , but there is also a general PRCB premium rate call baring that can be applied to the line , or at least they used to offer this, but I doubt if it covers calls to 118 numbers, just what used to be 0898 type calls
It's a bit unfair to say BT won't allow baring to 118 numbers, the industry and OFCOM won't allow BT to bar calls to other telecom company's, these other company's would be up in arms about that.
If ordinary call baring is set, (bar all calls) then obviously this could confuse the person as they would have to enter a PIN to make a regular call,apart from 999 calls, and call baring is a charged for service, PRCB isn't and doesn't have a PIN to turn it off and on, once it's on it's on, but wouldn't solve the problem of 118 calls

I called Ofcom yesterday about this exact subject and received the following explanation. The Ofcom supervisor I spoke to told me that Ofcom have made it compulsory for BT and other call providers to provide access to 118 numbers, but there is no order that they are no allowed to bar calls to these numbers. He explained to me that it is a commercial decision of BT and other companies not to allow barring to 118 numbers.

I did say to him that I thought Ofcom should make it compulsory to offer call barring to customers, like me, who wanted to bar calls to 118 numbers. I did not get a satisfactory answer to this question.

I also find it appalling that BT charge their customers for the call barring facilities which other companies provide for free. As a small protest about this, I have today cancelled the HD for BT Sport, thereby saving myself £3 a month and costing BT an income of £36 a year. I am sure it would cost BT a lot less to provide me with call barring free of charge.

Graham1

Although it does not help with the original problem BT's online billing system does allow the primary account holder to set up additional IDs for family or friends to log in and see the costs of calls made so far in the current billing period. It often takes 48 hours for the call costs to show up but that is better than waiting until the next quarterly bill to see if it happens again.

Ypaymore

Certain phones and devices allow you to select and block numbers.

See: https://www.truecall.co.uk/care/careoutgoingcalls.aspx

Whether this extends to 118 DQ calls i dont know but might be worth enquiring.

borgax

My father has just been caught by the 118 500 charges.

Admittedly a lot less than others i've read about at £5.38 each for two calls with the longest one at 1:20.

I spoke to BT a couple of days ago and i was told that BT have nothing to do with this number now, so they have no power over it.

Is this true? As everywhere still lists it as a BT service.

System

cavyslave wrote: »

... My brother-in-law will be 92 years old in October and suffers from dementia and is virtually deaf.

It may be worth persisting in seeking a goodwill refund from BT, particularly because of the incorrect advice that calls to 118 numbers can be barred. Incidentally, 118500 is of course BT's own service.
http://www.bt118500.com/

If you haven't already, consider registering for BT inclusion.
http://www.bt.com/includingyou/other-products-services.html
This can include a free directory enquiry service on 195. (But probably your brother-in-law could not cope with that either?)
If your brother-in-law's handset can be programmed to prefix specified numbers with an indirect access code, you could consider registering his number with one of Finarea's cheap calls services, eg http://www.18185.co.uk/index2.php
and specifying that calls to numbers starting 118 are to be dialled as 18185 118 ... Finarea does not forward these calls; there is an automatic (and free) announcement that "this is a special number we do not handle."
Above all, you can join what ought to be a massive campaign to publicize the fact that 118 "services" are a scandalous rip-off of the unwary or vulnerable. The minimum charge to call 118500 from a BT landline is £4.45 for the first minute, plus an unbelievable £2.46 a minute for each additional minute if you are gullible or unwary enough to let them "put you through". Others are as bad, or worse. Apparently sensible people can be fooled. For example, Melissa Kite.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/life/real-life/9432202/118-000-is-i-now-realise-the-number-of-the-beast/

macman

What costs is allowing the 118500 rep to put you through to the number given, so that the whole of the subsequent conversation is charged at the premium rate.
I imagine that's how just 4 calls have amounted to over £50.

cavyslave

Great news, I finally managed to resolve this. Got through to Natalie at BT who has sorted everything out for me. She has blocked calls to 118, 123 and 100 numbers and he can now call 10 nominated numbers only so no chance of any more expensive calls to premium rate numbers. This is obviously something they don't pubicise and I really had to do some digging to get them to admit that there actually IS a way to block calls to those kind of numbers. So anyone with an ageing relative suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's, or someone with mental health issues (she told me a lot of people with OCD continuously call the talking clock for instance!) you must persevere because they can block those numbers from being dialled, they just don't want to.....

Ian011

Hopefully they haven't blocked calls to 101 or 111 or to 112/999.