Charged ££££ for calling 07872 number from mobile

mustmakealist

I recently called a number starting with 07872 from my mobile. when I got my bill I was charged over £40 for calls made outside my allowance.


When I called my phone company they said that the call was to a 'like a mobile' number - possibly a business mobile, and that the calls were chargeable. I had never come across either of these terms before. They also said that by law the companies setting up these numbers have to tell you that the call is chargeable. I said that I definitely hadn't had any such message and asked the mobile company to ring the number and see if they heard a message. They confirmed that there wasn't a message and that they would refund the charges to me. Thank you EE


Thinking back to the calls, the ringing tone that I heard wasn't the usual sound and perhaps that should have alerted me and it will set alarm bells ringing in the future. This was all connected to an internet scam attempt that didn't get any money from me.


I just wanted to advise others to be wary and hope that no one else gets caught out, but also that it is possible to get the money back. I also suggested that they put something on their website to highlight other reasons that you might be charged for calls outside your allowance

esuhl

That's strange... I just did a quick web search, and apparently 07872 is a normal UK mobile phone prefix: http://www.telephonecodes.info/code/07872

Several other pages back that up, so I can't see why such calls shouldn't come out of your inclusive call plan. Still, at least EE refunded you...

Generally 07... numbers are mobile phones, but there are a couple of exceptions. 070... and 076..., which are personal (i.e. "follow-me") numbers.

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/news/consumers-warned-about-070-missed-call-scam/

Ant555

I made a call to a 'mobile' number 07440 xxxxxx. There was a recorded message that said it was outside of the call plan and I thought it must be a mistake as I have unlimited minutes to uk mobile staring with 07.

It was a short call (luckily) and I got charged around £6 so not the end of the world.

When I rang to query I was told that Lyca mobile (or it might have been Lebara) are not part of my inclusive minutes as thay were not based in the UK.

Is EE the common denominator here?

d123

Ant555 wrote: »

I made a call to a 'mobile' number 07440 xxxxxx. There was a recorded message that said it was outside of the call plan and I thought it must be a mistake as I have unlimited minutes to uk mobile staring with 07.

It was a short call (luckily) and I got charged around £6 so not the end of the world.

When I rang to query I was told that Lyca mobile (or it might have been Lebara) are not part of my inclusive minutes as thay were not based in the UK.

Is EE the common denominator here?

This must have been quite some time ago, Lyca and T-Mobile had a dispute some years ago and T-Mobile were charging for Lyca calls, the feud was settled in 2012.

No idea about the OPs problem, he/she needs to speak to their network again for a proper explanation, 07872 appears to be a std mobile prefix, though it appears Cloud9 Communications uses a 078722 prefix for its alternative roaming sim, and so could be Isle of Man. Majority of 07872 is O2.

The following are considered not mobile prefixes by EE:

074585
078221


http://ee.co.uk/content/dam/ee-help/e-gain.s3.amazonaws.com/external/content/EE/Price%20plans%20and%20costs/07_ranges_OOB_241114.pdf

OP, just for clarity, are you definitely billed as an EE customer?

grumbler

mustmakealist wrote: »

When I called my phone company they said that the call was to a 'like a mobile' number - possibly a business mobile, and that the calls were chargeable. I had never come across either of these terms before. They also said that by law the companies setting up these numbers have to tell you that the call is chargeable. I said that I definitely hadn't had any such message and asked the mobile company to ring the number and see if they heard a message. They confirmed that there wasn't a message and that they would refund the charges to me. Thank you EE

EE simply fobbed you off, that is pretty common for this company.

Your contract is with EE, not with the 'company'.
If anybody has to warn you, then it's EE, not the company.

If the phone number isn't listed as excluded from allowances in EE tariff of charges, they have no rights to charge you. Full stop.

Stick to your guns and demand refund and a compensation for getting runaround.

Buzby

Your guide can ONLY be the tariff your mobile network charges for that particular code. You cannot assume that the first two digits alone are significant. On the website you should find a link to the 'Price List' which customers can use to calculate what they will be charged - this is mandated by OFCOM and forms the basis of what you will be charged.

It can be a fairly boring document, but only the rate shown on this can be billed to you, so if what you are charged is incorrect the PL is the defining cost, nothing else.

mobilejunkie

T-Mobile (so presumably EE - and I believe recently O2) exclude calls and texts made to mobile numbers registered in the Isle of Man from the bundle. Since it's not easy to know if that is the case it is a problem. They fob you off by saying such numbers are listed on their website (somewhere - so presumably you're expected to check every time you make a call to a different number). I've also been told (which may or may not be true) that numbers registeered in mainland Uk could end up registered on the Isle of Man.

Either way, it's another black mark against EE and a reason to choose another network.

d123

I would lay the blame at OFCOM's door, they could easily make all 07 other than the 070 personal numbers standard rate.

It's their inability to be a proper regulator that causes this confusing idiocy of a code being inclusive and the same code also being non standard.

grumbler

Not necessarily all 07 numbers. From the very start Ofcom should have allocaded some, say, 07xx numbers for IOM and other islands and later prohibited cross-porting between these numbers and UK numbers.

d123

grumbler wrote: »

Not necessarily all 07 numbers. From the very start Ofcom should have allocaded some, say, 07xx numbers for IOM and other islands and later prohibited cross-porting between these numbers and UK numbers.

True, simple as 070 = Personal numbers, 071-074 = the various islands and other non-std networks and 075 onwards = UK std mobile with no exceptions.

OFCOM just didn't have the sphericals to actually do it.

dealer_wins

If we had a fit for purpose regulator, then all numbers starting 07 would be mobile numbers included as standard.

But NO, we have the ridicules situation of some 07 numbers being chargeable, its a joke!