Why do you need inclusive calls to 0845 numbers?

Ian011

There seems to be a constant clamour for inclusive deals to include calls to 0845 numbers.


Why do you need inclusive calls to 0845 numbers?


Is it to call a retailer, trader or passenger transport company about something you have bought?

No. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 came into force on 13 June 2014.

Regulation 41 compels retailers, traders and passenger transport companies to advertise 01, 02, 03 or 080 numbers for post sales helplines. Most have complied.

Breaches of the regulations can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506.


Is it to call your bank?

No. Ahead of long-discussed regulation for the financial sector that will shortly be published by the FCA and come into effect in the summer, most banks have already changed their 0845 lines over to the matching 0345 number.

The small number that retain usage of 0845 numbers all have an easy to find geographic 01 or 02 number mentioned in close proximity on their website.


Is it to call a government department or public service?

No. The Cabinet Office published guidance in December 2013 for government departments, their agencies and public services recommending 03 numbers be used in place of 084 and 087 numbers.

This has resulted in a major shift from 0845 numbers to 0300 and 0345 numbers by HMRC, DWP, many other departments and agencies and most local authorities.


Is it to call an NHS service?

No. The NHS banned the use of 084 numbers in 2010 and banned the use of 087 and 09 numbers in 2005.

The vast majority of services have changed to normal geographic 01 and 02 numbers, to geographic-rate 03 numbers or to freephone 080 numbers.


Migration to 03 numbers

Since 2007 all users of 084 and 087 numbers have had the opportunity to migrate to the matching 034 or 037 number.

Calls to 03 numbers cost the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers and count towards inclusive allowances on landlines and on mobiles.


Inclusive calls to 0345, 0370 and all other 03 numbers

Every landline and mobile network offers deals with inclusive calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers.

If you make more than 30 to 40 minutes per month of weekday daytime calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers an Anytime inclusive call package will work out cheaper than paying a "per-minute" rate for these calls.

Since out-of-plan calls are very expensive, signing up to a Weekend or Evening & Weekend call package is very often a false economy and will usually end up costing more.


New call charge system for 084, 087 and 09 numbers

A completely new call charge system for 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers comes into effect on 1 July 2015.

All users of 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers are required to declare their Service Charge.

For calls to 084 numbers this is up to 7p per minute.

For calls to 087 numbers this is up to 13p per minute.


Chargeable Services

The requirement to declare a Service Charge should see a fundamental shift in remaining usage of 084, 087 and 09 numbers.

They will return to being used mainly for chargeable services such as recorded information lines including sports results and weather forecasts, chatlines, entertainment services including competitions and voting on a TV show, subscription-free conference-calling services, instant-access international dial-through services and paying for other small value goods and services through your call credit, etc.

With these services it is only proper that the Service Charge for each call is incurred by the respective caller and is not paid from funds collected from all call plan subscribers.

Calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers should no longer be inclusive in call plans.



See also:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5219071
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5219756
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5292529

Ian011

After several years of dithering, the FCA has recently published new regulations for the financial sector to take effect on 26 October 2015.

The regulations simply mirror the BIS regulations that came into force for retailers, traders and passenger transport companies on 13 June 2014.

From 26 October 2015, financial services companies including banks and insurance companies can no longer use 084, 087 or 09 numbers for existing customers to contact them on.

While these numbers can continue to be used for new customers, regulations in force since 1 July 2015 require the Service Charge to be declared everywhere the number is advertised. For the small number of organisations using these numbers for this purpose, this is a large incentive to stop doing so.

This completes the necessary steps needed to return 084, 087 and 09 numbers to usage for premium rate services offering a recognised chargeable service that is paid for as the call is being made. It ends the usage of these numbers for routine, day to day communication with businesses and other organisations.

Swipe

If no one uses them any more as you say, then what's the harm in having them as inclusive?

Ian011

The arrangement is that the organisation being called and their telecoms company earns up to 7p per minute (up to £4.20 per hour) on calls to 084 numbers and up to 13p per minute (up to £7.80 per hour) on calls to 087 numbers.

Their use by customer services, financial services and public services is coming to an end. As 084, 087 and 09 numbers return to usage for chargeable services paid for as the call is being made, it is important that only the caller that made use of the chargeable service pays the Service Charge that was incurred during that call.

Inclusive calls to Service Numbers spread the Service Charge cost across all customers of that network. They allow phone networks to give the businesses they sell the numbers to, the false impression that the calls to their numbers are 'free', all the while pushing up everyone's phone bill on their own network - even those who do not call these numbers - and pushing up the phone bills of all customers of other phone networks who call these numbers.