Will all providers comply with Ofcom's new rules from 1 July 2015?

zagfles

Ian011 wrote: »

Almost two weeks after the change in the rules, most of the providers listed above have still not complied.

Additionally, a number of other smaller operators appear to have also done nothing towards compliance.

http://www.allpaymobile.net/standard-rates
http://secure.callandgive.com/CallAndGive/rates.jsp
http://www2.talkhomemobile.com/rates
http://www.ctexcel.com/rates.jsp - not listed/link not working
http://www.greenmobile.co.uk/rates.html
http://www.icardmobile.co.uk/rates - old rates/still charging for freefone
https://www.kontaktmobile.co.uk/rates - not listed
http://www.lomomobile.com/rate/roamingrates/ - old rates under more link
http://www.talkxtramobile.co.uk/rates#collapseTwo
https://www.ukglobetel.com/tariffs-new/uk-sim/domestic/ - no access charge/old rates

If you're a customer of one of these networks now is the time to complain.

How about service providers?

Let's see - using my earlier list:

British airways:

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/...cts/contact-us
New bookings: 0844 number.
Wording now:
Telephone: 0844 493 0787 option 2
Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company's access charge
(calls charged at 7 pence per minute)
Not bad, though the bracketed bit is misleading.

Flight status: 0844 number
Now 0344 number! Result!

Minicom for the hearing impaired!! 0845 number
Minicom for the hearing impaired:

Telephone: 0845 700 7706
Daily
06:00-20:00

Still 0845 and no mention at all of the call charge!

National express:
http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
Only number on the home page is an 0871 number.
And they charge extra for phone bookings. A "service charge" isn't going to put them off, is it, if they already specifically charge more for phone bookings.
Call us 24/7 on: 08717 81 81 81
Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.
Please have a pen and paper handy
Phone bookings incur a £2 booking fee

Very good. They even charge you £2 on top on the service charge.

Eurocamp:
http://www.eurocamp.co.uk
0844 number. Advertised as 1p/min from a BT landline. Now will be about 10 times the cost from a BT landline.
Calls cost 1p per minute on a BT Landline. Other landline providers may vary and calls on mobiles may cost more.
Oh dear.

DFDS:
http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/custome...ice/contact-us
Page is headed Customer Services: yet 0871 numbers
Please note calls to premium rate numbers cost up to 13p per minute plus your telephone company's access charge.

Still using 0871 for customer service, but at least they use the right wording.
And they helpfully give an international geographic number (though sometime companies block these numbers when called from the UK - not tried it).

Ryanair:
http://www.ryanair.com/ie/questions/...-calling-from/
New bookings & general queries: 0871 number
0871 246 0000 - £0.13 per minute
from Uk landlines and mobile.
Oh dear, no mention of access charge.

Irish ferries:
http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/contact-us/
0871 number for bookings and customer support
Calls cost 13p per minute plus network extras.
No mention of access charge just "network extras".

Manchester airport lost luggage lines:
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/h.../lost-luggage/
Mostly 0844 & 0871 numbers.
Looks the same.
Manchester Airport is not aware of the call charges for baggage handling agents so please contact them for the relevant charge.
Hmm...they say to contact them for charges, err, how, on the 0844/0871 number they quote? :rotfl:

Virgin holidays:
http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/contact-us
0844 numbers
Oooh, a result! Now they use 0344 numbers!

Telestunt (callthrough):
http://www.telestunt.co.uk/accessnumbers.php
Loads of 0844 numbers advertised at 1p/min on BT.
The price stated behind every access number is the price per minute for our service. Your phone provider may charge additional costs depending on your phone plan. Please check with your provider for the rates they charge to our access numbers.
May? Will, I think.

So other than Virgin, and 1 of the 3 BA numbers, there's been no exodus from 084/087 numbers due to this change.

The majority aren't using compliant wording, and some are misleading. And these are big companies, wonder how many smaller companies are complying?

robrhallam

Hi
I've just received a bill from PlusNet and most of my calls have gone up 4 fold. This is because I mainly use Cheap 0844 access numbers to call abroad. As of 1st of July I am now charged 2p a minute for the call and 9.5p a minute by PlusNet as an access charge. The result is that a 30 minute call previously cost about £1 now costs over £4. Is this what Ofcom had in mind when the new regs came in or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?
Rob

derrick

robrhallam wrote: »

Hi
I've just received a bill from PlusNet and most of my calls have gone up 4 fold. This is because I mainly use Cheap 0844 access numbers to call abroad. As of 1st of July I am now charged 2p a minute for the call and 9.5p a minute by PlusNet as an access charge. The result is that a 30 minute call previously cost about £1 now costs over £4. Is this what Ofcom had in mind when the new regs came in or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?
Rob

Don't know which countries you are calling, but have you tried 1899, 18866, 18585?

.

robrhallam

Hi


I'm ringing a mobile in Italy for which 18585 charges 14p per minute which is even more than it costs via PlusNet.


Rob

zagfles

robrhallam wrote: »

Hi
I've just received a bill from PlusNet and most of my calls have gone up 4 fold. This is because I mainly use Cheap 0844 access numbers to call abroad. As of 1st of July I am now charged 2p a minute for the call and 9.5p a minute by PlusNet as an access charge. The result is that a 30 minute call previously cost about £1 now costs over £4. Is this what Ofcom had in mind when the new regs came in or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?
Rob

Ofcom thought that is was terribly misleading that you didn't know how much of the call cost went to PlusNet and how much went to the callthrough company running the 0844 number, as I'm sure you used to lay awake at night wondering about this.

So they forced the separation of charges to the telco and charges to the service provider. And in their infinite wisdom, they decided that telcos must charge the same access charge to cheap 0844 numbers like callthroughs as to expensive 09 numbers like sex lines. Even though their potential losses for bad debt etc are much greater with expensive numbers.

So most telcos set ridiculously high access charges, which usually dwarf the service charge for cheap service numbers like 0844. So in order to pay a reasonable 2p/min or so for an international callthrough, you also need to pay your telco a rip-off access charge of maybe 5 times that for the privilege of them collecting your payment and passing it on.

oldharryrocks

robrhallam wrote: »

Hi


I'm ringing a mobile in Italy for which 18585 charges 14p per minute which is even more than it costs via PlusNet.


Rob

18185 lump all Italian Mobile Networks together you can get calls a lot cheaper if your not calling the two expensive ones.

Try someone like https://www.localphone.com/call/italy

You do need inclusive landline minutes as they allocate a 01/02 number pointed direct at the target number.

Other then that you can call at them 8p a minute from most mobiles via short code see
http://www.dialacode.com/cheap-international-calls-to-Italy

boatman

robrhallam wrote: »

Hi
I've just received a bill from PlusNet and most of my calls have gone up 4 fold. This is because I mainly use Cheap 0844 access numbers to call abroad. As of 1st of July I am now charged 2p a minute for the call and 9.5p a minute by PlusNet as an access charge. The result is that a 30 minute call previously cost about £1 now costs over £4. Is this what Ofcom had in mind when the new regs came in or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?
Rob

You are quite correct, they have taken the opportunity to hike prices to silly levels. 9.5p access charge is about 'average', they are all at it! All those cheap 0844 access numbers are now no longer cheap and presumably will have to fold or change their business model.

Ian011

Most of them offer alternative 020, 03 or 080 numbers. Landline users on the more expensive networks and mobile users have always had to use those.

trf0412

Ian011 wrote: »

Most of them offer alternative 020, 03 or 080 numbers. Landline users on the more expensive networks and mobile users have always had to use those.

I, too, have been hit with a surprise bill as I hadn't fully taken on board what these "clear" changes meant with regards to my use of 0844 access numbers for calling abroad. So, I fully intend to start using 02 or 03 access numbers for these calls.

However, in the email Plusnet sent me about the changes, they say the following:

*This means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 at anytime (except calls to indirect access numbers (which include calling cards), dial-up internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes).

The interpretation of this is a bit ambiguous, as it's possible to interpret the part in parentheses as applying to everything that comes before it. However, can I just confirm that it can only legally mean 0845 and 0870 calls used for this purpose and therefore this must be what Plus.Net intended?

Ian011

Ofcom does not permit variable charges for 03 numbers. Their rules require that 03 numbers are charged the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers and count towards inclusive allowances on landlines and on mobiles in the same way.

Providers can exclude specific 01 and 02 numbers from inclusive allowances if they want to do so.