EE Text Charges to School

redux

tomtontom wrote: »

Some tariffs will include Channel Island numbers, some will not. You'd need to check your tariff. If you're texting it a lot there may be an add on that includes these numbers.

It can be more complicated than that. There have been times when some networks had calls to Channel Islands and Isle of Man mobiles excluded from call bundles but texts were still included in text bundles.

I don't know what the current state of play is.

It might be worth signing up to a separate text message provider such as Fishtext. Their application or online form sends an equivalent using data, and simulates the user's own number as the sender. Price from a couple of pence each. And 20p free trial credit to start

blink18

tomtontom wrote: »

07797 is a Jersey Telecom number, hence why it is chargeable.

This is something the school need to look into with their provider.

unlikely, they more than likely get a rebate on some of the fees charged to parents

Ian011

The question has to be 'why has your school got a mobile number registered in the Channel Islands?'

A similar question has to be 'why is it that when you send a text to the BBC the number is a mobile number registered in the Isle of Man?'

The answer is that those offshore operators charge the caller's provider a larger fee than UK operators do for handling the incoming (call or) message. In this way they can provide an advanced message handling service for the message recipient at no cost to the message recipient and with callers funding the service through those increased and non-inclusive message charges.

As termination rates for offshore operators are outside of Ofcom's control this isn't likely to end anytime soon. It's time for their dozens of prefixes to be migrated to something easier to remember, perhaps 0761, 0762 and 0763.

The current mess looks like this.
http://giffgaff.screet.co.uk/number/?n=landline
http://giffgaff.screet.co.uk/number/?n=mobile
http://giffgaff.screet.co.uk/number/?n=offshore

The flow of funds is the same as for calls to 070 numbers - with callers paying additional call charges in order to pay for the enhanced services enjoyed by the called party. It's also how 084 and 087 numbers work, but with those the benefit to the called party is now separately declared as the Service Charge.

grumbler

Ian011 wrote: »

.... it's time for their dozens of prefixes to be migrated to something easier to remember, perhaps 0761, 0762 and 0763.

It's time for all 'offshore' numbers to be migrated to separate country code(s).

d123

Heather8585 wrote: »

I've queried it with school as other parents are being charged by EE but not by other providers (Vodaphone for example)

Just checked the Vodafone site, they do charge extra for texts to Jersey numbers.

Our standard international charges

Calls to The Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey) will be charged at 45p a minute.

Texts will be charged at 18p a text.

Check our FAQs for more information.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/calling-abroad-from-the-uk/

As do o2

Standard Rates

Our Pay Monthly customers will be charged at the following rate for calling this country.

Cost per minute of calling: Jersey

Landline 35p
Mobiles 35p
Cost per text message 20p
Minute minimum charges apply

http://international.o2.co.uk/internationaltariffs/calling_abroad_from_uk

And Three

Dial code: 0044 numbers in Jersey (roaming rates apply)
To call someone in Channel Islands (Jersey) you need to dial 00 followed by the country's dialing code.
Calling to Mobiles.
46p / minute.
Calling to Landlines.
46p / minute.
Text messages.
25.2p / message.

three.co.uk


You might want to get together and start complaining to the school to get a proper UK number for the service, it might be a battle as they or their provider or making a profit out of the fact you are all making international rate texts to use the service.

Ian011

grumbler wrote: »

It's time for all 'offshore' numbers to be migrated to separate country code(s).

If that were to happen, those calls and texts would then be charged at full international rates.

d123

Ian011 wrote: »

If that were to happen, those calls and texts would then be charged at full international rates.

Text rates are already pretty much the same as EU rates.

Checking Jersey and France on o2 and Three (the 2 windows I still had open).

redux

Ian011 wrote: »

The question has to be 'why has your school got a mobile number registered in the Channel Islands?'

A similar question has to be 'why is it that when you send a text to the BBC the number is a mobile number registered in the Isle of Man?'

The answer is that those offshore operators charge the caller's provider a larger fee then UK operators do for handling the incoming message. In this way they can provide an advanced message handling service for the message recipient at no cost to the message recipient and with callers funding the service through increased message charges.

Although that may or may not be the case, I think there is slightly more to the answer than that.

Some (maybe all?) of these text message hosting services are run by separate providers, and maybe they find the island networks more amenable to considering such wholesale products as a way to expand their market reach.

After all those also host specialist roaming SIMs and network installations on cruise ships and ferries, and Iceland and Malta also feature amongst the latter.

I can't remember the name of the firm associated with the Manx 076248 numbers, but I did use to know it, after a conversation with someone at Manx Telecom, mostly about something else. Something beginning with T, a vague memory ...

077862 also seems quite common amongst such services, and again I suspect that other firms are involved in the services, rather than Vodafone doing all of the work itself.

grumbler

Ian011 wrote: »

If that were to happen, those calls and texts would then be charged at full international rates.

Why not - if they are 'offshore'? And international rates depend on other factors, not on some formality like a code you dial.

Heather8585

Cheers guys.

Other parents have checked their accounts they say they have definitely not been charged? It may be because of the tariff they're on?

I've got the school business manager looking into it. Will let you all know what they come up with.

In the meantime I'm sure they'll be sick if the sound of my voice �� Hev