Tiscali phone line rental and over-ride call providers

jawling

Does anyone know whether you can use a non-subscription over-ride call provider such as 18866 with the relatively new £14.99 Tiscali line rental + broadband package? Tiscali call centre operators haven't a clue - one said he thought so and one said he thought not! I've been on their very expensive helplines for ages, getting nowhere. And 18866's website isn't too clear either. Is there anyone who gets their line rental from Tiscali who can confirm either way? Thanks.

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums jawling.

You can only use a CPS calls provider whilst paying line rental to BT and only BT is obliged to allow you access to indirect access providers like 1899, 18185 and 18866.

If you can (I doubt you will) use 18866 now that you have (foolishly IMHO) handed over your line rental to Tiscali, treat it as a bonus - it probably won't last long.

gt94sss2

jawling wrote: »

Does anyone know whether you can use a non-subscription over-ride call provider such as 18866 with the relatively new(is) £14.99 Tiscali line rental + broadband package?

It depends on how Tiscali connect your line to their network.

If they use a process called local loop unbundling (LLU) which involves them connecting your line directly to their equipment in the telephone exchange , then short codes like 18866 will no longer work (the freephone access codes will though).

If, instead they use a process called Wholesale Line Rental which means they are 'renting' your line from BT then such 'short' codes may work..

This site will give you an indication if tiscali have LLU equipment at your telephone exchange.

Regards
Sunil

Ypaymore

The £14.99 package is a LLU Bundle and you want be able to dial the short code.

You should still however be able to use the 0808 Freephone Access Number for the present time.But Tiscali can block this in the future.

http://www.call18866.co.uk/mobilerates.php

But note different rates apply !!!!

The fact that they now use an expensive 0871 help line which they keep people hanging on, an on, an on, is another good reason to avoid them.

jawling

Thanks everyone. I have not ignored advice from other related posts but am somewhat puzzled because, despite Heinz's insistence that TalkTalk have blocked short access codes, I have had my line rental from them for many years and have not (yet?) had any trouble using 18866. Martin's article also says that short-access codes work OK with a TalkTalk line rental. Both TalkTalk and Tiscali use LLU in my area, according to the Sam Knows website (thanks for that, Sunil).

My broadband is currently with Tiscali at £14.99 per month. So, with TalkTalk's phone line rental, I am paying out £25.49 per month before making any phone calls whatsoever. I guess almost any current phone/broadband bundle looks, at first sight, more attractive than this. And so, in a weak moment, I did register on Tiscali's 0800 sales line for a bundle upgrade. Regretted it within minutes, having considered my current phone usage more carefully: I work from home and so use the phone largely during the day. But, surprise surprise, I was no longer able to get through to Tiscali on the 0800 number. Hung on for ages on the 0871 one, only to be told that I could not cancel the registration until the procedure had completed - even though the operator could not tell me how I might know when it had completed, advising that I ring the 0871 number again "in a few days". . . thereby wasting even more money!

What with the want of communication by Tiscali over the lost emails fiasco earlier in the year and their clearly obsessive zeal to sell sell sell regardless of the customer's interests, it is clearly time to move elsewhere. . .