Tesco Mobile "premium rate" text that isn't

fb1969

I've been with Tesco Mobile for over 20 years and always been happy with them, but the current situation is ridiculous. I am on a Pay Monthly contract and calls and texts to 01, 02, 03 number are inclusive.

I recently sent a text to a UK landline 01420 which is the dialling code for Alton in Hampshire. I was surprised to see that I was charged 15p for doing so as the number was a premium rate. I rang customer services and was repeatedly told that it was a premium rate text. I then contacted them via Facebook and was again told it is a premium rate, though the charge was refunded as "goodwill". I then completed their online complaints form and have received a very patronising reply explaining to me about premium rate numbers. It is not a premium rate!

I am now worried that I will be charged at premium rate if I was to ring the number (it is a friend's home phone number). My only other means to contact Tesco seems to be to write a letter, which is ironic given it being about a mobile phone!

Does anyone have any way to contact someone at Tesco mobile, ideally in the UK so they would know what an 01420 number is and would listen to me rather than repeat irrelevant information.

la531983

Make a complaint

https://www.tescomobile.com/contact-us/pay-monthly/pay-monthly-complaints

01420 is clearly a landline so should be no doubt here assuming you are a monthly customer with a text allowance.

But if you have already done the above maybe you will have to bite the bullet and actually write a letter.

Rodders53

What was the text message?

I've been caught out in the past by a text with pics sent via MMS which is chargeable… Emoticons are pictures and can get sent as MMS rather than SMS.

MMS sending can be disabled on the phone. Accidental MMS Sending and How to Avoid it. - O2 Community

fb1969

Thanks for confirming what I thought. It is only 15p but the principle is there and who knows if other people have had the same problem.

p00hsticks

From my experience if a text is sent to a landline, then a BT service jumps in to ring the land line and attempt to robotically read the text out when the phone is answered - could there be a charge for this service ?

mta999

It may be worth sending a text to another land line and see if you are charged - then you would know it is land line related and not that specific number

fb1969

Thanks for the replies.

It is definitely showing as an SMS.

I've had a long chat by email with their customer "service" reps and none of them can grasp the issues. One even telling me 01 numbers are charagable and sending a weblink that showed they are not chargeable! I don't really want to risk being charged again, their emails are extremely patronising and their best advice is that I set a £0 spending cap.

PHK

I think the answer to this is a discrepancy between the website blurb and the terms and conditions.

When you look on the website it says that your inclusive texts,your allowance, can be used to text any standard UK number (which implies mobiles and landlines.)

BUT when you look at the actual terms and conditions, your allowance can be used for texts to UK mobiles (and Home from Home if you have that and are overseas)

So texting a landline would be out of allowance and cost the standard rate of one text message (between 10p and 20p depending which tariff you are on).