0844 charges clarification needed

fullstop

Heinz wrote: »

Welcome to the MSE forums MurrayF.

From a BT line, it's between ½p and 5p/minute for 0844 calls (the rate for each depends on the 5th, 6th & 7th digts).

Similarly, 0871 numbers cost between 6p and 10p per minute (the rate for each depends on the 5th, 6th & 7th digts).

Beware, that £4.95/month doesn't cover 07 or 09 calls either

BTW, I think you'll find some interesting posts about this matter in THIS more recent thread.

Interesting reading, I bet the majority of 0844 and 0871 numbers are charged at the top rate and a very small if any at the lowest.

Heinz

fullstop wrote: »

Interesting reading, I bet the majority of 0844 and 0871 numbers are charged at the top rate and a very small if any at the lowest.

The lower priced ones (yes, even the ½p/minute ones) are normally legitimately used as gateways to cheap overseas calls (see the MSE International CallChecker).

BexTech

MurrayF wrote: »

I have just agreed a contract with BT to offer me free 0845 and 0870 numbers on my home line. Yippee I thought. But then hang on, this must be an offer too good to be true. Yep. it is. Indeed, what BT are doing now is to ensure that pretty much all new lines sold are 0844 and 0871 numbers so that for all you fools like me who are paying them £5 a month for free calls, we still pay 8p connection charge and up to 6ppm for 0844 and more than double that for 0871 numbers.
Actually when you think about it, the recent heist at Graff jewelers have got nothing on BT!

Not all 0844 or 0871 numbers are issued by BT, in fact many are issued by many other companies.

Jackie_Boyce

I recently had a minor car accident, but was steered towards two 0844 no.s by my insurance company, one for the garage and one to arrange a hire car. On phoning the hire car people, I had to terminate the call because I was getting more and more angry as no one could tell me how much I was being charged, and they were asking me more and more ridiculous questions. The repair people, on being asked the same question were much more helpful, they gave me their land line no. However, they still couldn't tell me how much I would have been charged on the 0844 no. As an aside, I have fully comp. insurance, and in the past I haven't had to phone anyone! I am considerning changing my insurance co. because of this farcical situation. Please, please, everyone, really kick up a stink, if you're asked to ring an 0844 (and equivalent) no. or they can't tell you how much you're being charged.
:mad:

UKoap

Jackie_Boyce wrote: »

I recently had a minor car accident, but was steered towards two 0844 no.s by my insurance company, one for the garage and one to arrange a hire car. On phoning the hire car people, I had to terminate the call because I was getting more and more angry as no one could tell me how much I was being charged, and they were asking me more and more ridiculous questions. The repair people, on being asked the same question were much more helpful, they gave me their land line no. However, they still couldn't tell me how much I would have been charged on the 0844 no. As an aside, I have fully comp. insurance, and in the past I haven't had to phone anyone! I am considerning changing my insurance co. because of this farcical situation. Please, please, everyone, really kick up a stink, if you're asked to ring an 0844 (and equivalent) no. or they can't tell you how much you're being charged.
:mad:

A lot of advice given here is out of date..For instance Virgin Media charge
11p connection and 9.17p per minute for ALL 0844 numbers. Also I note that
a lot of alternate providers are NOT quoting 0844 prices in their tariffs
don't think that they are the same as 0845..they are not. 0844 numbers
are a curse to consumers. In fact it's become nigh impossible to find over-rides to most of them. Resist using this number, protest strongly if you are forced to. NO MORE 0844!

UKoap

fullstop wrote: »

Interesting reading, I bet the majority of 0844 and 0871 numbers are charged at the top rate and a very small if any at the lowest.

I'm incensed with these premium rate 0844 numbers. Even more so when I read that they are charged at local rate..This just isn't true, in fact I reckon it's breach 'trades description' to even continue doing so.. My local Scottish Member of Parliament has tabled a question this very day.

"Oral Question General Question Time Thursday 3rd June 2010
Angela Constance: To ask the Scottish Executive how many GP practices use 084 premium rate numbers and whether it has any plans to actively discourage the use of such numbers by GP practices. (S3O-10892)"

Let's hope the SNP government do something constructively. Meanwhile why not demand action via your local parliamentary representative?

Ypaymore

UKoap wrote: »

A lot of advice given here is out of date..For instance Virgin Media charge
11p connection and 9.17p per minute for ALL 0844 numbers.

Posting duff info in an old thread doesnt help.

Virgin Media do not charge 9.17p to call all 0844 numbers. They have different prices for different 0844 charging bands. EG Charge band PG9 is 6p a minute. ( BT would charge only 1p a minute for same charge band).

Ypaymore

UKoap wrote: »

I'm incensed with these premium rate 0844 numbers. Even more so when I read that they are charged at local rate..This just isn't true, in fact I reckon it's breach 'trades description' to even continue doing so.. My local Scottish Member of Parliament has tabled a question this very day.

"Oral Question General Question Time Thursday 3rd June 2010
Angela Constance: To ask the Scottish Executive how many GP practices use 084 premium rate numbers and whether it has any plans to actively discourage the use of such numbers by GP practices. (S3O-10892)"

Let's hope the SNP government do something constructively. Meanwhile why not demand action via your local parliamentary representative?

GP,s in England have already been banned from using them.( I believe they have until to next April 2011 to comply).

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1272309035

Telegraph_Sam

I thought I had understood the 0844 charge construction correspondence but now I am confused! If we follow the MSE international calls advice and use e.g. Dialaround etc all on 0844 numbers @ "1/2 p per minute", is the best deal just to use the 1280 override to BT (for those that don't use BT by default for calls) and stomach whatever charge results knowing that it will amount to more than 1/2 p per min? Or is there a better 0844 route a. for international and b. for domestic calls? I suggest that 0844 numbers should appear alongside 0871's etc on the MSE call checker list - a strange omission

Heinz

Telegraph_Sam wrote: »

I thought I had understood the 0844 charge construction correspondence but now I am confused! If we follow the MSE international calls advice and use e.g. Dialaround etc all on 0844 numbers @ "1/2 p per minute", is the best deal just to use the 1280 override to BT (for those that don't use BT by default for calls) and stomach whatever charge results knowing that it will amount to more than 1/2 p per min? Or is there a better 0844 route a. for international and b. for domestic calls? I suggest that 0844 numbers should appear alongside 0871's etc on the MSE call checker list - a strange omission

I think you have misunderstood the legitimate use (as cheap 'gateways' for, for example, dialling overseas numbers) of ½p to 5p per minute 0843/0844 numbers and 6p to 10p per minute 0871/0872/0873 numbers.

That use involves them being listed in ascending cost order in the MSE CallCheckers and, hence, listing them together would not make sense.

If you have a BT line (i.e. pay line rental to BT) and can use BT to make such calls (i.e. you don't use a CPS calls provider which uses BTW's WCLI package - which effectively bars use of the 1280 prefix - to carry its calls), the cheapest way to make such calls is, indeed, via BT. They'll then cost 9.9p call set-up fee + whatever rate the particular 0843/0844 or 0871/0872/0873 number attracts.

However, bear in mind that the inherent drawback of using such gateway numbers is that the call becomes chargeable after you have dialled the eleventh digit (i.e. before you have even started dialling your target number) and remains chargeable even if the call doesn't get through or is simply unanswered.

As such, use of the indirect access providers 1899, 18185 or 18866 (with which there is a 5p connection fee and charging which starts when the call is answered) should be considered.