The SayNoTo0870 Article Discussion Area

horsy24 · 1 March 2008 at 12:39AM

I've recently set up a new internet site and really really don't want to use any of the premium rate 087?? numbers for the site but also cannot really use a local number 0161 (from manchester!) because I live with another housemate and will be working from home, so don't really want to upset him by having the house phone ringing all day!! and probably night! Someone told me they had seen a virtual office type setup on the Martins Money website where a phone number and address could be used. calls can be diverted from that number to a mobile (i.e. mine) and also post from an address to my address (because I don't really want allsorts of strangers turning up on my doorstep either!). Supposedly it was a free service as well or very cheap!

I really can't find this on the site after searching for ages. Found the ones that advertise on google that charge a fortune!! if anyone could help me out that has a clue what I am talking about, I would be very very grateful

Andrew

molerat · 8 March 2008 at 10:24AM

I had a missed call on my home phone last week, did not recognise the number so ignored it. Later in the week had a card in the post from a company I was expecting to contact me with "we have tried to contact you" message and an 0871 number. Went onto say no to 0870 and found their geographical number, the same as my missed call. Dialled it and message said " this number is for outgoing calls only" so had to phone the 0871. Looked at my BT recent calls and 21p for 1min 51 secs which would have cost me 6p with Primus to their real number. :mad:

EmehEm2005 · 11 March 2008 at 10:19PM

pyart wrote: »

The regulator has finally made rulings against the use of 0845 and 0870 numbers. The changes to 0870 are coming into effect next year and already companies are switching to 0871, which is being re-classified as a premium rate number. This is going to cost us all more and i am fed up with being robbed by the use of 0845, 0870 and now 0871. I have started a petion to legislate against the use of 0871 and that the government force companies to use 01, 02 or the new 03, which was introduced for their use. You may wish to support this http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/0871numbers/

Have just signed your petition!

Mike

twhitehead · 12 March 2008 at 10:49AM

I have used some of my credit on Internet calls VOIP to phone 0871 and 0845 but it does not accept 0844. Does anyone know how to get round the problem?

Heinz · 12 March 2008 at 11:08AM

twhitehead wrote: »

I have used some of my credit on Internet calls VOIP to phone 0871 and 0845 but it does not accept 0844. Does anyone know how to get round the problem?

I don't think there is a way and that's because the charges for 0844 calls are not fixed - they can be ½p, 1p, 2p, 3p, 4p or 5p per minute (it depends on the 5th, 6th and 7th digits - see HERE).

dignee · 25 March 2008 at 7:24AM

I get dialled by 0844/5 and 0870's for marketing purposes so regularly now that not only is it annoying, its a downright nuisance.

Can we use the barring as in with-held numbers? No. Why?

Each and every subscriber to BT (even if it's only for phone line rental) should call in and ask for selective barring in exactly the same way as we can reject any other nuisance call.

And I am doing it today.

If you are equally tissed off with it, why don't you call 150 today and request the same thing (in fact if you do could you just post a thank-you so I can do a straw poll - and ask others to do it too please because I want to see how long it takes for BT to react to these nuisance calls and how they deal with it). If you are buddies with other uses of this wonderful site ask them to do it also please - spread this like a sneezed cold virus on the tube!

Ask your outside friends to do this too, and ask them to ask their friends and co-workers to do it. It costs nothing to call 150 (apart from wait time - put your speaker phone on while you're cooking dinner or bored with the telly) and INSIST COMPLETELY that someone gets back to you about it, preferably in writing, with an assurance that you don't have to be bombarded with any further UNSOLICITED nuisance calls.

If you have a regular group of friends you email, ask them to get in touch with BT about it too in the same way, and ask them to forward it to their friends also.

Let's get these baskets stopped.

I for one, have had it up to HERE with all of their profiteering bull!

Does anyone know how to get in touch with WATCHDOG off the beeb? I would like to send this complaint to them to persue it too.

Here's an update from the various calls I have made this morning.

1) BT's nuisance calls operators advise me that there is new legislation coming in regarding 08 prefix numbers. I told him I already knew that and that I just wanted to bar 08 prefix numbers ringing me. He advised me it can't be done and that I should subscribe to the silent calls option, I advised him I already am.

I then went on to advise him that BT still uses 08 prefix numbers to contact customers, and that the BT privacy opt-in number is an 0845 number! He made no comment.

2) good news OFCOM have a free post address to write to for complaining about premium call charges, so we can be counted as official complaints and hurry up and stop this bizarre practice.

Everyone who hates incoming or having to make 0844/5 and 0870/1 calls should write to them IT'S FREE

ICSTIS,
Freepost,
WC5468,
London SE1 2BR

Now all we need is someone to come up with some good standard letters we can print off or copy to send to them to register our sincere complaints about either having to make calls to these numbers or having to be called by these nuisances.

ANY VOLUNTEERS FOR THE LETTERS PLEASE??

Rogerb_2 · 25 March 2008 at 7:31AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/contact_index.shtml

I get a lot of these calls from with-held numbers.

pryland · 5 April 2008 at 2:19PM

daves wrote: »

We use an 0870 at work ... the problem is that when you are a small business 0845 will not do as you incurr charges. I am all in favour of dumping the revenue side of things, to be honest this is miniscule on 0870, most profits go to BT. But you have 0870 or your have 0845/0800 both of which cost you ingress charges. Yes you can find some providers who will give you an 0845 number with no ingress calls, but there are limits with that as they are taking a hit on the egress charges.

If BT stopped fiddling with the local area codes and costing businesses a fortune to redo their stationary/signwriting then you may see less of these numbers being used .. at least in the small business sector.

Reply to Daves.
There is no excuse for using an 0870 number in your business.
It just plays into the hand of the intermediary telecoms companies who sell you these numbers and cost your customers 7 or 8 pence a minute.
I also run a small business and refuse totally to phone ANY 0870 numbers.
Keep to a geographical number....... you have one anyway. Stop blaming BT

bbb_uk · 5 April 2008 at 10:14PM

derrick wrote: »

..include the calls in ALL packages, it should cost nothing for the 0845 as you have reduced them to under the cost of 01/02/03...

It's just not financially possible to include calls to 084x/087x numbers in inclusive minutes without raising the cost of the inclusive plan or placing a maximum number of mins allowed (ie what VM do on some tariffs).

The cost of 084/087 is set by Ofcom and then each telephone company add extra on to make a profit from the call. I believe that for BT to carry calls to 0845 at 2p/min means that either BT makes no profit (or very, very, very little) or actually makes a loss on the numbers and instead recoups this loss from other areas.

DonnyDave · 8 April 2008 at 4:09PM

bbb_uk wrote: »

The cost of 084/087 is set by Ofcom and then each telephone company add extra on to make a profit from the call. I believe that for BT to carry calls to 0845 at 2p/min means that either BT makes no profit (or very, very, very little) or actually makes a loss on the numbers and instead recoups this loss from other areas.

I am not aware of Ofcom setting any prices. It has, however, defined some rules.

For 08/09 NTS numbers BT makes no profit when callers make (originate) calls to these numbers with it. The destination number may be operated by BT, and thus it stands to reason that it profits there.

See page 122 of the "Review of the fixed narrowband wholesale exchange line, call origination, conveyance and transit markets" published in November 2003 which details the SMP's (significant market power's) obligations:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/narrowband_mkt_rvw/nwe/

AA11.4 The Dominant Provider shall make no charges for providing NTS Call Origination covered by paragraph AA11.1 except for:
(a) a charge for the Call Origination Service used to originate the NTS Call;
(b) a charge for the NTS Retail Uplift; and
(c) a charge for bad debt relating to the retailing by the Dominant Provider of Premium Rate Services calls.

Thus, we must conclude that the amount paid to the telephone provider of the 08/09 NGN in question when the call is made from a BT landline is decided by BT's retail price minus BT's costs. This cannot ever be inclusive (0p/min) else, I assume, they will have to pay BT, as is the case with "freephone".

Quite clearly, they won't like that. It means that it's not so much a case of them charging BT, but BT paying whatever.

The SayNoTo0870 Article Discussion Area

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