When you dial an 0845, 0844, 0871 or 0800 number how much do you really pay?
 1st July, 2012 |
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Is there any difference between 0845 and 0844?
Does the phone you call from make a difference – what if you call from a home phone, a work phone or a mobile?
Do businesses with 0870 numbers make money off the call? What about 0871? Is there any difference?
And what about the new 0300, 0303 and 0345 numbers? How are they different?
Surveys suggest no one really knows how much they pay when they call a non-geographic number. In fact most people wildly over-estimate what they pay.
And the fact is most people do pay different rates depending on the number they call, the phone they use and the time of day.
For example a BT Unlimited Weekend customer calling an 0845 number during the working day would pay 2.04ppm while Talk Talk Essentials customer would pay 7.95ppm calling the same number.
However you should be aware that calls to 0800 numbers, while free from landline phones are charged at 10-25p a minute from a mobile.
So as you can see, at the moment it's a little bit crazy. Why should 0843, 0844 and 0845 have different rates? It just confuses people.
But change is afoot...
Ofcom is stepping in to simplify the system. The proposed new charges will likely be as follows:
084 – 5.833p +VAT (7p inc VAT)
087 – 10.83p +VAT (13p inc VAT)
However don't draw breath just yet. Ofcom intends to make a decision early 2013 but it might well be another 18 months before the decision is enforced. In the meantime:
Callers are advised to check rates with their telephone service providers.
Businesses with non-geographic numbers are advised to print call rates next to their numbers and consider the full range of numbers available for different uses.
Windsor Telecom CEO Neil Sherring said, “the way the market has grown up has lead to quite a bit of confusion in this whole area. The industry is now definitely looking to Ofcom for clarity and direction.”
Tags: 0845 numbers, 0800 numbers, 0300 numbers
