[access-uk] It's good to be a BT customer
- From: "Derek Hornby" <derek.hornby_uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Access-Uk@Freelists. Org" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:44:57 -0000
Hi All
This was in The Guardian today 10 January 2009
BT abolishes call fees to 0870 and 0845 numbers:
Telecoms Move comes after complaints that pricing packages did not
cover 'premium' lines
Tony Levene
Millions of BT customers will no longer have to pay to call
numbers starting with 0870 and 0845 after Britain's biggest
landline supplier announced it would abolish call fees to the
controversial numbers.
From 16 January, some 14 million customers with any of BT's call
packages will benefit from free calls to what are normally
premium rate lines.
Currently, BT subscribers pay up to 5.8p a minute for 0870 numbers
and up to 1.96p a minute for 0845 numbers, with a 7p set-up
charge on top (even when calls to landline numbers starting 01,
02 or 03 are free). Other landline suppliers can hit customers
for more - up to 10p a minute for 0870 numbers in some cases.
However, customers will still be charged for calls to the even
more expensive 0871 and 0844 numbers, where fees can exceed 10p a
minute.
"We are the first UK phone company to tackle these charges," says
BT. "Customers often complain their calling packages did not
include the 0870 and 0845 numbers. These are frequently used by
banks, insurance companies and even doctor's surgeries." Calls to
Revenue & Customs helplines and NHS Direct are also 0845 numbers.
0845 and 0870 numbers generate profits for the banks, utility
firms and other organisations that use them, with 40%-60% of the
call fee going to the organisation answering the phone.
BT says it will take a financial hit, absorbing the extra fees
with no increase in monthly charges to customers. It estimates
the move is worth 24million pounds a year to its phone users, and
claims a typical subscriber spends 30 minutes a month calling
these numbers.
The government recently announced a review of doctors and NHS
departments using 0844 and 0845 numbers. Citizens Advice and
other consumer organisations are also campaigning for calls to
0800 numbers, which are free from landlines, to be "no cost" from
mobiles. Many of the poorest families have no access to a
landline or a telephone box.
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