13 June 2014 - an important date for phone users

ian011

13 June 2014 is barely a month away and is an important date for many people who use a telephone.

Many businesses currently insist you call them on expensive 084 and 087 telephone numbers. These are numbers where the caller subsidises the running costs of the non-geographic number (through the Service Charge element of the call cost) and where the business also often receives a revenue share payout. Many businesses claim these are "local rate" numbers, but this hasn't been true since 2004 - see this THE END OF 084 AND 087 NUMBERS FOR CALLING BANKS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES

&NBSP;

martynxxx

A Lot to take in

But thank you

Xxx

andyhubbert

Finally! It seems so outdated that we are getting charged loads for the use of these 08... Numbers.

I use the wecall4u app but it's still a hassle. This legislation should really help everyone who calls these numbers - especially from a mobile!

firoze

Many thanks for this. Very informative.

ian011

As this is the Tips forum, it might be a good idea to include some actual tips!

TIP! If you're about to call an 084 or 087 number that you have called before, STOP ! Check the 'contact us' page of their website in case they have recently changed their telephone number.

TIP! If you're about to call an 084 or 087 number mentioned in the phone book delivered at the end of last year, or on some paperwork previously sent to you, STOP ! Check the 'contact us' page of their website in case they have recently changed their telephone number.

TIP! Some companies promote an 084 or 087 number for customers in the UK to call but also have a standard 01 or 02 number for use when customers are "calling from abroad". Replace the +44 with a 0 and you're away. You may also need to suppress Caller Line Identity.

TIP! If the organisation does not list any 01, 02, 03 or 080 numbers, check the sayNOto0870 website in case there is a suitable alternative number listed there. Once you get through, ask the organisation for a permanent 01, 02 or 03 number.

TIP! If you have only an 084 or 087 number to call, replace the 8 with a 3 and call the matching 034 or 037 number just in case it has recently been activated. Ofcom rules mean the new number will always belong to the same organisation.

TIP! If you're keying in an 084 or 087 number and relying on an app to find an alternative 01 or 02 number, STOP! Make sure you check the website of the organisation you are calling in case they have already replaced their 084 or 087 number with a cheaper 03 number.

TIP! If you usually call an alternative number such as the "calling from abroad" number or one you previously found on sayNOto0870, STOP! You will probably have bypassed any "change of number" announcements. Regularly check the organisation's website for updates.

TIP! If you're forced to ring an 084 or 087 number as there appears to be no other option available, listen carefully to any announcements in case there is information about a recent or forthcoming change of telephone number.

TIP! If you end up speaking to an organisation on an 084 or 087 number and the call is clearly covered by Regulation 41, inform them you require your "call costs over and above basic rate" to be refunded. From13 June 2014 this is your legal right.

jaymailsays

Just got a letter from Thames water inviting me to call their 0845 number. The new regulations are toothless and are mainly to raise awareness. Only the Customer is allowed to claim back excess telephone charges. @ian011 this misleading repeat posting never admits that your only real option is to try and reclaim in the County Court if the business refuses to repay the excess charges. Time to bury this old Chestnut for good. (edit)

allan1954

nice thread i had to call 0844 number not on gg the cost £7 for the call just because i forgot to use gg dual sim phone.

paolo111

You've done your homework mate

tubai

Great news mate .. thanks

amiz

thanks

martins5649

really good info. great community spirit, thank you!

ma2013

Wow this is great news for us phone users! Thanks for sharing and the detailed post. 🙂

scoobydoo10uk2000

Yhanks for the update m8

billylinn

Many thanks, I'll put that on my calender. It's funny isn't it, that a lot of these numbers are for government agencies.I used to phone the job centre that was on an 0845 number and it used to cost me a fortune by the time I eventually got to the correct department. My sister once had to phone on my behalf, and I'm afraid she let them know at het displeasure at the cost. They did however inform her that they were discontinuing it shortly. Just another way the government gets money out of us. Never mind, the end of an era.

ian011

The clear guidance from the Cabinet Office in December 2013 is likely to result in the vast majority of 084 and 087 usage by government departments ending by the close of 2014. Most departments are already well on the way. The remainder are likely to receive increasingly negative attention from the media, especially after 13 June 2014.

cj2000gg

Not before time this, the craziest thing was that 0870 started off as National Rate and 0845 Local Rate years ago, then when telecom companies effectively stopped distinguishing between local and national rates, the 0870 became cheaper than 0845 which seems to be far more widely used.

ian011

@cj2000gg wrote:
Not before time this, the craziest thing was that 0870 started off as National Rate and 0845 Local Rate years ago, then when telecom companies effectively stopped distinguishing between local and national rates, the 0870 became cheaper than 0845 which seems to be far more widely used.

0845 stopped being "local rate" and 0870 stopped being "national rate" in 2004. That was when BT abolished the price differential based on distance when calling 01 and 02 numbers and moved their customers onto inclusive call plans. Thereafter, calls to 01 and 02 numbers, each of up to one hour long, attracted no further incremental charge. This is what the note is referring to.

The changes in 2004 instantly made 084 and 087 calls relatively expensive compared to calling (inclusive) 01 and 02 numbers. This is one of the reasons Ofcom introduced 03 numbers in 2007. However, these were not adequately promoted and uptake was quite low.

Calls to 0870 numbers from landlines became cheaper in 2009 when Ofcom suspended revenue sharing. However, mobile operators, in the main, did not drop their prices. Many users simply migrated to 0844 and 0871 numbers in order to continue receiving revenue share payments. Consumers had gained nothing. Upon seeing this, Ofcom held back from removing revenue sharing from 0845 numbers. They realised it would prompt a similar migration.

Consumers were also becoming confused. 0845 and 0870 calls were cheap from landlines and expensive from mobiles and all other 084 and 087 calls were expensive from landlines and from mobiles. In 2010, Ofcom instigated a major review of all 084, 087 and 09 numbers. Several consultations and four years later, work is proceeding on the "unbundled tariff" system which comes into effect on 26 June 2015. One of the changes is that revenue sharing returns to 0870 numbers on that date. The Service Charge is likely to be around 10p/min. At the same time, calls to 080 numbers will become free from all mobile phones and the provisions of the "NTS Retail Condition" will be lifted from BT.

A large number of 0845 numbers are still promoted as "local rate" even though this has not been true for a decade. Ofcom's new tariff system, where users of 0845 numbers will be required to declare the 2p/min Service Charge, should go a long way in eradicating this issue. In the meantime other legislation, regulation, guidance and policy is moving large numbers of 084 and 087 users over to cheaper numbers, often in the 03 range. One crucial part of that is the new law coming into force on 13 June 2014.

brulaw

@ ian011 , Excellent post / thread ..... has the potential to save a lot of people money .... thanks for sharing
.

bluenose5

thanks for the info.

richardski

Hi Ian,

Nice work. Very well presented 🙂

Richard