Faults is now on 150 (previously PETITION against ntls 0845 CS number)

[Chrysalis]

My answer to your question andy is I think all broadband subscription fees industry wide need to rise as a whole its undervalued. Then perhaps a bit more on top even to cover the extra cost of hiring uk staff and keeping call centres in uk. 0870 isnt a major thing unless their is long call queues and poor 1st time resolution on calls.

[José Mourinho]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

My answer to your question andy is I think all broadband subscription fees industry wide need to rise as a whole its undervalued. Then perhaps a bit more on top even to cover the extra cost of hiring uk staff and keeping call centres in uk. 0870 isnt a major thing unless their is long call queues and poor 1st time resolution on calls.

0870 is a very bad thing for faults. You're ****ed off with the fault and you get doubly ****ed off when you have to pay to report the fault! Do you want to keep the customers happy or do you want to wind them up?

[testcard]

Offcom states 0870 numbers should be charged at national rates or less and many people believe these numbers are charged at this rate.

BT new daytime rate is 3p for all calls.

Therefore all 0870 should be err 3p per min?

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by testcard

Offcom states 0870 numbers should be charged at national rates or less and many people believe these numbers are charged at this rate.

BT new daytime rate is 3p for all calls.

Therefore all 0870 should be err 3p per min?

No they don't! OFCOM stated very recently that there is no such thing as a 'National Rate' and even the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) have stated that as the 'National' UK rate is nothing like what 0870 calls are charged at, advertisers cannot state this. OFTEL say that revenue sharing for these numbers must end, and are pushing the new 05 code to provide firms with memorable numbers when they give up 0870. Also, the fact OFTEL still allowed the old Mercury Freefone code 0500 to still exist remains to confuse punters further.

[kat2]

the 0871 number that ntl use is a call collect number thats why they and other isps use it, they collect on the length of your call the longer they keep you on the more money for them!do a google search on it! *sighs* I wouldnt mind but I have never had a sucessfull result from their technical support number.
huggs kat2

[testcard]

Originally Posted by Okonski

No they don't! OFCOM stated very recently that there is no such thing as a 'National Rate' and even the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) have stated that as the 'National' UK rate is nothing like what 0870 calls are charged at, advertisers cannot state this. OFTEL say that revenue sharing for these numbers must end, and are pushing the new 05 code to provide firms with memorable numbers when they give up 0870. Also, the fact OFTEL still allowed the old Mercury Freefone code 0500 to still exist remains to confuse punters further.

As proposed in September 2005, Ofcom will require mobile and fixed-line providers (including payphones) to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for national-rate calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). If providers wish to charge more for 0870 calls they will have to make a free-to-caller price pre-announcement at the start of the call.
Offcom19|04|06

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by kat2

the 0871 number that ntl use is a call collect number thats why .
huggs kat2

I'm not sure where you gleaned that term from, but 'call collect' is an american term for what we'd call a reverse charge call. The number range is more properly described as 'revenue share' where a few pence per minute paid to the telco is also passed on to the user oif the line. Either way, for NTL, the cost to them of providing free calls to CS and Faults over their network is negligible. Of more interest is when you call them and the recorded announcement states what the call prices are via BT.... it's almost as if they didn't know they had a network of their own!

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by testcard

If providers wish to charge more for 0870 calls they will have to make a free-to-caller price pre-announcement at the start of the call.
Offcom19|04|06

Which proves what, exactly? This has not been enshrined in any legislation and their 05 code announcement was revealed in August 2006. Moving on to this 'free-to-caller price pre announcement' how do they think that's going to work in practice? What is being implied is that some end users will charge higher rates than others, the originating network isn't going to know what the charge is going to be until the call is terminated, so how on earth can the regulator mandate a pre-connection warning message? BT most certainly won't stand for it - they'll need a set rate for a code and stick with it.

Imagine - that's like being given a menu in a resurant then being told the prices are dependant on which chef cooks your meal, but you won't know that till it's made!

The 05 option gives them a chance to start again.

[King Of Fools]

AFAIK, the 0845, 0870 and 0871 numbers will be left exactly as they are but the new 05 numbers will be charged at standard geographic rate. Only if companies choose to move to an 05 number will the costs come down.

Why are 0870 numbers being discussed anyway? Are any of ntl's contact numbers 0870? I can't find any in the sticky on here, or on ntl's website.

The tech support number is 0871, which, when I first looked it up on the BT website in March, was called a "contactcall" number. This can be charged at anywhere between 0.5p/min to 10p/min for a call made at anytime (no evening or weekend reductions). ntl chose to charge the maximum of 10p.

Having said that, I am a bit confused now, as the contact pages for both Bromley and Langley on ntl's site says that the 0845 and the 0871 numbers are both charged at 5p/min.

Have ntl reduced their tech support number to 5p/min or is it a mistake?

http://www.ntlworld.com/helpsupport/...us/bromley.php
http://www.ntlworld.com/helpsupport/...us/langley.php


.

[jonifen]

Originally Posted by Millay

Well im sure it leads back to a geographic number, as soon as someone finds that it will all be OK.

Why companies dont publish geographic numbers as well?

http://www.saynoto0870.com
I found a geographical number there, took me straight through to CS

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Okonski

What is being implied is that some end users will charge higher rates than others

I believe it's related to the phone line provider to determining the cost of the call (Bt/Ntl/1899) and if they want to charge more than the standard cost of a land line call (i.e. 3p/3p/0p) then they will have to give a free recorded warning at the beginning of the call what the cost will be - 1899 do this already.

In the end reducing 0870 numbers to the same cost as a "normal" land line call can only be good for the consumer (in my case making them free ) - my beef is the timescale (next year) and the fact that 0845s aren't going to be included in the review.

Oh and for those interested in the 0871 debate - it's moving to be regulated by ICSTIS which will mean that like 09 numbers, companies will NOT be able to keep you in a queue before answering your cal. They will either have to answer it there and then or give you an engaged tone. Can't see Ntl sticking with it then - people would NEVER get through!

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by Shaun

In the end reducing 0870 numbers to the same cost as a "normal" land line call can only be good for the consumer (in my case making them free ) -

but ntl: have changed it from an 0800 to a special rate call for a reason, if the regulatory body determines what the cost of a call is they can change the number again to an 09 number and still charge 10p per min for tech support

[Furion]

the fact that you have to call the fault line means your already paying for a non working or substandard service

so to have to pay for it is an utter insult! and when you do get through you realise your paying for another substandard service

[royboxer]

I totally agree the 0845 number stinks ,,,, I've gone round in circles on the website trying to email NTL to report a fault on my phone. Every time I click on a contact us link it tells me to phone,,,,I can't phone , the thing is broken. Why can't I email a request for a repair then they can phone me on my mobile or they can give me an 01 or 07 number that I can phone free of charge as part of my mobile phone package. everyone should keep on emailing to complain. I managed to get through to business services I'm sure they will soon get fed up of answering emails from home users who are just fed up with the service.. Apart from this they are pretty good I can feel my blood pressure starting to drop just because i've manged to tell somebody