To think that 0845 numbers should be banned?

[nomoreheels]

I am in the middle of a dispute with an insurance company over a policy I took out back in December.

I had to phone them in late January as I hadn't received anything in the post or had any direct debits taken.

I made the call from my mobile because that was my option at the time. Normally I get a warning message from Virgin if I will be charged in addition to my minutes. I didn't get the warning message so let the call proceed.

I was shocked when I received my mobile statement and saw that I was charged £10.35 for a total of 25 minutes - that's 42p per minute! Much of which was me being placed on hold while they uselessly tried to find out what was happening.

Anyhow I have complained about the whole fiasco (which is another story entirely) and I've asked to be compensated for the cost of that call, especially since I would not have had to ring them if they'd done their job correctly in the first place.

I think 0845/0870 etc numbers are a total sham though. I did some reading today and it's quite rare that you'd be charged at the so called local rate even if you ring from a landline because of complex access issues depending on who your provider is.

Frankly I am pretty tired of seeing that just about every company I have policies or dealings with don't have normal landline numbers that I can ring within my minutes package.

My DP suggested www.saynoto0870.com/ which looks great, although sadly it didn't have an alternative for the number I wanted. But we shouldn't have to work so hard just to contact companies that we're already paying for a service, don't you think?

YANBU this drives me mental. Especially when they use these numbers for public services hospital,tax, benefits etc. My GP has an 0845 number ffs!

Saynoto0870.com is genius though, the only thing I haven't found on there yet is my GP and I'm working on that one

i usually google the firm/address and ring them on their landline, then they out you through to the department you want, generally

Thanks both. Am going to be ultra cautious in future, that's for sure.

Still think it's a total scam that should be much more regulated, though, with standard charges across the board so you always know what you're going to pay.

If you have an iphone you can get an app that can find an alternative number that you can call for free for most 0845 etc numbers.

0845 is 'local rate', or it used tobe, but that's such an outmoded system.

I'd want to campaign for wider use of 0300 numbers, which cost the same as a call to an 01 or 02 (normal geographical, included in your minutes) number. 0800 is no use to the increasing number of people who do not have a landline.

0845 are a local rate from other landlines, from other mobiles and networks vary, this is because it is your provided sets the amount.

See O2 tariffs here www.o2.co.uk/mobilestariffs/tariffs/specialnumbers and see Orange here www1.orange.co.uk/cgi-bin/ovp/tariff.pl?tariff=O2_UK%7CO2_170_O2_100 note that orange do not replicate all the charges of the other operator (T&C.s) and that inclusive minutes include calls to fixed lines, 0800, 0845, 0870.

So you should ask about your £10.35 call charge with your mobile contract supplier Virgin. If you were on Orange it would have been in your inclusive minutes, by the looks of it (as per their site).

0800 free from landlines, but your mobile company will charge you from a mobile, again varies from nothing to £????. Set by your mobile provider.

My GP has our local area code number, so does my dentist, hospital and DCs school.

I quite often send an invoice for the cost of the call, never had one disputed yet (more trouble than its worth I guess)

I think they keep you on hold on purpose to get more money from you. Sky always hang up on me when I get through and I spend over an hour and my bill was well excuse the pun sky high! nothing more than a glorified legal scam.

Oh my god, altinkum that is shocking - £280! Glad you got it back though. And giddypickle, also outrageous.

My bank supposedly was claiming to offer "local" numbers to ring them, but it's now 0870. Which is cheaper than 0845, but still costs more and again wouldn't be included in my minutes package with my mobile.

I read somewhere that you should either just ring the company main switchboard, as suggested above, or even the free new customer line and then ask to be transferred.

I doubt Virgin would do anything for me, even if I argued that I didn't get the usual warning "this call costs" message. I don't know if they're obligated to do that or it's a courtesy. So am just going to hope that the insurance company (whose complaints department ARE available on a landline number, and who have been great so far) will add it to my compensation.

One of my biggest pet hates. Saynoto0870 is a great site, thankfully, although Sky TV are a nightmare when trying to find an alternative number.

Ironically, I used to sell 0870 numbers for a telephony company when I was in my early twenties!

Wotznotnow RE: 0845 are a local rate from other landlines

Any business using the words "local rate" anywhere near an 0845 number will likely find the Advertising Standards Authority coming down on it like a ton of bricks these days.

Likewise for those businesses still using the words "national rate" in trying to describe 0870 numbers. It's simply not allowed.

The cost implications suggested by those names ceased to be true in 2004 and 08 numbers are now known as Business Rate numbers.

Action is now actively taken by the ASA against companies using advertising that misrepresents call costs for these numbers.