Posted by Telecoms on Jan 19, 2009 in
NGN Due to the recent changes imposed on the advertising of non-geographic numbers I thought it worth summarising some points that are already catching many people out.
0843, 0844 or 0845 – You may not use any statement that implies that these calls are charged at local rate. Instead you should make the customer aware of the actual cost of the call, or alternatively that calls are charged at a special services basic rate. Trading Standards suggest either of the following two statements;
• ’Calls will cost up to 5p per minute for BT customers. Calls made using other service providers or mobiles may cost more.’
• ’Calls charged at Special Services basic rate, check with your service provider.’
0870, 0871 or 0872 – You may not to use any statement that implies that these calls are charged at national rate. Instead you should make the customer aware of the actual cost of the call, or alternatively that calls are charged at a special services higher rate. Trading Standards suggest either of the following two statements;
• ’Calls will cost up to 10p per minute for BT customers. Calls made using other service providers or mobiles may cost more.’
• ’Calls charged at Special Services higher rate, check with your service provider.’
0800 & 0808 – These rules are very unclear at the moment, although there are no firm rules that prevent you from stating that these calls are “Freephone” despite calls to those numbers not being free from mobile phones and some landline call tariffs.
Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, it is an offence to give misleading price indications to consumers and to omit details about prices if they also mislead. A £5,000 fine imposed at the magistrate’s court or an unlimited fine and/or a sentence of up to two years in prison can be imposed at the crown court.
For more information you should visit both Ofcom and The Committee of Advertising Practice alternatively contact your local Trading Standards office
Tags: 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871, 0872, advertising, NGN, non-geographic numbers
Posted by Telecoms on Dec 24, 2008 in
NGN,
Telephony Do I own the number ?
Most telecoms providers will answer No to this question and this is wrong and unfair, but still so many people will be fooled into purchasing something they never own.
It is essential that you make sure that you own the number you have purchased ! Imagine your provider going bust and you losing all of your business telephone and fax numbers.
Owning your own number will also allow you to port it to different providers to make good use of new offers, promotional rates or just better service.
Am I paying a Rental Charge ?
There is absolutely no reason why should be paying a rental charge to own a non-geographic number, do not be tricked into paying any kind of monthly service fee, gold number charge or monthly rental. All non-geographic numbers should have a one off charge for their purchase, then potentially some recurring call costs (in the case of 0800 or 0808 numbers only !)
Am I receiving a Rebate for calls made to my number ?
If you are using an 0870, 0871 or 0844 number, you should be receiving a regular rebate for all calls made to your number, prices will vary from provider to provider, but you should be looking to receive a minimum of a penny for every minute you receive calls.
Remember, 0800 and 0808 numbers will not issue a revenue share and you are likely to be charged for every call received.
Do I have to pay a charge for calls made to my number ?
Both 0800 and 0808 numbers will cost the receiving party money to receive the call. With both of these numbers, the caller doesn’t pay a penny to make calls (with the exception of calls made from some mobile networks)
You should not be paying any money for calls received on 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 numbers.
Can I view call statistics for calls made to and from my number ?
Most Non-Geographic Number providers will supply you with web-based statistics that will allow you to view call volumes, call times and the lengths of calls as a minimum.
Many will go one step further, offering advanced analytics, call trends and dozens of other reports that can help to analyse your businesses calls.
Tags: 0800x, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871, non-geographic numbers