So no call plan = charges for 0800 numbers?

[#1]

A very long saga condensed:

A friend of a friend is looking at signing up to PN for good old fashioned BB and landline with caller display only.

But the salesman has stated that if he doesn't take a call plan, then 0800 numbers from his landline will be chargeable  It was checked and confirmed again during the sales call, but surely 0800 numbers are free no matter what deal you're on, isn't it?

From https://www.plus.net/ukcalling/

Important information about how 08, 09 and 118 numbers will be charged from 1st July 2015

From 1st July 2015, Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, is changing the way 08, 09 and 118 numbers are charged for all communication providers across the industry.

These changes are designed to make the cost of calls clearer, and they are being communicated through a campaign called UK Calling.

Put simply, call charges for calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 across the UK, will be made up of two parts: an access charge from Plusnet and a service charge from the organisation you are calling. There will also be changes to 0800 and 0808 numbers making them free to call from mobiles, as well as landlines.

PLEASE NOTE: These industry changes will not affect any inclusive minutes within your current Plusnet call plan. Any inclusive minutes you currently have will remain inclusive.

Find out more

All these changes apply to calls made from every landline and mobile phone for every provider including Plusnet, Talk Talk, BT, 02, EE and Sky. Calls from payphones, international calls or calls to the UK when roaming overseas are not affected.

Find out more at ukcalling.info

And this

0800 and 0808 numbers

Freephone numbers starting 0800 or 0808 are already free to call from landlines. From 1st July 2015 it will be free to call 0800 and 0808 numbers from your mobile as well.

States nothing about needing a call plan to benefit from 0800 numbers being free

[#2]

@DS

If sales staff tell porkies then why sign up?  I wouldn't.

[#3]

seems rubbish https://www.plus.net/ukcalling/

0800 and 0808 numbers

Freephone numbers starting 0800 or 0808 are already free to call from landlines. From 1st July 2015 it will be free to call 0800 and 0808 numbers from your mobile as well.

[#4]

That's exactly my thoughts, but it just doesn't make sense.

I know they may get commission and getting customers to buy unwanted extras etc. but the call handler was adamant a call plan is needed, even after my friend mentioned reporting this to Ofcom.

[#5 · Accepted solution]

0800 numbers are free, with or without a call plan.

But the salesman has stated that if he doesn't take a call plan, then 0800 numbers from his landline will be chargeable  It was checked and confirmed again during the sales call, but surely 0800 numbers are free no matter what deal you're on, isn't it?

Do you have details of who they spoke to and when so I can follow this up? If so can you PM them to me please.

[#6]

seems rubbish

I agree Oldjim, but it became stalemate (from what I've been told) during the call and thus the signup stopped at that point. I've just additionally been told that the sales guy had to have a mobile number too and not just the landline number.

The homeowner, who doesn't like speaking on the phone hence why my friend did all the talking, has now been getting continuous calls to his landline from a number based in Leeds - he's gotten himself a tad worked up and is refusing to answer the phone now - and that thought makes me feel bad as I've been dragged into this now.

[#7]

Do you have details of who they spoke to and when so I can follow this up? If so can you PM them to me please.

Yes and yes and give me a mo to compose the PM.

(thanks for the rapid response)

[#8]

Credit where credit is due.

Chris has been really informative and this issue has been fed back to the relevant teams. A lot has gone on behind the scenes (via PM's) so I'll leave that bit private, except to say that this guy is still keen to move to PN.

Not that this should have happened in the first place, and hopefully it won't happen again, but can I suggest to any future readers that you make a note of the time you call and who you speak to as this information is needed by others within Plusnet if issues like this arise. In this case, based on this suggestion I made to my friend a few years back, he noted the rough times he called and who he spoke with

[#9]

Thanks again to Chris (plus the others involved with this).

PN have called, keeping things simple, and the guy has now signed up to PN.

The guy has been offered a goodwill gesture for all the hassle and he is very happy, so in turn I'm happy too

Case (until the go live date) closed.

[#10]

No problem at all, glad to help.

[#11]

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): I have changed the fix to Chris as per message #5