I called my Husbands mobile and it cost me £45!

[#1]

Not a question for me to answer.

[#2]

Then please could you, as a superuser, request an urgent response to that simple question by a member of staff? Preferably a response which actually answers the question...

[#3]

it can be argued that bad data is being supplied by BTOR to all CPs which results in both current and historical wrong billing

That's my take on it too, BUT from my initial investigations, other CP's seem to have sussed that the data is (obviously!) wrong and have coped with it.

[#4]

The crux here is how have others fudged this?

Lets be clear if duff data is coming in the only way of managing the problem (other than at source [BTOR]) that is by (every CP's) inspection and hacking the "right" result at the point of consumption.

In effect within the BILLING system there needs to be an exception hack which effectively says...

If charge band = X

and

If called number prefix looks like a mobile number

then

make charge band = Y for billing purposes

I can see so very plainly why this is not a desirable solution herein! 

[#5]

As I previously confirmed, we’ve identified the issue and are currently scoping out the size of the fix, as well as identifying the affected customers. Once the fix has been implemented, we’ll be issuing refunds. We’ll also update on the community when this is being done.

We have contacted the ASA with a response to the complaint which was sent to them about this issue however, we stand by our confirmed response above.

[#6]

@JonoH whilst you're in the billing system you might care to look at this https://community.plus.net/t5/Phone/International-Freephone-UIFN-00800-numbers-revisited/m-p/1463919....

From what I've discovered so far it seems a complete lottery as to what the different CP charges for 00800 numbers are ?

[#7]

@MisterW,

@HarryB is discussing that with our products team as we speak as soon as we hear back from them we will post on the other thread.

[#8]

No problem Jono, I was really just thinking, if there was an issue with 00800, then knowing now might save you having to go into the billing system twice

[#9]

@MisterW,

The correct solution to this and that is not within PlusNet's billing system but in the charging information supplied by BT Openreach.

If the solution is fudged within CP's customer billing systems then the CP will end up absorbing the cost of the calls...

[#10]

---

@Townman wrote:

the CP will end up absorbing the cost of the calls...

---

It shouldn't have to be said but that's where any overcharging/wrong charge should remain.

The customer shouldn't have to bear the burden of any companies mistakes. The onus should always be on the company to carry their own mistakes, not play pass the parcel with them.

[#11]

Plusnet has said they will refund the costs of these calls, but I worry no-one knows the scale of the problem; refunds I would presume will be on an application basis; there has been no public anouncement regarding the issue therefore customer awareness is limited atm to this forum; I still can't call this mobile number

[#12]

The correct solution to this and that is not within PlusNet's billing system but in the charging information supplied by BT Openreach.

@Townman whilst I agree with you in principle. This is BTOR changing their systems we are talking about!. I'd be concerned that it is going to take forever for them to do this. They will probably need to assess the impact on, and get agreement from?, other CP's. How long will that take ? (don't attempt to answer it's a rhetorical question) 

In the mean time, people are still being charged and as @Ann-on-a-Moose says

 I still can't call this mobile number

can not use faciliities they are paying for!

[MisterW]

MisterW  'This is BTOR changing their systems we are talking about!' The saying 'Not my circus, Not my monkeys' springs to mind As a Customer of Plusnet and End user, I don't make it my business to know what happens behind the scenes between Wholesaler and Supplier! That is what I pay Plusnet for. I have a contract with PN not BTOR, it is PN's responsibility to me to stand by their promises made to me, as I stand by the promise of my loyalty within that contract. If my services are to be affected in a way that means I would be charged for something I was promised would be free, then that constitutes a breach of contract. However long it takes Plusnet to get a suitable outcome from BTOR is their issue not mine. perhaps if it is taking too long then Plusnet should seek to obtain an industry standard from a governing body? And as for 'fudging' information incoming from these numbers to correct the type of call data, this means other CP's are taking a loss on these calls too. Doesn't sound correct or ethical to me at 34p/min as opposed to 12.5p/min per call almost 3 times the usual cost going to BTOR? This isn't good financial business sense for CP's or am I misinterpreting what is happening in this process? Does this mean if someone handed me an onion, but it was meant to be a carrot, if I call it a carrot will it be a carrot? or in the end will it still be an onion, changing nothing? Incidentally I wish PN well with their endeavours to rectify this issue, but my husband has got a new mobile number!

[#14]

If my services are to be affected in a way that means I would be charged for something I was promised would be free, then that constitutes a breach of contract. However long it takes Plusnet to get a suitable outcome from BTOR is their issue not mine

Absolutely! Hence my being concerned at PlusNet's argument the BTOR need to fix the problem.

And as for 'fudging' information incoming from these numbers to correct the type of call data, this means other CP's are taking a loss on these calls too. Doesn't sound correct or ethical to me at 34p/min as opposed to 12.5p/min per call almost 3 times the usual cost going to BTOR? This isn't good financial business sense for CP's or am I misinterpreting what is happening in this process?

TBH I can't believe other suppliers are making a loss and haven't done something about it. I don't actually see where the 34p/min is actually coming from TBH. From the BT Retail price list http://www.bt.co.uk/pricing/current/Call_Charges_boo/0016_d0e5.htm#0016-d0e5 they are only charging 10.046 for an fw10 calls call, which is very similar (if not slightly less!) then most of the fm class calls. I can't see that BT retail would have allowed a situation to continue, where BTOR are charging them significantly more than they are charging the customer. I can only assume that, since BTw are also involved in the PlusNet charging system that it is somewhere between BTw and PlusNet that the 34p originates. The problem is that to the end customer, what happends inside BTw is all 'smoke and mirrors'

Does this mean if someone handed me an onion, but it was meant to be a carrot, if I call it a carrot will it be a carrot? or in the end will it still be an onion, changing nothing?

Actually it's the other way round, they're handing you a carrot and saying it's an onion, but it's still a carrot...

[#15]

Actually I think you were offered a carrot and got a sharp stick.