Cut your telephone costs
- By Chris Clements
- Published 06/28/2010
- Saving and Making Money
Some of you will probably know about the website Saynoto0870.com I
had heard of it but have only just decided to start using it after getting my
last telephone bill.
Recently I have noticed my telephone bill creeping up and up even though I have
got an inclusive package with virgin ‘anytime, anywhere’ which I pay an extra
£7 a month for.
We
have recently moved my mother-in-law to Harlow and have been sorting out her change
of address, finances etc with various companies and organisations. Looking more closely at the last couple of
months telephone bills I have noticed a lot of 0870, 0871, 0843, 0844, 0872 and
other premium rate numbers which are not included in the Free numbers package
(not that they are free anyway because as I said I pay £7 to get ‘anytime, anywhere
calls).
These
numbers are premium rate although they state that they are National Call rate
numbers costing 10 per minute which soon adds up when you are passed from
department to department.
It
makes me so angry to think that companies are using these numbers ‘Non-geographic
numbers’ so that they can take a cut of the call charges. 0870 is used by many
business and organisations to provide a wide range of information and advice
including many customer service lines.
BT
have just started to include 0870 and 0845 numbers in its call packages and I
hope that Virgin follow their lead soon. Although there are still lots of other
numbers to watch out for.
If
you google 0870 numbers you will see for yourself these companies are being offered these numbers for a cut in the
revenue.
I
have now put Saynoto0870.com on my desktop and have the free app that I
downloaded from itunes so that I can check out a number first before dialling
one of these. How it works is it lists
many well know companies, and their equivalent geographical numbers. Alternative numbers are listed for 0500,
0800, 0808, 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 numbers.
Type your number into the ‘Search to find an alternative number’ link at
the top of the page.
Many companies advertise a separate number that can be used when calling from abroad. This usually begins in the format +44 – There is nothing to stop you using that number from the UK (as it is a normal rate telephone call), and will be included in any inclusive minutes provided by your landline or mobile provider. Many others will give you a standard number if you ask.
