Davy51 Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Several weeks ago my step daughter broke down in Runcorn & so did her mobile so she had to phone us from a callbox to our landline & reverse the charges. Imagine my shock to receive on my BT bill this morning a charge for the 2 calls totalling less than 8 minutes & attracting a charge of nearly ?33 pounds. BT users beware ,what a rip off!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks for the warning WavyD. I certainly wont be using that service in a hurry Just out of interest when you get a reverse charge call (I've never had one thank goodness) do you have to 'accept' the incoming call first and do they tell you the connection charge and cost per minute before they reverse connect you. If they don't then you could complain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Connection charge ?7.25 plus 57.75p/minute Two calls totalling 8mins should have cost ?19.12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 The BT site page I looked at (0800 Reverse Charges) says: Calls From Ordinary Residential and Business Lines and Payphones Call Connection Charge The Call Connection Charge is ?2.962 excluding VAT ( ?3.41including VAT) and is added to the Call Charge. The Call Connection Charge includes up to 30 seconds of conversation time. Call Charge Charges are for each 30 seconds or part thereof after the first 30 seconds Charge in pence for the first 30 seconds and each subsequent 30 second period or part thereof (in pence) = 42.55 (ex vat) 48.94 (inc vat) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 just had a look on the bt price list page and they quote the price as follows. from a land line:- ?3.41 for the connection charge including vat and the first 30 seconds of talk it is then priced at 48.94p inc vat for every 30 second period or part 30 second period. that is then 2 x? 3.41= ?6.82 for the connection and one minute of call. and 14 x 48.94p = ?6.85 which is 7 minutes of talk total should be ?13.67 from a mobile:- ?3.91 including vat for the connection and first 30 seconds of call it is then priced at 58.72p for every 30 seconds or part 30 seconds that is 2 x ?3.91 = ?7.82 14 x 58.72p = ?8.22 total of ?16.04. http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/public/current/Inland_Operator_boo/2106_d0e1.htm still not ?33.00 dis you must have been looking at the site at about the same time i was. i had just finished my sums and posted and lo and behold you had posted the same information. spooky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Spooky maybe....or is it that great minds think alike but at least you took the time to work out the sums I got all confused cos I've got a cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Good news! I complained to BT yesterday & they phoned me back this morning & the young lady went into all the jargon about how the charges are made up then miraculously said that she would scrub the charges for me completely. Amazing what results complaining can get you. Needless to say i have told the kids never to reverse the charges again...this old heart can't take it any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 ey up a good result for a change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I should think so too, well done WavyD. Wonder if others have complained too and got their money back or maybe they just paid up and have never accepted a 'reverse' call again. If BT significantly reduced their charges they may find more people using the service more than once though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladderwrack Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 BT users beware ,what a rip off!! The title of this thread is so apt. I found that over a 12 month period, i had constant reasons to question BT`s charges, for varying reasons, so much so, i decided to get contract mobiles for my wife and myself and change my land-line to incoming calls only. Trying to get the lady in the call centre to carry out my request was no mean feat in itself, but following a lengthy and at times, a somewhat heated conversation, she finally carried out my request. Following the call, i ensured that my direct debit to BT was changed to ?29.25 per month, (?17 for my Broadband, ?12.25 for line rental). "Happy Days" you might think? Well "NO"!! Stupidly, because of the changes to my account, i presumed that there would be no variations to my phone bills, so when they arrived, they were simply filed, without being read, "untill this months bill". When it arrived, there was a demand for ?60 and instructions that my direct debit would be amended to pay off the debt?? Following another call to BT, i found that since changing to "incoming calls only", BT had still been charging me for evening and weekend and friends and family calls?? The lady on the end of the line, found it impossible to understand what my issue was, "you have been receiving the benefits of the call packages and thats what the charges were for" and "was i sure that i asked for the package to be cancelled when i reverted to incoming calls only"??? Needless to say, the situation descended in to another heated conversation, "how, in the name of all that is known to be holy, could i possibly benefit from these call packages, when i cant physically make calls from my phone"?? My argument must have been lost in translation somewhere, as the lady simply couldnt understand what my argument was, only when i threatened to follow various other avenues to quash this bill, did she come round and cancel the call plans and the bill that came with them. I subsequently cancelled my BT Broadband / phone and changed to Talk, Talk, ?17 per month for Broadband and my phone........"With the evening and weekend plan"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Welcome to the Forum. I think that we all benefit from sharing information as this topic does. It enables a greater awareness of the companies that we "trust"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladderwrack Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Welcome to the Forum. I think that we all benefit from sharing information as this topic does. It enables a greater awareness of the companies that we "trust"? Hi Peter, am not new to the forum, just had problems with my account, so had to re-register. Agreed that we all need greater awareness cf companies that we can/cannot trust. I thought that i would share this problem i encountered with BT, as this is a company that for some reason i have had phenomenal amount of issues with, especially with regards to billing and customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 It can all be a bit confusing as to who is good and who's not. Personally I've not used BT for a very very long time as we have been with Virgin (previously ntl and Cable & Wireless) for our phone (and tv) for over 12 years. Never had a problem with them other than the odd time we've lost service but that has been quickly rectified and we've always found their customer services excellent.... in contrast another member of my family is also with Virgin and says they are the worst company he has ever had the misfortune to deal with and wishes they had never bothered signing up. Now a company that seems to have got it's act together (speaking from personal experience) is Talk Talk. Signed upto one of their business phone and broadband packages a few year ago as it was so cheap and it was a nightmare as we were forever losing our phone line service. Customer services phone was always engaged and if they ever answered we were just fobbed off or passed from pillar to post and back again. Then they were taken over by Carphone Warehouse and things became better... they were then taken over by Opal and the customer service is EXCELLENT as are their services in general. Can't fault them at all and they are very cheap..... may be tempting fate there eh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Moving from BT to solve one problem can create even more as I found out. First off your details get removed from the telephone directory which isn?t a problem for most but caused me to miss a reunion with my long lost old best mate. Secondly and this bit?s really important, if you have any issues with the line, you can?t just rant and rave at BT and instead you have to go via your third party. You can?t shout at them because it?s not actually their line and all they can do is to report it to BT for you. I?ve suffered an intermittent Internet connection for over six months now and am in the process of biting my lip and moving back to BT just so someone can take overall responsibility for the problem. I'm totally fed up of being passed from pillar to post by very polite people in call centres. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Ageed Bill. I have always kept my business and home lines with BT for that very same reason. You will end up playing help desk tennis as I found out by going to Virgin for my broadband once.... first problem, its pass the parcel time. Now if I have any issues, BT sort it out! May cost a bit more but it is worth it to get rid of the hassle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm with Virgin and find they are OK at sorting problems (unlike their predecessor NTL whose customer services were famously bad!) And I don't have a BT line so no problems there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Sounds like we've just been extremely lucky then From what you both say maybe things would be a bit easier for everyone all round if BT weren't so 'in control' of the central 'hub' when it comes to phone lines (or is that just an excuse for some of the naff service providers who can't be bothered to get a fault sorted ) I'll stick to my fibre-optic cable thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 The problem I have is with my business broadband connection, while here at home I'm with Virgin for phone, internet and TV. I've never really had the need to call them about the phone but then again I never use the thing. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 So who is your business internet with then maybe you should change it to virgin too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Can't do that Diz, because the estate I'm on is 150 Yds off the cable network and they won't dig the road up for me. I can't get SDSL either because apparently I'm just a tad too far off the Padgate exchange. The only option where they can guarantee the line quality is a new private circuit but it's a three-year minimum contract and costs over ?30,000 and at that rate it'd be cheaper to move offices. The ISP is Demon who say the problems are line related but BT won?t speak to me because my lines and account is via a third party. I ring the third party people, and because they don?t really understand the nature of the problem, they end up just telling BT just to check the line. Net result is BT sends some bloke down who does a standard line test, which of course shows everything is working. At least if I put the lines and Internet onto BT, wherever the fault lies, only one company will be responsible rather than three. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Like asperity I am with virgin, And I find them very good, I also do not have a Bt line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted September 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Tbh if we didn't need a phone line for the internet i would bin the land line. With all the pay as you go bolt ons i would use my mobile. For instance i get 1000 texts or minutes to 10 designated O2 or BT landlines for ?5/ month which is ample for my needs. I suppose i could even go wireless with the internet. Further to a lot of replies though call centres certainly are the bain of modern life with their impersonal & couldn't really care less function.Obviously the customer is no longer always right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 The only problem with mobiles is the limited amount you can download Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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