Hi Russell :))
I've just forwarded an apology for sending an unedited
article and picked this up by way of return.
So you were able to make some sense it. pheww!!
[..] bits snipped
Post by Russell Hafter NewsI had my line rental through them for years, but never used
them for calls unless I absolutely had to.
Yes, it is still a BT Openreach line, but I get much cheaper
service overall by not letting them bill me for anything.
As me, if in a slightly different manner. I don't
opt into any of the added value extras, call blocking,
logging, answerphone ehanced package (the basic is
'free') et al.
Post by Russell Hafter NewsI can well accept that different people have different
calling patterns, but BT's charging always seemed a rip-off
to me.
Yes, I think I've had cause to feel the same ..although
as I've said, this seems to have changed recently...
Time will tell if the change of heart to the cuddlier BT
is lasting, of course... :))
Post by Russell Hafter NewsOur family has always made large numbers of very short calls
- say 10 to 20 seconds.
When WorldCom were still in existence those often cost me
nothing, as they charged by the second, then rounded to the
nearest whole penny. So a call charge of 0.49p was rounded
to 0p
I think BT now round-up to 0.005gbp- (1/2 a 'penny') -
added to the total cost of each call; recently
introduced along with the new one-off connection charge
for each call = added to the first minute and followed
by then charging by the second.
These charges are waived in all BT Together packages.
In some respects BT is excellent ..but sometimes their
charges, their packages and their exemptions are such
that lowly customers need an accountant to negotiate an
apparent myriad of nuances.. <sigh>!
[..]
Post by Russell Hafter News"..In future you'll start to see phone numbers starting
03.
They're being introduced as an alternative to 0845 and
0870 numbers and can be used by both businesses and
residential customers.
[..]
Post by Russell Hafter NewsThough I cannot see what the benefit to a residential
customer would be.
No, nor am I sure what they mean here either, Russell.
I guess it doesn't just mean calls out to an 03 number,
as surely business/residential can call the present 01
and 02 numbers at the same standard charge? (Give or
take any calling package).
Post by Russell Hafter News[Snip]
Post by Russell Hafter NewsI read that it is government policy that GP surgery
numbers should become 03xx instead of the revenue
sharing 0844 that may have instituted, so that poor
patients do not get ripped off. But, equally, the
government claims to have no way to enforce this.
Is it? I wasn't aware of that. My GP Team's surgery
seems to use a perfectly ordinary local number, which I
guess could be preceded by 01 if outside the local
exchange, which does cover quite a broad area. Never
really thought about it - but I'll try when further
afield and see what happens.
Our GPs have standard geographic numbers too. But I have
read in both the Guardian and the Daily Mail of the "Scandal
of GP rip-off numbers", so there must be a significant
number of them doing it.
mmm... or the 'press' have lighted on something that
they do not themselves understand?
Post by Russell Hafter NewsI read an interview with a GP who argued that use of 08xx
numbers was necessary to pay for call divertion at evenings
and weekendscan't possibly afford
Such charges levelled on top of their greater than
100,000.00gbp salaries?
..and my oh my, just think, they might even be expected
to open for two or three hours a couple of weekday nights,
or even forced to spend some time visiting their patients
in their own homes ..oh, sorry ..that latter the NHS pads
out to Polish or German doctors wishing to enhance their
weekends with a bit of variety!
The mind doth boggle ..although I can't help but feel that
the reports you have read might have more than a journalistic
twist within them, rather than be the absolute cold 'truth'...
Post by Russell Hafter NewsMind, Russell, if they answer I'm gonna blame you and
said it was all your idea.. ;'))
Post by Russell Hafter NewsIf interested, I would suggest subscribing to
uk.telecom. I have not looked in there for sometime,
but 03 numbers are likely to be a live topic there, I
would imagine.
Yes, thank you :)) ..been there before but the noise was
almost deafening at the time
So that, at least, has not changed.
It used to make comp.sys.acorn.xxx seem a haven of civility.
LoL! Well ..surely the Acorn groups are civil. I mean,
who would dare suggest otherwise, with Uncle Druck keeping
a close watch on us all... ;'))
Post by Russell Hafter Newsand the content not that useful to me as a BT Together
There is no alternative to being a BT Together customer
these days, I believe. Certainly I was transferred without
any say in the matter, which meant me trying to find some
way of spending the unwanted call allowance.
I think you can still have the basic customer price per
call if you wish, although BT band the charges such that
their BT Together Option 1, (the cheapest at 0.00gbp),
is virtually the same as the basic charge ..but with some
additional benefits including cheaper call costs etc -
something like 6p for a full weekend/evening hour.
As said, BT Together Option 1 is free ..all one need do
is opt into the package should you wish.
BT Together Option 2, (an extra) includes all weekend
and evening calls (up to 60mins on any one occasion)
and are 'free' ..ie not logged ..then it's around 3.5p
per minute, charged by the second.
Alternatively you can replace the phone and redial the
number for a further 60 minutes 'free' ..this as many
times as you wish!
BT Together Option 3, the most expensive package, is
now around 18.95gbp pm inclusive of line rental, vat
etc and gives 24/7 'free' calls throughout the year
and througout the UK - again up to the 60min on-off
limit (then redial as many times as you wish for
additional 60min blocks). This is the package that
most worries Paul as it means I can now afford to ring
him at any time of the day - and night - to report that
Orpheus is being naughty ...heheheee! ;))
This last package, BT Together 3, used to cost around
25.50gbp added to the 10.50gbp line rental per month.
(If I'm correct in this). What I did notice recently
was just how much this charge had dropped, I think
almost by 50pc, given the quiet intervention of Ofcom
..or is it Oftel? ..well, an Of-something-or-other!
Other benefits that may be added to each package might
include an extra 1.00gbp per month (3.00gbp per quarter)
for cheap international calls - Canada, USofA, Australasia
and so on at 0.035p per minute, 24/7, all year.
For an extra 5.00gbp inc vat per month, (for those who
use international a lot), then all calls 24/7 throughout
the year are 'free' to a long, long list of participating
destinations, albeit with the same 60 minute block limit
to each individual call - the same as is applied to all
the included 24/7 UK calls.
However, I do believe that all these calls are not to
be used for direct telephone marketing, auto dialling
or other such cold-call or distance selling tactics
..just to be used for the normal calls pertaining to
an individual.
I'm not sure how all this fits into BT's Business
Customer rates ..(for the larger business I guess)..
but, as you know, the info will be up on BT's website,
at www.bt.com
My overall 'feeling' is that these (new?) BT charges
are at long last competitive. I do notice that as my
costs are, these days, only about a third of that which
they were only two or three years ago..
..an amazing difference and one long overdue, given that
BTs infrastructure is now mostly in place and long since
paid for!
..mind..
Then we come to BT Broadband ..and the variations on
that theme - and how these slot into and affect the
voice calls, internet voice calls ..and all the other
bits and bobs.
This now gets to be rather complex - and probably
requires a genius Prof such a Mathematician Rosemary
to unravel the developing matrix...
..which is why I opted into an Orpheus DSL connection.
I think a little cheaper than BT ..but not by all that
much - albeit with a significantly 'higher' order of
reliability - including an immediate and knowledgeable
24/7 personal distance support person falling out of bed
at 03h00 to discuss, amongst other Orpheus things, Disney
Burbank and Pixar Studios, CA.. ;)))
..hope this little lot makes conversational and
informational sense.. You can tell it's time of
the week when not too much pressing.. :))
Bill ZFC
--
Adoption InterLink UK with -=- http://www.billsimpson.com/
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