BT Ringback Charges

[johnny_t]

I have a BT line, and then use Talk Talk for my calls, so the BT bill should only be for line rental. The last few bills, I have noticed a few 'ringback' charges on there, which is a service that neither me or my wife ever use, but since it is only a few tens of pence a time, I have always let it ride.

This time, there are 18 such charges on there which, whilst only £1.11's worth, have definitely definitely not been made by either of us (this is the thing where you press a number when you get an engaged call, and it rings you back).

Now, before I phone up BT and start to make a fuss, is there anything else that can cause these like, for example, my internet dial-up, that anyone knows about ?

 

[Nige F]

£1.11 per millions of customers If BT were Nigerian it would be a scam

 

[Steve]

things are a lot simpler when you use BT for everything theres no confusion about things like this then. ever.

 

[johnny_t]

Just called up BT, and apparently you have to pay 7.5p + VAT each time you use 1471 these days. When the smeg did that start ???

 

[big-all]

Just called up BT, and apparently you have to pay 7.5p + VAT each time you use 1471 these days. When the smeg did that start ???

i moaned on here a year ago [it started august last year]

it can be even worse the charge is for pressing 1 4 7 1 then 3
so if you press it engaged hang up do that 10 time it costs you 10 fees
so in the space of a few mins its cost you a fortune and you havent even got through

 

[Steve]

1471's free. never seen it charged on our bills. when you press 3 they charge you.

ps. i think *69 is the equivalent of 1471 in the states. tells you the number of who's just tried to ring you.

 

[jime17]

its pressing 3 that charges you a fee. not the 1471.

I'd stick to bt too. the differences arent much for most people. what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. there might be a few variancies.

all this confusion and scepticism is down to one thing. regulation. BT arent really allowed to compete as yet as ofcom wont let them.

 

[Steve]

I thought BT had been freed from OFCOM's pricing rules so they could compete better in the market? Happened a while ago didn't it?

 

[johnny_t]

Well I've definitely never pressed the '3' so maybe I need to go back again. Man on the phone was adamant that just the 1471 bit was charged for.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

When you dial 1471, and get to the end of the recorded message about pressing 3 to call the number, there is a bit, clearly added on separately, which says "There is normally a charge for this service".

So the implication is that it's the dial-back that is charged, and the recording sounds as if this charge was introduced after the introduction of 1471.

(this is the thing where you press a number when you get an engaged call, and it rings you back).

No - that's ringback, not 1471 + 3.....


Have you checked with Talk Talk about basic 1471 charges?

 

[Steve]

BT dont charge for 1471, and as ban has pointed out, the charge was added on later by BT, for pressing 3 to call back, and this is obvious from listening to the recorded message. Its a different woman and she sounds a bit scarier.

I'll bet TalkTalk is charging for access to BT services such as 1471. Check the small print.

 

[johnny_t]

Solved it, thanks. Armed with the new information, Mrs.T believes she 'may' have pressed 3 a few times to call people back. To be fair, she normally does it as soon as she recognises the number, so has never got through to the 'small print' at the end of the message, so the fact it had moved from free to not-free completely passed us by.