Just had BT's Changes to Pricing leaflet.  Here are some "highlights" which will apply from 1 August:

BT Together Option 1 call set up fee increases by 100%, from 3p to 6p.
It will apply to virtually all calls including geog, 0845, 0870, 0871, 0844.

BT Together Option 1 daytime call charges to geog numbers go up from 3p/min to 3.25 p/min.

weekend call rates for 0870 and 0845 numbers are abolished. There will be just daytime and evening rates.

A short time ago BT changed from “per second billing” to “whole minute billing - rounded up”.
Now BT are increasing the connection charge from 3p to 6p and the call rate from 3p to 3.25p

Using a computer model to generate 500 calls with an average call time of 10 minutes (ie a range between a few seconds to 20 minutes).

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £29.60 (about a year ago)
[connection 0p, min charge 5p, call rate 3p, per second billing]

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £34.01  (the increase, just before this one -  Date ? )
[connection 3p, min charge 5p, call rate 3p, whole minute billing]

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £41.29 (this increase - 1st August 2007)
[connection 6p, min charge 5p, call rate 3.25p, whole minute billing]

Does the 5p min charge remain ?

Mod:  see reply #7

kk wrote on Jun 21^st, 2007 at 4:20pm:

A short time ago BT changed from “per second billing” to “whole minute billing - rounded up”. Now BT are increasing the connection charge from 3p to 6p and the call rate from 3p to 3.25p Using a computer model to generate 500 calls with an average call time of 10 minutes (ie a range between a few seconds to 20 minutes). Cost of 500 daytime calls: £29.60 (about a year ago) [connection 0p, min charge 5p, call rate 3p, per second billing] Cost of 500 daytime calls: £34.01  (the increase, just before this one -  Date ? ) [connection 3p, min charge 5p, call rate 3p, whole minute billing] Cost of 500 daytime calls: £41.29 (this increase - 1st August 2007) [connection 6p, min charge 5p, call rate 3.25p, whole minute billing]

Journalists are pretty lazy, but I think this would make a good story with all the facts researched. Who has the contacts in the national press?:

SHOCK HORROR - 39% INCREASE IN PHONE CHARGES IN ONE YEAR!!

Unfortunately, the figures are not accurate - the 5½p minimum call charge was abolished at the same time as the 3p 'Call Set-up fee' was introduced on 1/10/2006.

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1154361683/12#10

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=235673

I agree with what you say farci , it would make a good story.  

Can anyone supply me with the date of the last price change, so that I can modify my post.

Most journalist are not given sufficient time by the editors to do an in-depth analysis of a news item, they are under pressure to produce a number of articles each day.  This is taken advantage of by those that issue press releases and who know that the press release will simply be regurgitated with only slight (it that) modification.

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1154361683/8#8

Thanks for the information Heinz.  The comment about the min charge is noted, and I am in the process of recalculating the results.  The removal of the minimum charge makes little difference as "whole minute charging" dominates the call cost as all calls will cost at least 3.25p, even if they last 1 second.

Modified post:

A short time ago BT changed from “per second billing” to “whole minute billing - rounded up”.
Now BT are increasing the connection charge from 3p to 6p and the call rate from 3p to 3.25p (normal daytime rate - UK wide - irrespective of distance since July 2004 )

Using a computer model to generate 500 calls with an average call time of 10 minutes (ie a range between a few seconds to 20 minutes).

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £154.76   (price before 1st October 2006)
[connection 0p, min charge 5p, call rate 3p, per second billing]

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £176.49    (the increase on 1st October 2006 )
[connection 3p, min charge 0p, call rate 3p, whole minute billing]

Cost of 500 daytime calls: £204.98   (this increase - 1st August 2007)
[connection 6p, min charge 0p, call rate 3.25p, whole minute billing]

This computer run gave an overall price increase of 32.7%
A second run produced an overall price increase of 32.6%
A third run produced an overall price increase of 33.1%

Note - this post has been modified. In my rush to post the results I copied the wrong row of results.
Heinz - Sorry about that, you will have to modify your post.

BT will counter with the "We've reduced the cost of BTTO2 and BTTO3 - which both include the cost of many calls" but there's no need to mention that when your random call generator (they'll like that phrase) data is presented to the press.

As a point of interest, the average costs of each call works out as:

July 2006 - 5.91p (call it 6p)
October 2006 - 7.0p
August 2007 - 8.1p (call it 8p)

Quote:

weekend call rates for 0870 and 0845 numbers are abolished. There will be just daytime and evening rates.

this means that a weekend daytime 0870 call will cost 6p/min from 1 August, compared to the present 1.5 p/min - a 300% increase.