Hello everyone I am new to this forum.

I have to make a phone call to a helpline with a 0906 number which costs 50p per minute.  It is impossible for me to pay such an extortionate rate as I cannot afford it. The call could be an hour long therefore it would cost me £30

I have searched for an alternative number but have been unable to find one.

Is there nothing that can be done to stop companies from overcharging people like this? It is as if they do not want to offer help by making the service unaffordable.

Thanks   Jennie

If you let us know the complete number, what organisation it belongs to, and the sort of call you are making, then it's possible that there are alternatives available.

However, unlike 08 numbers, in general 09 numbers are often used specifically to raise revenue to fund the service being provided, are widely recognised as high-cost numbers used as such, and are therefore recognised as being a valid use of these numbers.

[size=12][/size]Thanks the number is 0906 786 8000. It is the Acer software helpline for my Acer laptop.

I have searched for a number on here but cannot find one.

Thanks

Jennie

There are plenty of numbers in the database for Acer - are they all unsuitable?

Will have a look as I specifically need the software helpline & was directed to the 0906 number when I contacted Acer.

There is an unverified number in there for the software helpline, with an 0906 quoted that is one digit different to the one you gave.  Please let us know if that works, or if it doesn't..

Sorry my mistake 0906 706 8000

Which site are you looking on to find the unverified number please?

Just tried some of the numbers but they do not work!

We have sympathy with your position, but they are entitled to charge fees for services. Many of us feel that a premium rate number is not a fair or effective way to do it and the charge may not be good value for money. They may be able to call you back or communicate by email if you can persuade them not to charge you in this way.

If the product is faulty or does not match the specification under which it was sold you may have to take, or send, it back to wherever it was bought from. If you bought it from someone other than Acer, they may be able to help get you the advice you need. If it is purely a software problem, the software company may be able to help. (Apologies if you have already tried these routes.)

A quick look on the Acer website shows that the UK Service Department is open from 9.00 to 5.30 Monday to Friday. That may not help with your problem, but it could explain why the numbers "do not work" this evening. If you can, you may want to try them again on Monday morning.

Thanks for the advice but I have tried everything now. I seem to recall trying to contact Acer soon after I bought the laptop last October & came up with the same problems. I will call again on Monday but they are sure to tell me the 0906 number is the only one for software advice.

I have an extended warranty which I always buy when buying a computer & it has usually worked well for me. I was mislead to believe when I bought it that it covered software issues. I have since found out that was only for the first month! I am now taking this up with the company who sold it to me.

I think I will need to go back to my technician & ask him to help resolve my problem. He is an expert who actually tests programmmes for microsoft!

Thank you everyone for your help & advice.

Jennie wrote on Aug 8^th, 2009 at 7:28am:

I think I will need to go back to my technician & ask him to help resolve my problem. He is an expert ...

Good luck. If he would be happy for his number to be published in the database as an alternative for Acer, I am sure that many fellow sufferers of the problems you are having would be grateful. ;)


Jennie wrote on Aug 8^th, 2009 at 7:28am:

... who actually tests programmmes for microsoft!

Is that not what all of us with PCs do? ;D

He is inundated with work & does not work online only at home. So he would not want anymore work. He is not an Acer technician, just general.

Yes, I agree we all test for microsoft & I am beginning to loathe them as they are making things so restrictive for people & charging extortionate fees for advice. :'( >:( My sister uses a MAC & does not have any of the problems we do! ::)

Thanks again everyone :-*

If you need advice, you have to pay for it. If you take your computer to a shop for them to sort it out, they are not going to do it for free, so why should anybody at the end of the phone do it for free? If you go  to a solicitor for advice they aren't going to give it for nothing anymore than anyone else would in any other profession or trade. Nothing in this world is free Jennie, we all have to make a living. ::)

Hello Jennie and welcome to the SAYNOTO0870.COM forum.

What is the problem and why do you think that it could last an hour? If you had the same problem before, how was it resolved?

As others have said, the cost of the 0906 number is clear. Whether that cost is appropriate (or affordable) is another matter. The main reason for saying no to 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 is the covert nature of the premium charges.

Hello Dave

Thank you I am pleased to be a member.

I do agree with you, the whole concept of this website is exactly as you have stated.  

The cost of premium rate phone calls are made purely for profit not service. Service should be a priority to ensure customers are happy, resulting in return business. In the case of Dr's surgeries charging patients premium rates, they should be ashamed of themselves as so many of their patients are on benefits. Especially the elderly on pensions, they cannot afford to pay these high charges, nor should they have to. My elderly fathers surgery uses an 0844 number & he complained on a form they asked patients to fill in regarding the service they provide. As well as having to press different numbers for different departments he has to sometimes wait as he is in a queue! All I can say is that I think it is disgraceful!

Jennie

Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:32am:

… My elderly fathers surgery uses an 0844 number & he complained on a form they asked patients to fill in regarding the service they provide. As well as having to press different numbers for different departments he has to sometimes wait as he is in a queue! All I can say is that I think it is disgraceful!

Maybe you could post details of this surgery in the Geographical Requests section of the forum and we will see if we can find the geographical number.


What is the problem with your laptop?

Dave wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 2:16am:

The main reason for saying no to 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 is the covert nature of the premium charges.

And 0843, 0872, 0873 070.

Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:32am:

Hello Dave The cost of premium rate phone calls are made purely for profit not service. Service should be a priority to ensure customers are happy, resulting in return business.

So, tell me who is going to pay for this service if you don't want to? I don't think the chappie at the end of the phone is going to help you for free, he has to pay his mortgage like everyone else. ::)

sherbert wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 10:45am:

So, tell me who is going to pay for this service if you don't want to? I don't think the chappie at the end of the phone is going to help you for free, he has to pay his mortgage like everyone else. ::)

Most people feel that companies should be able to absorb the cost of a certain amount of after-sales services as an overhead. The canny consumer will wish to push this as far as they can. There is plenty of excuse (and justification) for this in the IT industry where nobody knows quite what they are selling and buying.

Overhead costs have to be met out of the gross profit earned on sales. That is how those providing services to a company that do not directly produce income are able to pay their mortgage.

Whilst some would see use of premium rate telephone numbers as an effective way of levying a proportionate fee for properly chargeable assistance, there are many who disagree, and that position is generally reflected by SayNoTo0870. There are many other ways of collecting such a charge, however use of this proportionate and administratively established method has an obvious appeal. The significant variation in the fee paid, according to the (originating) telephone service provider, and the actual cost often being unclear ("other providers charges may vary" cannot be regarded as adequate, as it is an explicit confirmation that relevant and necessary information is not being provided) are two of the major disadvantages. Sadly these facts are often exploited to misrepresent and even hide the charge.

I have always seen there to be a vast difference between cases such as that addressed here and those such as the NHS service provider (e.g. a GP), which has no justification whatsoever for imposing any charge on someone accessing its services. There are features in common, but I see the important issues as being quite distinct.

The point I am trying to make is, if you took your computer to a 'computer doctor' to fix in his shop or wherever, you would not expect him to do it for free, anymore if you took your car to a garage to be fixed.

If you were on the telephone for an hour at 50 pence a minute and you managed to fix the machine with the guy's advice, that seems a cheaper option to me than finding someone to do it for you. (and also letting a stranger having access to your hard drive)

Reminds me of the story of the guy who took his car to be fixed and the mechanic hit the engine with a hammer and it worked. He charged him £50. When the guy complained for charging him so much for just hitting the engine, he replied, 'ah it is knowing which part to hit'.

I agree with SCV when he states  those who call numbers such as the NHS service provider (e.g. a GP), which has no justification whatsoever for imposing any charge on someone accessing its services.


I don't think it is unreasonable to pay for advice, I do however think it is unreasonable to pay to make an enquiry, or to buy something or make an appointment by being charged for the call and that is why I spend a fair bit of time looking for alternative numbers for members.

The whole reason for becoming members of this website is surely to object to premium rate calls! The people at the other end of the line we speak to are not the ones who impose these high charges, they only work for the company or surgery. I agree that companies should absorb the costs in their profits.

I used to live abroad & tried to ring my parents Dr's surgery on their 0844 number & it would not work.  In the end I somehow managed to ring a normal landline number which was another department in the same building & they got the person I needed to speak to to come to the phone! I have tried numerous times to find another number but there does not appear to be one available to the public.

I also had a normal number for my building society, now when I call that number an automated message tells me I have to ring an 0845 number as the other number is no longer available!

If I take anything to a shop to be repaired, of course I expect to pay. This is not the same as getting advice over the phone. By spending hundreds of pounds on a laptop & buying an extended warranty, I feel I should be entitled to free phone advice if there is a problem.

I think I will just agree to disagree with you.

Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:09pm:

The whole reason for becoming members of this website is surely to object to premium rate calls!

Unless Dave or the other administrators disagree with me, I think this site is aimed at 'say no to the 08 range of numbers' and not the 09 numbers, I may be wrong, but I still stand by my reply #20

I agree with you that the people at the end of the line 09 do not impose these high charges, but those that do, pay for the guys to answer the calls. So the money has to come from somwhere.

Surgeries, government departments, shops and other services, I agree with you we should not be forced to pay more than an ordinary telephone call

I agree with Jennie - after sales telephone numbers should, in my view, be charged at a standard rate or included in packages ie no premium.  The company has already made a nice profit out of the purchase price, they offer an extended warranty then charge you to use it via a premium rate no!  That I call sharp practice verging on deceit.  If they want to behave like that, then at least the customer should be able to chooe a repairer and the originating company pay the cost of the repair.

Barbara wrote on Aug 10^th, 2009 at 11:05am:

I agree with Jennie ... they offer an extended warranty then charge you to use it via a premium rate no!  That I call sharp practice verging on deceit.

I hope we are not talking about different things, when it is suggested that there is a major disagreement going on here.

I cannot see how anyone could fail to object to a significant charge that was not declared at the time when the service was purchased being imposed for its use. One must assume that PhonePay Plus would have something to say about this.

That is not the quite the same as objecting to all use of Premium Rate Services in all contexts.

We all like to save money wherever we can, and this website helps us to do that. I do not think that we have to always find a moral justification for having done so, even if such a justification clearly exists in some cases.

"Caveat emptor" (Buyer beware) may apply in this case. I personally never pay for extended warranties. They are invariably underwritten by insurers, so there will always be something in the small print to invalidate any claim that may arise under any conceivable circumstances. Software not working as expected is not "conceivable", it is inevitable!

Thank you Barbara for your support. I stand by what I have said previously.

I have ALWAYS purchased extended warranties, this is my 3rd laptop over a period of years. Having lived abroad an International warranty has proved invaluable as my 2 previous models went wrong whilst abroad & were written off. The warranties enabled me to replace the faulty laptops with equal, if not better models & makes. on my regualr visits to the UK. So I would always purchase an extended warranty.

Jennie, you are wasting your money. Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, for up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a repair or replacement) for faulty goods.


Read this http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html


Why on earth are you paying  for something that you don't need?

Sherbert I am not wasting my money as one laptop was nearly 5yrs old & the other was nearly 3yrs old. I kept both of them as they were 'written off' whilst abroad. I sold the first one explaining it's fault to the buyer & the second one was only written off last year & we keep it as a spare as it works well apart from a line down the side of the screen ( the reason it was written off).

By taking out an international warranty it covers everything whilst I am abroad. Had I been on the UK they would have taken the laptops from me to be repaired & I would have been without one, as sometimes repairs take weeks!

I am quite happy to pay for a warranty, especially when I lwas living abroad when I bought all 3 over an 8 yr period!

Thanks for the info though.

Well done Jennie. I am delighted to hear that not every extended warranty is the rip-off that I generally see them as being.

We now anxiously await news of your success in evading the premium telephone charge for software support.

SilentCallsVictim wrote on Aug 10^th, 2009 at 7:41pm:

Well done Jennie. I am delighted to hear that not every extended warranty is the rip-off that I generally see them as being. .

And so am I. This is the first person I have heard of, that is happy with one.

The only time I ever took one out the insurance company that issued the warranty went belly up and that was it.......never again for me.

I don't usually bother with extended warranties either, but I took up the extra three years warranty on a Dell laptop we bought early last year, simply because it was an expensive model.  Since then, they've been out three times already, and are coming again tomorrow to replace the motherboard for the second time, so I'm fairly glad we did.  Otherwise it'd have been junk almost as soon as it's 12 months was over, and a very disapointing waste of money.  So, I'm happy with that particular warranty... Not that I'll ever buy a laptop from them again, given how unreliable it's been.  Especially compared to a fraction-of-the-price Medion laptop I bought from Woolworths about four years ago which is still going strong!

I just need to remember to sell it before the 3 years is up..  [smiley=undecided.gif]

irrelevant...see my reply #26

Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:09pm:

The whole reason for becoming members of this website is surely to object to premium rate calls! …

The main reason for SAYNOTO0870.COM is to improve transparancy of the fact that 084x and 0871 are revenue sharing numbers. Any reference to "local rate" or "national rate" is meaningless and totally misrepresents the purpose of these numbers.

It is generally recognised that services operating on 09 numbers derive financial benefit from the caller through their telephone bill. This is the case on 084x and 0871, but this principle is not widely understood.

There is no code that we must swear allegance to and the forum allows exchange of opinions and information.



Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:09pm:

… The people at the other end of the line we speak to are not the ones who impose these high charges, they only work for the company or surgery. I agree that companies should absorb the costs in their profits.

But the point at issue is that of cost and not the charging mechanism. With the same logic, perhaps we should ban motor vehicles because they cause injury and death.

If you don't like it, then take your laptop to a repairer or buy from a retailer/manufacturer where you can take your device to someone and get face to face help as opposed to telephone help.



Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:09pm:

I used to live abroad & tried to ring my parents Dr's surgery on their 0844 number & it would not work.  In the end I somehow managed to ring a normal landline number which was another department in the same building & they got the person I needed to speak to to come to the phone! I have tried numerous times to find another number but there does not appear to be one available to the public.

It is totally inappropriate for NHS Gps to charge patients in this way. Ideally, I believe that what are 0844 numbers (low premium rate) should be on the 09 range.

As for the alternative to this surgery, if you have a direct number for some phone in the building, then it may be a large pointer to the geographical number for reception. I repeat my request to help you find the alternative by posting a message in the requests section of the forum with the surgery's address and the geographical number you found.



Jennie wrote on Aug 9^th, 2009 at 7:09pm:

If I take anything to a shop to be repaired, of course I expect to pay. This is not the same as getting advice over the phone. By spending hundreds of pounds on a laptop & buying an extended warranty, I feel I should be entitled to free phone advice if there is a problem.

Hang on a moment. If there is a fault with the device, then you need customer services and not technical support. The former should be free (at no more cost than a call to a normal landline), i.e. not at a premium.

The 0906 number is for technical support. Acer customer service is 0870 853 1000 (look in the database for alternatives if your provider charges you more than a 01/02/03 call to 0870 numbers).

Obviously it's an 0870 number which, prior to 1 August was a premium number. The point I make is that the 0906 number is not for reporting goods that are malfunctioning as a result of faulty workmanship.

I too am pleased that the warranties proved worthwhile.

Re the premium rate number to ring Acer. There is no way I would spend that money. My technician is coming round to help sort out the problem as he also tried to talk me through the SKY configeration  for POP3 windows mail/vista over the phone & it would not work. If he cannot do it then nobody will be able to! If he can't then I will want to know why my laptop is impossible to configure.
The mind boggles. Unfortunately my computer knowledge is very basic, even though I have been using one for at least 10 yrs!

For Windows Mail problems, this is a very good site. There are Microsoft guys there who are very helpful....and it wont cost you a penny!!!!! :) ;)

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.mail&cat=en_US_9CA88DDB-D18D-FA0E-A366-6E527B0FBA67&lang=en&cr=US

Jennie wrote on Aug 10^th, 2009 at 11:03pm:

My technician is coming round to help sort out the problem as he also tried to talk me through the SKY configeration  for POP3 windows mail/vista over the phone & it would not work. If he cannot do it then nobody will be able to! If he can't then I will want to know why my laptop is impossible to configure.

Jennie,

Do Sky not have a technical support line where they are meant to help customers who have problems configuring their email on their computers?

Of course we know Sky themselves love covert premium rate numbers and this site does try to list 01/02 alternatives for them (although Sky constantly withdraws the 01/02 alternatives) but even if you had to call an 0844 number at 5p per minute that would be much less expensive than the 50p per minute for an 09 number.

I am sure the real reason that you object so strongly to the 09 charge is that you fear (as I would) that you may spend half an hour speaking to this person but that they will be completely clueless and not actually resolve the problem for you.  If you were sure that the person would be a real technical genius and your problem solved after half an hour and £15 and there was a money back guarantee if they did not solve your problem then you would feel it was less of a ripoff.

What email software are you using out of interest?  Is it Outlook Express?  If so have you considered switching to the free Mozilla Thunderbird email program that is more sophisticated than Microsoft's free email offering.

If you described the precise nature of your problem here someone might well be able to help as there are a lot of people on this forum with strong computer IT skills.  Also I note you can post in an internet forum so you are way ahead of quite a few computer users in that regard.

By the way I do not agree with those who say this forum is not there to help with 09 numbers as I see 09 numbers in their current form as inherently immoral as they are not automatically PIN control protected to individual phone users and they often result in misuse by people who have access to a phone number that is not the one they are the bill payer on.  Also there is the problem that as the charge is related to the length of the call that it may be artificially strung out.  Many 09 numbers involve abuse of PhonePayPlus's own rules and many are prizeline etc scams for prizes and free cruises etc that do not exist.  However I wonder if you have tried posting in any IT or computer type forums on the web as if you described your problem in enough detail someone there may well be able to help you.

Jennie wrote on Aug 10^th, 2009 at 11:03pm:

I also tried to talk me through the SKY configeration  for POP3 windows mail/vista

Also if you are having problems with Windows Mail, I suggest you up grade (no charge ;)) to Windows Live Mail, which is a better product than Windows Mail

sherbert wrote on Aug 11^th, 2009 at 4:39pm:

Also if you are having problems with Windows Mail, I suggest you up grade (no charge ;)) to Windows Live Mail, which is a better product than Windows Mail

I am still happily using Windows XP Home that came included with my HP DV1139 EA Notebook four years ago.  So I was unaware of Windows Mail and it basically being a replacement for Microsoft Outlook Express (always a chronically bad mail product)  for Windows Vista users until I consulted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mail where it says:-


Quote:

Windows Mail is an e-mail and newsgroup client included in Windows Vista. It is the successor to Outlook Express. Microsoft previewed Windows Mail on Channel 9 on October 10, 2005.[1] Unlike Outlook Express, Windows Mail is not considered to be a component of Internet Explorer. As such, it will not be made available for earlier Windows operating systems, while Windows Internet Explorer 7 was made available for Windows XP. Windows Mail has been succeeded by Windows Live Mail, which was built by the same development team as Windows Mail and also serves as the replacement for Outlook Express for Windows XP.

I note that the Wikipedia Site for Windows Mail has a link to the Windows Vista Tips site and its discussion forum and wonder if making a post there might yield the appropriate answer to the problems being experienced with Windows Mail?  See www.winvistatips.com/windows-vista-mail-f33.html

Alternatively why not give up Microsoft's unreliable mail products and install Mozilla Thunderbird instead and import your Windows Mail email in to that program.  You can get this for free at www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/

I did not about www.winvistatips.com/windows-vista-mail-f33.html so thanks for that NGMsGhost. Interestingly, having had a quick look at it I notice the same Microsoft guys contribute to this site as the one I use mentioned in reply #34

They are very helpful and have always managed to answer my queries even directing me to where I can download a patch when needed. Having said all that I have been using Windows Mail for 18 months now, but if I need to change in the future I will certainly look at www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/ which you reccomended NGMsGhost, so thanks for the tip. :)

I know we are going off topic a bit, but just wanted to say thanks for that info. :)

sherbert wrote on Aug 11^th, 2009 at 6:56pm:

I know we are going off topic a bit, but just wanted to say thanks for that info. :)

Not much though in that this lady's problems all centred on getting help in fixing a problem involving Windows Mail.

Still If anything I have provided is genuinely useful then I'm glad to have been of assistance.

I am finding all this exhausting. I am not ringing an 0906 number for software technical advice as my technician is going to come to my house to configure my SKY to windows mail. I have alkready explained that I spent 50 mins on the phone to SKY with their technician (free call for SKY subscribers) & the configuration did not work!

I only home my technician can reolve the problem as he too has tried to talk me through it over the phone. I have the SKY configuration/windows mail/for vista printed out


This is all from me as I am worn out now!

Well, I see the OP does not mind paying for a 'technician' to come to her home to  sort out her problem, but objects to paying someone on the other end of the phone. I fail to see the difference ::)

So all the advice that I, SilentCallsVictim, NGMsGhost, Dave & irrelevant have given has been a complete waste of time. ::)

Sherbert I really think you have an attitude problem.

I have thanked everyone for their help & explained that I have been talked through the configuration process twice on the phone, by SKY & my technician. It did not work!

I do not want to phone Acer as I do not believe by talking to them it will resolve the issue. I have been referred to Acer by Microsoft, even thoiugh it is a Microsoft programme causing it.  It would be pointless ringing Acer as it is not a problem created by the manufacturuer of this laptop. Microsoft are just trying to pass the problem on. I may have rung Acer on a normal number just to confirm that they cannot help. But I do know the answer really,that they can't.  When I originally asked for help on here it was before I understood the problem fully. Having spoken to my technician & taking on board what has been said on here & another forum, someone needs to come to my house to see the screen & what occurs when I try to configure. So I will willingly pay my technician for his time as he is an expert, as previously explained. He actually tests programmes for Microsoft, I also explained this.

I must just add to the person who has a Dell computer. I am sorry to hear of your problems, but I would never buy a Dell as a friend had similar problems to you. I believe at one time you could only by Dell by phone or going to a shop & ordering, you could never actually buy for a shop & actually take it home with you.  I am pleased you took out the warranty, inspite of it none of us need all the hassle of claiming. Fortunately for me as my laptops went wrong abroad I was able to keep them so we have a spare.  I had a Sony & an HP previously & now have an Acer, which I prefer so far...........until that goes wrong too!

THANKS TO YOU ALL  I will post on here when & if the problem is resolved.

No Jennie, not an attitude problem, perhaps  being too helpful problem.  ;)

Let me put it this way, I had a problem with my HP laptop. I telephoned HP and gave them remote access and they fixed it for me. Cost of phone call £5. which was considerably cheaper than calling someone to my home. :)

When it was all fixed I changed my security details so they could not 'get back in' to my computer. ;)

If Acer are charging 50 ppm (£30 an hour) how does that equate to what your 'technician' charges? :-?

The point of this site is to help people save money and that is what I was trying to do. If I had not expressed myself well, then I can only  apologise.  :-[

At long last I have everything working as it should be. I have had to have 2 different technicians call to my house as they needed to configure my SKY ISP so had to do it at my home.  

It  took 2 hrs to get my SKY e mail address configured. The second technician came to reconnect my 'wireless' connection as that had suddenly stopped working!

I have had to pay out a total of £55 & ringing ACER on their 50p per minute 0906 number would have been of no help whatesover as it was a configuration problem with my ISP & Vista.

So pleased it is all OK now & thank you all for your help.

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