SAYNOTO0870.COM - 0800 calls to from abroad.

bigjohn Supreme Member Offline Posts: 2,316 Gender:	0800 calls to from abroad. May 5^th, 2005 at 8:21am Can anybody advise me if you can call UK freephone numbers from abroad,or if there are still problems with some countries, or overseas carriers.
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Tungata

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #1 - May 10^th, 2005 at 9:11pm

Quote:

Can anybody advise me if you can call UK freephone numbers from abroad,or if there are still problems with some countries, or overseas carriers.

You can't dial UK Freephone numbers from abroad.

But you can use Universal Freephone numbers (single number multi country) +44800 normally up to 10 digits. But it will be dependant on which countries the service provider has selected to recieve calls from, approx 48 countries globally to chose from.

Or you can use International Freephone numbers which will be a number specific to a country and will look like an incountry national freephone number. e.g. USA it would normally start 1800 but can route back to the UK.

Conversely it is possible for UK 0800 numbers to be delivered overseas.

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bigjohn

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #2 - May 10^th, 2005 at 9:19pm

So in other words any UK ad,or programme which is being watched abroad which asks for a response to a normal freephone no, the caller would not get through.EG I could be in France watching Crimewatch dial 0500 500 500 because i had some info and i would not get through.Marvellous!!!

Do you happen to know what countries bar access to 0845 and 0870 numbers.

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BJ.

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Tungata

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #3 - May 10^th, 2005 at 9:43pm

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So in other words any UK ad,or programme which is being watched abroad which asks for a response to a normal freephone no, the caller would not get through.EG I could be in France watching Crimewatch dial 0500 500 500 because i had some info and i would not get through.Marvellous!!!

Correct, that's why on some of the shopping channel ads you will see the country flag followed by a dedicated number. These will be International Freefone numbers usually all routing to the same call centre.

Quote:

Do you happen to know what countries bar access to 0845 and 0870 numbers.

It's not countries that bar access, but the telcos that operate in those countries. Typically the incumbent national operators (In Western Europe) will allow access to 0870. Access to 0845 is more hit and miss. Likewise with smaller players and certainly mobile operators you will have greater difficulty getting international access to 0870 and 0845.

Unfortunately there is no list available as when a new range (e.g.0870 601 **** or 0870 123 ****) is opened up by a UK operator e.g. BT or C&W, they will notify overseas administrations and request that the range is given access out of their international gateways, but it is pretty much a gentleman's agreement and doesn't always work.

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juby Full Member Offline Posts: 203 Gloucestershire Gender:	Re: 0800 calls to from abroad. Reply #4 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 10:28am In another go at 0870 David Derbyshire covers this subject today in the Daily Telegraph (p11). juby
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mc661

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #5 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 2:20pm

Quote:

So in other words any UK ad,or programme which is being watched abroad which asks for a response to a normal freephone no, the caller would not get through.EG I could be in France watching Crimewatch dial 0500 500 500 because i had some info and i would not get through.

ah but you could dial 0208 811 8181 instead! I belive this number goes thru to CW when its operational.

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Tanllan

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #6 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 5:40pm

[quote author=Tungata link=board=news;num=1115277687;start=0#1 date=05/10/05 at 21:11:16]

You can't dial UK Freephone numbers from abroad.

But you can use Universal Freephone numbers (single number multi country) +44800 normally up to 10 digits. quote]

Close. To be displayed as +800 XXXX XXXX. Even then not all operators seem to be able to manage them. I believe that *&* had problems selling them to Land's End Clothing at the start and had to restore all the separate numbers.

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Heinz Supreme Member Offline Posts: 1,362 Essex	Re: 0800 calls to from abroad. Reply #7 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 9:43pm Quote: In another go at 0870 David Derbyshire covers this subject today in the Daily Telegraph (p11). juby You must have a different edition to me. His piece on P.11 in mine is about a hovering vacuum cleaner!
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idb

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #8 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 10:04pm

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You can't dial UK Freephone numbers from abroad.

For the sake of accuracy, UK 0800, as with 0870, 0845, 0844 and 0871 numbers can, sometimes, be called from overseas. The important aspect is that there is no guarantee that they can be called from overseas (thus rendering the numbers somewhat pointless for emergency-type scenarios - credit card loss, insurance claims, health questions, banking etc), and even if they can be called, the costs are invariably much higher than calling a geographic alternative.

Given tourists often use calling cards, say $10 or EUR10 at a time, and given that 08X tend to use long queues, the calling card, where the call can actually be made, will not last long.

It is incorrect to state that 0800 cannot be called from overseas, it is correct, however, to say that it is often difficult and sometimes impossible to call such numbers from outside the UK

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idb

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #9 - Aug 5^th, 2005 at 10:21pm

Some idea of calling costs to the UK from discount carriers here in the US. The descriptions of anything other than 01/02 numbers is often vague (audiotext, premium, specialized). On the face of it, the OneSuite rates to NGNs at 17.5c/minute do not look too bad, however the rates are almost eight times that for calling a normal number. I suspect the tel3advantage 2.5c rates for premium and personal are either a mistake, or that they are being fleeced! Note that these are only some selective examples, but typify the problems faced by international callers.

<<
http://www.iscard.com/rates/home.asp

United Kingdom (44) $0.069
United Kingdom, Audiotext $0.490
United Kingdom, Mobile or Premium $0.490

http://www.onesuite.com/rates.asp

United Kingdom 44 $0.0220
United Kingdom-Mobile 44 7 $0.1750
United Kingdom-Mobile 44 8 $0.1750
United Kingdom-Mobile 44 9 $0.1750

http://www.tel3advantage.com/rates.aspx

United Kingdom 2.5¢
United Kingdom Freephone 19.3¢
United Kingdom Mobile - All Carriers 19.3¢
United Kingdom Other Specialized 19.3¢
United Kingdom Pager 2.5¢
United Kingdom Personal 2.5¢
United Kingdom Premium 2.5¢

http://www.stanaphone.com/

United Kingdom 44 2.5c
United Kingdom 443, 444, 445, 448 28.1c

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NonGeographicalMan

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #10 - Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:02am

Careful idb. Don't forget that you are supposed to be taking the line that it is "impossible" to call these numbers from the USA. Wink

But now we learn that one can call them with various US telcos but it is merely a lot more expensive. This is the same position as when calling these numbers from the rest of the world.

And don't forget that we in the UK pay a lot more than 800% more to call an 0870 number compared to a number starting 01 or 02. In my book 7.5p per minute compared to zero p per minute comes to paying infinity percent more to call them!

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idb Supreme Member Offline Posts: 1,499 Miami, Florida, United States Gender:	Re: 0800 calls to from abroad. Reply #11 - Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:08am Quote: Careful idb. Don't forget that you are supposed to be taking the line that it is "impossible" to call these numbers from the USA. True, but misinformation and hiding of key facts should be the preserve of the likes of NEG and not us here who should be beyond that!!!
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NonGeographicalMan

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #12 - Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:14am

Quote:

True, but misinformation and hiding of key facts should be the preserve of the likes of NEG and not us here who should be beyond that!!!

Doesn't that mean you should have merely been taking the line that some US phone customers found it impossible to call the numbers.

Presumably Sprint and AT & T etc will all carry calls to these numbers at a price?

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idb

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #13 - Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:27am

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Doesn't that mean you should have merely been taking the line that some US phone customers found it impossible to call the numbers.

I believe this is exactly what I have been saying for many months. There may be the odd slip, but this is the position I believe I have maintained!

Quote:

Presumably Sprint and AT & T etc will all carry calls to these numbers at a price?

I believe (don't quote me though) that because these providers charge a relatively high rate for international calls, 08X may well be carried at the same rate. I use neither to route my international calls, so can't really provide a definitive answer. They may or may not charge a premium, they may or may not route the calls at all.

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NonGeographicalMan

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Re: 0800 calls to from abroad.
Reply #14 - Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:31am

Quote:

I believe this is exactly what I have been saying for many months. There may be the odd slip, but this is the position I believe I have maintained!

I got the impression in your FOI requests and so on that you had said people couldn't call these numbers at all from the USA? But clearly I wasn't concentrating properly. My Mistake. Wink

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« Last Edit: Aug 6^th, 2005 at 1:31am by N/A »

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