Charges for Orange free-phone calls

I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just read
today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and it is
just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.

Have they slipped-up on my bill, do you think, or do they now charge for
free-phone calls?

The organisation I called is my customer in fact - they are just a
common-or-garden free-phone service.

---

› See More: Charges for Orange free-phone calls

"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just
> read today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and
> it is just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.
>
> Have they slipped-up on my bill, do you think, or do they now charge for
> free-phone calls?
>
> The organisation I called is my customer in fact - they are just a
> common-or-garden free-phone service.
>
They now charge for all free phone numbers (0800, 0808 etc), since last year
for retail contract customers.
You still get free 0800 calls etc if you are a business customer.

Alec

> They now charge for all free phone numbers (0800, 0808 etc), since last
> year for retail contract customers.
> You still get free 0800 calls etc if you are a business customer.

Well, that's interesting because they write to me as a business customer and
have provided me access to the small-business customer service line too.

When I took out the contract, I applied in the name of my business. I
believe the contract was called 'Your plan' or something equally irrelevant.

"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> > They now charge for all free phone numbers (0800, 0808
> > etc), since last year for retail contract customers.
> > You still get free 0800 calls etc if you are a business
> > customer.

Not strictly true, you have to be on certain business-only tariffs.

> Well, that's interesting because they write to me as a
> business customer and have provided me access to the
> small-business customer service line too.
> When I took out the contract, I applied in the name of my
> business. I believe the contract was called 'Your plan'
> or something equally irrelevant.

Sounds like you should get it, best thing to do is ring CS and ask, all
they can do is say no..!

Ivor

I have an Orange consumer plan where I still get freephone calls free,
but that's only because Orange added a 'freephone bundle(non calling
card)' for an extra year (expires December 1st).

Hence I have recently taken out a Business+ account where freephone
calls are free.

To get the free freephone, you now need a Business+ or similar account
- a 'Your Plan' which is basically an old consumer plan will not get
free freephone, whether or not you are billed as a business.

Regards

Simon Clark
Business Telecoms

"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just
read
> today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and it
is
> just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.
>


Putting aside the other replies about whether you're entitled to free 0800
or not, most of which pretty much are my understanding - you should get a
recorded announcement from "Digital Dorothy" when dialling an 0800 or 0808
number which advises "this call may be chargeable", before the call is
connected. When you get free 0800 through being a business or
Orange-internal customer, that message should be suppressed.

Regards

Jon.

--
Jon Pitts
Email: [email protected] Attachments: [email protected]

Jon Pitts wrote:
> "Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just
> read
> > today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and it
> is
> > just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.
> >
>
>
> Putting aside the other replies about whether you're entitled to free 0800
> or not, most of which pretty much are my understanding - you should get a
> recorded announcement from "Digital Dorothy" when dialling an 0800 or 0808
> number which advises "this call may be chargeable", before the call is
> connected. When you get free 0800 through being a business or
> Orange-internal customer, that message should be suppressed.
>
> Regards
>
> Jon.
>
> --
> Jon Pitts
> Email: [email protected] Attachments: [email protected]

If you have inclusive minutes you can use the gateway mumbers 0200 222
0700 or 0900 to call freephone numbers.

[email protected] declared for all the world to hear...
> I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just read
> today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and it is
> just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.
>
> Have they slipped-up on my bill, do you think, or do they now charge for
> free-phone calls?

They have done for some time now. Business customers should still get
free 0800, consumers have to pay.
--
Regards
Jon

[email protected] declared for all the world to hear...
> > They now charge for all free phone numbers (0800, 0808 etc), since last
> > year for retail contract customers.
> > You still get free 0800 calls etc if you are a business customer.
>
> Well, that's interesting because they write to me as a business customer and
> have provided me access to the small-business customer service line too.
>
> When I took out the contract, I applied in the name of my business. I
> believe the contract was called 'Your plan' or something equally irrelevant.

Your Plan is a consumer tariff.
--
Regards
Jon

"Jon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> [email protected] declared for all the world
> to hear...
> > I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the
> > group, but I've just read today's bill from Orange and
> > they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and it is just to
> > a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card
> > service.
> >
> > Have they slipped-up on my bill, do you think, or do
> > they now charge for free-phone calls?
>
> They have done for some time now. Business customers
> should still get free 0800, consumers have to pay.

Businesses aren't consumers..?!

Ivor

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Jon Pitts wrote:
> > "Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > I'm sorry if this has already been covered on the group, but I've just
> > read
> > > today's bill from Orange and they've charged me for 'BT Freefone' and
it
> > is
> > > just to a commercial organisation and not to a calling-card service.
> > >
> >
> >
> > Putting aside the other replies about whether you're entitled to free
0800
> > or not, most of which pretty much are my understanding - you should get
a
> > recorded announcement from "Digital Dorothy" when dialling an 0800 or
0808
> > number which advises "this call may be chargeable", before the call is
> > connected. When you get free 0800 through being a business or
> > Orange-internal customer, that message should be suppressed.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Jon.
> >
> > --
> > Jon Pitts
> > Email: [email protected] Attachments: [email protected]
>
> If you have inclusive minutes you can use the gateway mumbers 0200 222
> 0700 or 0900 to call freephone numbers.
>

Excuse me for being a bit thick, but how do these gateway numbers work?

"Tel" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>>
>> If you have inclusive minutes you can use the gateway mumbers 0200 222
>> 0700 or 0900 to call freephone numbers.
>>
>
> Excuse me for being a bit thick, but how do these gateway numbers work?
>
Calls to 020 numbers are inclusive whereas most 0800 are chargeable (there
are some charity numbers that are exempt). Therefore to dial an 0800 number
for 'free' (i.e. out of your inclusive minutes) you dial the 020 0222 0700 /
020 0222 0900 number, It will then prompt you to dial your 0800 number. It
costs you 'nothing' and it costs the provider of the 020 number nothing
either as they are using a landline to dial the 0800 number for you (and
hence it really is a freephone number for them). It's all a bit silly
really, as I think Orange would make more money by letting you dial the 0800
directly for free and taking the termination charge themselves.

HTH
--
Nadeem

[email protected]lid declared for all the world to hear...
> > They have done for some time now. Business customers
> > should still get free 0800, consumers have to pay.

> Businesses aren't consumers..?!

"Business" and "consumer" is a way of distinguishing between business
and non-business customers.
--
Regards
Jon

"Jon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> [email protected]lid declared for all the world to
> hear...
> > > They have done for some time now. Business customers
> > > should still get free 0800, consumers have to pay.
>
> > Businesses aren't consumers..?!
>
> "Business" and "consumer" is a way of distinguishing
> between business and non-business customers.

Then why not just say business and non-business or private, or personal,
or something..? It's like the railways calling passengers customers, it
just sounds silly.

Ivor

"Nadeem" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Tel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >>
> >> If you have inclusive minutes you can use the gateway mumbers 0200 222
> >> 0700 or 0900 to call freephone numbers.
> >>
> >
> > Excuse me for being a bit thick, but how do these gateway numbers work?
> >
> Calls to 020 numbers are inclusive whereas most 0800 are chargeable (there
> are some charity numbers that are exempt). Therefore to dial an 0800
number
> for 'free' (i.e. out of your inclusive minutes) you dial the 020 0222 0700
/
> 020 0222 0900 number, It will then prompt you to dial your 0800 number. It
> costs you 'nothing' and it costs the provider of the 020 number nothing
> either as they are using a landline to dial the 0800 number for you (and
> hence it really is a freephone number for them). It's all a bit silly
> really, as I think Orange would make more money by letting you dial the
0800
> directly for free and taking the termination charge themselves.
>
> HTH
> --
> Nadeem
>
>

Thanks for that, brilliant.

Tel