Non geographic numbers – are you aware of the changes?
When calling a non-geographic number, the cost is broken down to an access charge that is paid to the phone company and a service charge that is paid to the service or organisation that is being called.
Under the current system, it is only BT customers who have a clear understanding of exactly how much they will pay for their call to any non-geographic number;
“Calls will cost x pence per minute from a BT line. Calls may vary from other landlines and calls from mobiles may cost considerably more.”
From 1st July 2015, the cost of calling businesses and services will become much clearer for consumers. The new system will make phone companies responsible for setting their access charge, making it clear to customers on their bills and informing any new customers of the charge when they sign up to a contract.
Here are some of the changes that you can expect from July 1st:
- Calls to free-phone numbers i.e. 0800 and 0808 will be free on all devices including mobiles
- Users of O84, 087, 09 and 118 numbers will have to declare their service charges, so there won’t be any nasty surprises when your bill arrives.
- 084 numbers will have a service charge of up to 7p* per minute or call
- 087 numbers will have a service charge of up to 13p per minute or call
- 09 numbers will have a service charge of up to £3.60 per minute or £6.00 per call
At the moment Ofcom has not released an official price breakdown, however as we get closer to July, more information will be released.
Until then, if you need any help or advice, then please call us on 0118 940 9000 and ask for Mike Gooch.
*these prices are inclusive of VAT