08009539090 calls from 'BT'

Despite being registered with the Telephone Preference Service and being ex-directory, I am getting an increasing number of 08009539090 telemarketing calls from CCA International saying that they 'represent BT'.

I have asked them on numerous occasions to stop phoning me and the last time they called me I said that I would make a complaint to the TPS. As the TPS requires details about the company that is phoning you - and as it can be difficult getting information from these telemarketing companies, I have done some research so that I already knew the answers to most of the questions that I would be asking them. (It's a sad fact that it is a waste of time phoning most Customer Services unless you already know the answers to your questions and the solutions to your problems.) As a result of this, these were the answers I got from them:

• Company: CCA International
• Person you spoke to: ------- -------
• Address: 78 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3RS*
• Telephone: 0207 418 4218
• Email: info.uk@ccainternational.com

* The address given on their website is: Arnold House, 21-33 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EJ

The following questions also helped in extracting this information from them:

"If you are 'representing BT', then you are not BT. Who are you?"

"Near Old Street is not an address. I need your complete address with post code."

As the operators do not seem to have this information at hand, the time they spend getting it is time that is not spent phoning someone else.

If CCA International really does represent BT, then the TPS may reject my complaint as I am a BT customer. Of course, I won't know that until I get a response to my complaint - so watch this space. And then I will want to know why BT is passing my personal data on to a third-party marketing company...

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How much does a BT phone call cost?

I thought I knew the answer to this question until I looked more closely at my last BT phone bill.

What drew my attention to this question was a charge of 13p for a 30 second local call that was made after 7pm* - I would have paid less making the call with my Pay As You Go mobile phone. Surely, I thought, this shouldn't be more than 1p as BT's charge for a weekday evening call is 1.5p a minute - and shouldn't local calls be cheaper anyway? Further investigation showed that a similar call made in the daytime cost 18p.

I decided to check BT's charges on their website and after much searching I found a PDF document (Tariff Guide for Residential Customers) which after a lot of study provided the answers.

The key to understanding BT's pricing is their 'Call Set Up Fees':

BT Basic and BT Standard Rate Customers - 2.553 pence (ex VAT), 3.00 pence (Inc VAT). All other Residential Customers - 9.276 pence (exc VAT), 10.90 pence (inc VAT).

I thought that I was a Standard Rate Customer, but no - it seems that Standard Rate Customers were migrated to BT Calling Plans some time ago. With their cheapest calling plan, most people now pay a 10.9p set up fee on every call they make, the time is rounded up to the next full minute, the price is rounded up to the next 1p, local calls are charged at the national rate, but weekend calls are free.

Now that I think I understand their pricing, I will continue to make weekend calls using BT, but during the week I'll be making my calls via another service. I am considering three different services:

• 1899.com Dial 1899 before the number you are calling - 5p connection fee and 0p per minute for UK geographic calls. You need a BT line to use the 1899 prefix but they do provide but they do provide an 0808 number for non-BT landlines and an 020 number for mobiles. The only problem with the 1899.com service is that Caller ID shows these calls as 'Out of Area' (or something similar) which means that many people won't answer these calls.
  
  
• An Internet phone service like Skype. My preference is Sipgate.co.uk or Sipgate.de for price, reliability and features.
  
  
• Mobile phone. Use the inclusive calls on your mobile phone contract during the week.

In either case I will still need to make two chargeable or inclusive calls a month via BT otherwise they will charge me for the 'free' Privacy at Home (Caller ID) and BT 1571 (voicemail) features! If you are billed quarterly, you will need to make six chargeable/inclusive calls a quarter. If you have a BT line but your phone service is from another provider, you can try using the prefix 1280 to make these calls and route them through BT - but please be aware that this does not work for all providers.

As BT's pricing is complex, I would ask you to check these figures for yourselves before making any decisions based on them. The pricing for non-geographic numbers is even more complex but it is covered in their Specialised Numbers Tariff Guide. Please feel free to comment on this article if there are any errors or if you have any more information on BT pricing and the alternatives.

*BT's evening rates now apply from 7pm-7am. It used to be 6pm-6am.

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Surplus and Adventure Problems:Lessons for Online Buyers and Sellers

This blog is a draft for an article I am writing on lessons for online buyers and sellers. The lessons are illustrated with a real-life case study.

On 26 November 2009, I ordered a lantern from Surplus and Adventure who have an army surplus store in Flyford Flavell, Worcestershire. My credit card was charged £26.90 on 30 November even though – it transpires – they did not have the item in stock.

After seven weeks of chasing the order by email – I never succeeded in contacting them by phone – I asked them to cancel the order and to refund my credit card. I received a reply on 20 January saying they had ‘cancelled my order as requested’.

My latest Visa card statement did not show a refund so I sent them one last email and wrote letters to the shop’s manager and the company’s Managing Director (different address) saying that if my money was not refunded by 9.00am 17 February I would be contacting my credit card company and requesting a chargeback.

9 February - Received an email from Surplus and Adventure saying that they had 'emailed' the refund request to accounts and that they were sorry for any delay.

17 February - the day of the deadline. I checked my credit card balance and - sigh of relief - my money had been refunded.


Lessons for Buyers

• If you don't know and trust an online supplier try Googling them including the word 'problems' or 'complaints' before you buy.
• Pay for online purchases with a credit card or PayPal - rather than a debit card.
• Be suspicious if a seller charges your credit card before they have an item in stock.
• Be suspicious if you are unable to contact them by phone.
• Do not make accusations, judgements or threats - just keep to the facts.
• Given the supplier the opportunity to correct the problem.
• Clearly communicate what needs to be done, when it needs to be done by and the steps you will take if the deadline is not met.
• Write to the company to reinforce any deadline you may have communicated by phone or email.
• Once you have set a deadline and conditions, do not deviate from them - even if you receive what seems a plausible and reassuring response from the seller.
• Keep a copy of all your communications with a supplier.
• Understand how credit card chargebacks work.

Lessons for Sellers

• If you do not have an item in stock, make sure that you have made this clear on your website.
• Don't charge a customer's credit card until you are ready to despatch an item. You can always authorise a payment - to ensure that the customer is able to pay - and capture the payment later.
• Keep the customer informed at all times - especially if there is a problem. Don't wait for them to contact you.
• Give an estimated despatch date when you confirm the order.
• Email the customer when the order has been despatched.
• Don't make a promise just to keep the customer quiet.
• Always do what you said you would do.

Also see:
Chargeback on Credit and Visa Debit-Cards
xomreviews
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