Mobile Phone Rip-Off

BT Cellnet Pay & Go call charges - BEWARE !

(Also applies to users of BT Cellnet MyTime Net 600 monthly subscription )

When is a BT Cellnet Number not a BT Cellnet Number ? UPDATE 7-JULY-2001

If you have a BT Cellnet Pay & Go mobile telephone the published charges for calling another BT Cellnet mobile phone are :-

Weekdays 10p per Min

Evenings 10p per Min

Weekends 2p per Min

Weekdays	10p per Min
Evenings	10p per Min
Weekends	2p per Min

BT Definitions

Weekdays Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm

Weekends Midnight Friday to midnight Sunday

Evenings All other times

Weekdays	Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm
Weekends	Midnight Friday to midnight Sunday
Evenings	All other times

So that's what you would expect to be charged for your calls - right ?
WELL USUALLY - BUT NOT ALWAYS !

BT Cellnet have in their small print on the web site that the above charges "Excludes mobiles that have joined BT Cellnet from other networks but retained their numbers. These will be charged as calls to other mobiles."

So what does that mean ?

If the person you are calling has exercised their right of choice and kept their mobile number when changing phone networks - YOU as the caller are penalised with massively higher call charges for the other user exercising their freedom of choice NOW THAT'S HARDLY VERY FAIR !

What you could end up paying :

BT Cellnet Rates for calls to other networks

        Weekdays     50 p per min
        Evenings       25 p per min
        Weekends     25 p per min

So how can you tell if a BT Cellnet number you have been given is REALLY a BT Cellnet number or one that BT Cellnet charge at a MUCH HIGHER RATE ?

Well - you can't easily.

BT Cellnet DO NOT GIVE YOU ANY INDICATION when you ring the number that it will be charged at a different rate to any other BT Cellnet number - NOT VERY FAIR if you are trying to manage your mobile phone spending !

The only way that you can find out in advance (at the moment) is if the owner of the number tells you they have changed networks and kept their number. But they probably wouldn't even think of telling you because they are on the same network as you.

After all, their phone says BT CELLNET on its display; and they probably signed a contract with BT
CELLNET or one of its service providers.

The other way to find out WILL COST YOU MONEY - just call the number and talk - if the credit on your phone runs out after a few minutes you'll know ! ! !

With £10 of credit on your phone - if you called another BT Cellnet mobile you could expect to get :

BT Cellnet BT Cellnet
(number moved from other network)

Weekday 100 mins @ 10p per Min 20 mins @ 50p per Min

Evenings 100 mins @ 10p per Min 40 mins @ 25p per Min

Weekend 500 mins @ 2p per Min 40 mins @ 25p per Min

	BT Cellnet	BT Cellnet (number moved from other network)
Weekday	100 mins @ 10p per Min	20 mins @ 50p per Min
Evenings	100 mins @ 10p per Min	40 mins @ 25p per Min
Weekend	500 mins @ 2p per Min	40 mins @ 25p per Min

So what does BT Cellnet say about this ?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING - for the first few weeks - When you email their Customer Services via their web page they send back an auto-acknowledgement stating that you will get a personal reply within 3-4 days BUT THEY DON'T BOTHER TO CONTACT YOU by email OR phone !

UPDATE 7 July 2001

BT Cellnet have since contacted me to explain why there are different charges - are you sitting comfortably ?

It is possible for you to take your mobile number from one network to another e.g. Vodafone to Cellnet - because Oftel (the regulating body) have said that this service must be offered to all mobile phone customers.

However, when you change networks - your number remains part of the original network allocation of numbers. So when someone then calls you they are in fact ringing a (say Vodafone) number which is then routed to the BT Cellnet network. That's OK until its a Pay & Go phone or MyTime Net 600 phone in which case BT Cellnet actually charge you as if you are calling another network e.g. Vodafone - while they charge all of their other customers as if it is a BT Cellnet number. I have been told that this is unlikely to change in the near future. So they still "overcharge" some of their customers without them necessarily being aware of it !

Ironically if you dial a Vodafone number - BT Cellnet charge you at the full "other mobile network rate" - while, BT Cellnet advise me, that if a Vodafone customer rings the number they get charged at the same network rate ! ! ! ! Still not very fair BT Cellnet !

Summary

Customer moves from (say) Vodafone to BT Cellnet & retains number

Vodafone customer rings the number, gets charged "same network" rate by Vodafone (Vodafone - Vodafone) !
BT Cellnet customer rings the number :-

if using a BT Cellnet Pay & Go or MyTime Net 600 phone they are charged at the "other mobile" rate
all other BT Cellnet customers are charged BT Cellnet to BT Cellnet rates

BT Cellnet do not allow other call discounting offers to apply to transferred numbers e.g, the 3 month discounted calls offer for the summer 2001 to Pay & Go customers calling 3 selected numbers do not apply to transferred numbers - to quote a BT Cellnet operator "that is not BT Cellnet number".

BT Cellnet obviously have the choice as to how they charge their customers for their services and BT Cellnet chose to penalise the Pay & Go and MyTime Net 600 customers.

I don't know if other mobile networks behave in the same awkward way about charges to people who take their number to a new network ?

WHAT A RIP-OFF !

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