BT is set to become the first telecoms company to scrap landline call charges to its customer and technical support help-lines.
From April 1st, all landline calls to its 0870 and 0845 numbers will be
free, in a move the telecoms provider says will cost it millions of
pounds.
As part of its pledge, BT challenged other operators to turn their
backs on the £70million they are estimated to make each year by
charging their customers to call.
BT currently operates a raft of consumer service and helpdesk numbers,
92 per cent of which are free – a figure that will rise to 99 per cent
under the announcement.
Daytime callers to BT’s 0845 and 0870 numbers currently pay 2p and 6p a
minute respectively, while a set up fee of 6p also applies on calls to
the latter.
Under the plan, these numbers – which includes broadband technical
support - will be changed to begin with a free 0800 or 0808 prefix.
Depending on the tariff, mobile callers may be charged but all fixed
line callers, regardless of whether they are BT or another operator’s
landline, will pay nothing.
“We call on the rest of the industry to follow our lead,” said Gavin Patterson, a managing director at BT.
“There really is no excuse for companies whose prices are either
sky-high or verging on the ridiculous. We believe that customers are
out of pocket to the tune of £70 million a year.”
Pricing policies released by BT show it can cost up to 50p a minute to
call technical support for Orange, with the average call costing £8.50.
BT said its customers currently make more than seven million chargeable
calls every year, mainly to its technical helpdesks. It added it was
“the right thing to do” to scrap these costs.
Feb 25, 2008
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