Article says OFCOM aims to make 0800 calls from mobiles free ... yet again!

Some of you might have seen the report in The Independent a couple of weeks ago entitled “Number may be up for costly 0800 and 084 calls” on Saturday 25th February.

Under the title was the summary saying: “Ofcom, the communications regulator, is taking forward proposals to make calls to them free from mobiles and landlines.” This was an interesting statement as it seemed to imply that currently calls to 0800 and 084 numbers from both mobiles and landlines are not free. This of course isn’t true, as calls to 0800 numbers from a landline are free, that is the point of them, they are freephone numbers. Therefore, in essence the article is saying that OFCOM is striving for 0800 numbers to be free from mobiles as well as landlines, so that they are freephone numbers from both.

Of course, it is the mobile phone companies that charge for you to call an 0800 number, and is nothing to do with the 0800 number providers. The article also mentions that the Department of Health is writing to GP surgeries to remind them not to use 084 numbers, but that does not mean that the number is up for them! At the end of the day, we have heard this about 0800 numbers being free from mobiles many times before, and although we would very much welcome it, we will believe it when we see it!

The 0800 Number Company don't tie their customers in to long term contracts

Leading freephone number provider The 0800 Number Company has published a quite interesting blog post on its website about why it doesn't tie customers in to long term contracts. The main thrust of the argument is that the circumstances of businesses ordering 0800 numbers can change dramatically in a short period of time, especially in such volatile economic conditions. It is therefore unfair to saddle businesses with rental and charges for 0800 numbers for months if they find they don't need them. They also argue that if the service is good enough then people won't leave, and you shouldn't lock people in - all good arguments and the sort of thing we expect from 0800 number providers!

Interesting article on 0800 freephone number calls from mobiles

Here at the 0800 Numbers buyers guide blog, we try to keep our eyes open for interesting articles about freephone numbers for you. We found a quite interesting one this week on moneymarket.com, which you can read for yourself by clicking here. It states that people spend around £1.9million per year calling non-geographical numbers (NGNs) including freephone 0800 numbers from mobile phones. The article goes on to talk about various alternatives to calling freephone 0800 numbers and other NGNs from mobiles, such as the wide range of sites out there that give you the actual number that the 0800 number is routed to. It is not, of course, the 0800 number providers that make money on calls to freephone numbers from mobile phones but the mobile phone providers themselves. Of course, if mobile providers continue to charge excessive prices then they are going to lose out because people will seek these alternatives, so they need to start considering their options.

0800 number for safety, security and peace of mind?

This week, OFCOM published an article called Keep Connected at College - a student guide - which we highly recommend as a useful and informative document for young people moving away from home for the first time, going to college or university.

On this note, we thought it worth repeating a suggestion we heard a little while back, that maybe parents might want to consider getting an 0800 number for their kids for when they go away to university or college. Yes, they all have mobile phones now, but it is amazing how easily they can loose them or have them stolen on a night out, and end up without money or a card for phoning home.

The freephone numbers can be pointed either to the parents phone, to the student accommodation or to anywhere else, to give the parents and the students peace of mind and to act as an extra security and safety precaution just in case.

UK Newspapers noting costs of prices to 0800 numbers from mobiles

Freephone numbers have been in the news again this week. Last weekend (Saturday 3rd September) there was an article in The Telegraph by Neasa MacErlean with the headline “Taking action over the high cost of essential phone helplines”, and on Monday 5th September The Sun newspaper had an article with the headline “mobile callers paying £1.70 for ‘free’ 0800 number” by Tim Heming.

Both were complaining about the fact that people calling freephone 0800 numbers from a mobile phone are charged a high price by their mobile phone network provider in order to do so. The Sun article named and shamed the mobile companies that charge the highest amount, and noted that UK consumers are paying £1.9billion per year on calls to freephone numbers from mobiles.

The Telegraph article focused on the costs to government departments, other organisations and helplines being over 40p per minute. According to the report, OFCOM is looking at stopping mobile phone companies from charging people for phoning 0800 numbers from their mobiles. Both articles looked at the impact that being charged to phone an 0800 number has on the poorest people in society, many of whom do not have a landline and so have no choice but to pay the high charges. Although the Department of Work & Pensions agreed a deal with mobile providers earlier in the year that most of their 0800 numbers would be free when called from a mobile, there are still a lot of other organisations out there with 0800 numbers which are expensive when called from mobile phones. Apparently a decision is due within four months, so we’ll watch this space.

Order now in time for Christmas!

If you were thinking about giving your business a boost by getting one or more freephone numbers, then now is the time to do it. The summer is just about over, companies are more or less going to be at full staff again now, everyone has taken their summer holiday, and it is work work work until Christmas. And yes, Christmas is less than four months away, so things are going to start getting busy again soon with people preparing for Christmas and buying Christmas presents. So, if you want to stand out from the crowd when people start looking for businesses, start ordering your 0800 numbers today!

Dutch look at freephone 0800 numbers

It was reported in the Dutch media this week that the Dutch communications watchdog, Opta, is looking into the charges made my mobile phone companies to call an 0800 number from a mobile.

Apparently they have come to the conclusion that there is no cheaper alternative, but whether this study will start a snowball effect in other countries on what mobile companies charge businesses on what should be “freephone numbers” remains to be seen. 0800 numbers are great for the consumer if you’re calling from a landline, but as more and more calls are made from mobiles, it is becoming increasingly hard to refer to 0800 numbers as freephone numbers without some sort of clarification in there for mobiles. We will wait and watch with interest.

If you can't afford a freephone 0800 number, choose 0845 instead

Here at 0800 Numbers - A Buyers Guide - we believe passionately in the power of the 0800 number. It is hard to over state how much business just having a freephone number can give you, as individuals and companies will almost always choose to phone a freephone 0800 number over a call they have to pay for any day.

However, we understand that in the current economic circumstances, with businesses suffering, paying to receive calls isn't necessarily the top priority, and that small businesses - especially new start up businesses - find it hard to have to pay for the calls they receive, even if that does mean a huge growth in business - when there isn't much liquidity in the system.

So, we recommend initially getting an 0845 telephone number instead. It is still a non-geographic or "national" phone number, and is a "lo-call" number, so the people calling from a landline pay a local rate to make the call, which is low (hence the name!) You, the recipient, don't pay anything to receive the call.

This is the best option until you feel you are in a position to afford an 0800 number, but we still highly recommend getting a freephone number as soon as you can.

Plusnet come round to the benefits of freephone numbers

We were delighted to see this week that Plusnet - who provide "good honest broadband from Yorkshire" have decided to use freephone numbers for their customer service. Welcome to the 0800 number club!

Which type of number to use for companies wanting to gain from the London olympics?

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There has been much discussion in blogs and forums and in the telecoms circle of people that I move in as to which type of phone number is best for companies wanting to capitalise on business from the 2012 London Olympics.

Well, my answer, as always, is 0800 numbers - freephone numbers. All other factors aside, 0800 numbers always do better because they are free to call. Simple as that.

Extra Features for 0800 numbers

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We've noticed that The 0800 Number Company has got some new videos on their site. Of particular interest were the videos on the page about extra features for 0800 numbers, explaining the benefits of the extra features.

Those mentioned are Call Whisper, Voicemail, Greeting Message, Time of Day Routing, DOBNA, IVR, Call Recording, Call Queuing and Online Call Statistics.

Which is the best, and are there any other good extra features for freephone numbers out there?

0800 Number Company clever tip

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The freephone number provider, The 0800 Number Company, has a nice article on its website giving a handy tip. It suggests getting a freephone for your kids to use, so that if they are out and their mobile runs out of battery and they don't have any money or cards to use a payphone, then they can call the 0800 number for free and speak to home. Great idea - we'd love to hear any more clever tips like this to share!