Reverse Charge Calls

[Allan Carr]

I have just spent the best part of an hour on the phone to various BT so-called 'Customer Service' departments on 0845 numbers to complain about reverse charge calls which have appeared on my bill. Three calls have racked up well over £40 in call charges. The first happened in the early hours and half asleep, I picked up the phone , managed to drop it picked it up again, answered with my number only to hear 'Thank you for accepting a reverse charge call from telephone number........silence'. I then found that I was unable to terminate the call - putting my phone down didn't break the line and half an hour later it was still open, running up a huge bill.

A couple of days later, another call happened but this time I was more awake but I had already answered with my number, as I usually do. It turns out that the Reverse Charge service asks if you will accept a call from telephone number .... but if it is a mobile, it doesn't tell you the number! It then follows with a voice recognition system listening for one number for accept or another to reject. Unfortunately, my number contains the accept number so if I answer in my usual way, without listening first to determine if it is a reverse charge request, I automatically accept! Oh, and you must answer with a Y or N code because if you just put the phone down, it keeps ringing back until it gets an acceptable answer.

At the moment I'm getting two or three of these calls a week. I have to pick up the phone now and listen to see if it is one of these messages before I say anything. This has caused some disquiet to people who call me for genuine reasons.

BT's response to these charges - tough, you accepted them you pay. They say they can block reverse charge calls from specific numbers but not reverse charge calls in general. However, the three calls which have got through have been from three different mobile numbers, none of which I recognise, so what is the point of barring these. I suspect that it is someone borrowing a mate's phone to make a reverse charge call so unless I can track down the numbers of all of this person's mates, how the hell do I stop the b****y calls. It has probably cost me another £4 in 0845 charges and I'm still no further forward.

Don't think I'd dare check my blood pressure at the moment!!!!!

[Finless]

I'm not with BT but am phoning my company to see what they say and am waiting for them to call me back.

I just Googled and this was one of the first responses:-

wythit.com - your website for wythenshawe - Discussion Forum

[Finless]

Or this one:-

Hang up on 'phone scams

[Finless]

The 3rd or 4th reply has good advice?

0800 Reverse Scam? - Digital Spy Forums

[Allan Carr]

Originally Posted by Finless

I'm not with BT but am phoning my company to see what they say and am waiting for them to call me back.

I just Googled and this was one of the first responses:-

wythit.com - your website for wythenshawe - Discussion Forum

That's the one, only the answer number isn't always 9. In my case it was 5. The rejection number changes as well. If you just hang up, it keeps calling you back.

[Finless]

The last link I posted means you can get your number removed from the 0800Reverse service (if that is the one causing you problems).

The service appears to have been created to ensure any phone owner could phone home from anywhere and with no money BUT you can get your number removed from the servce?

Bryan

[Pigpen]

Sounds like kids, as per the site Finless linked.

As its appears the 'accept' code is a number, I'd suggest that you don't quote your number when answering the phone. Must admit I never do.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Geoff Milne

Sounds like kids, as per the site Finless linked.

As its appears the 'accept' code is a number, I'd suggest that you don't quote your number when answering the phone. Must admit I never do.

Mine is either "ullo" or "yellow" depending on the mood. Perhaps we should all answer as orig intended with "ahoy-hoy"(sp)?

[Pigpen]

Mate of mine always answers with "Pip Pip". He doesn't get bothered much by salesmen etc.

[IainC]

Forget phone call complaints they are too easy to ignore - write a letter to the MD, say you have been the victim of a scam and that BT's reverse call service is not fit for purpose (it clearly isnt because the way of confirming calls is open to abuse) - demand money back and threaten to leave BT.

Iain C.