TeleVoice Services
Buy Now...
Firstly the way you pay makes this rather like topping up a pay as you go mobile and indeed buying scratch cards in one of the many ways you can credit your phone.
Secondly it allows calls to non geographic UK numbers and this is I think unique as all the ones I know bar calls to ISPs and to non geographic (0845 and 0870) numbers.
You pay £49 and they send you a phone it looks like a lot of other phones but has a few extra buttons. You can connect it to either a BT or Cable line and when you dial there are no prefixes or 0800 numbers to dial, whilst you are dialling your number you will hear a few tones as it connects to its own service and then your number is connected. In all my calls there was absolutely no difference in sound quality between using TeleVoice or dialling via my normal service provider on my own phone. With your initial payment of £49 you get a voucher worth £10 plus an additional 30 minutes of UK national or local calls. Before each call you make you are told how many free minutes you have left. Each top up brings more free minutes so this has to be calculated as a saving on your calls.
Calls are charged per minute and there is a minimum call charge of
4p. Dialling any UK number either local or long distance is charged at
3.5p per minute peak rate and 2p a minute off peak. Dialling a 0845
number is 7p a minute at all times and 0870 numbers 12p a minute at all
times. While these are probably more cheaply dialled via your normal
service provider the important point is you can dial them using
TeleVoice.
If you dial mobile numbers in the UK you pay 19p a minute at all times. Like a lot of these services big saving can me made when you call other places in the world and certainly I would never dial a foreign number using BT. Incoming calls can be answered on this or any other phone on your line as normal.
So far you could probably name several other third party suppliers who can offer normal UK calls at a lower price and then should you need 0845 or 0870 then you bite the bullet and dial using BT or your Cable phone. There is no call connection charge as there is with some services so the base call charge is just 4p.
If you press the M1 key on your phone you are connected to TeleVoice (Free Call) then when the automated voice is listing options press 3 you are told what your balance is. Soon you will be able to view online a representation of a statement showing call date, call time, number dialled, call duration and balance before and after the call. I have seen a mock up of this and it is excellent.
However years ago in the bad old days when there was only BT- they used to disconnect anyone who got behind with their bills, now I understand this is rather difficult for them to do so they make phones incoming calls only. The TeleVoice service can even work on these restricted phones you must let them know this fact- and it certainly is a great deal cheaper and more convenient than running to a phone box and paying those extortionate rates. I believe the minimum call charge from a box is now 30p.
I can see this being great for families with children who could be given their own phone and an allowance, however the kids may not approve, but the person who pays the bills will not have sudden huge bills. A service such as this is a must and this one is easier to use than a lot so is certainly worth solid consideration. Just remember that you will still be paying BT for your line rental.
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