Telstra Now Charging Calls to 13xx Numbers on Pre Paid Plans

AncientWisdom on 10/02/2017 - 17:37

Hi,

Yesterday I got charged $60+ (!!!) out of my recharge balance for a call to Centrelink.

My current offer is the grandfathered Freedom Plus.

Spent an hour on the phone with Telstra yesterday during which they insisted that 13xx are "premium numbers" therefore excluded from the unlimited calls to Australian Standard numbers (on $40+ recharge). They explained the fact that they never got charged in the past as a "technical glitch" that got fixed on the 25/1. the only resolution they gave me was to move to Pre Paid Plus offer where apparently 13xx numbers are included (?!).

I'm absolutely mind blown by Telstra's suggestion that a goverment service is a "premium number". To me it sounds like a way to move users off the grandfathered plans. I actually doubt the legality of changing the terms of a grandfathered plan based on a "technical glitch being fixed". At the end of the day no where did they state that 13xx numbers are charged as premium but due to the greyness of the inclusions/exclusions as pointed out in the Whirlpool thread linked below, they obviously felt like they could get away with it.

There's some discussion on this on Whirlpool.

I would love to hear some of the Ozbargaining community opinion of the legality of this move and what can be done about it.

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Comments

  • retiredfeline on 10/02/2017 - 17:45
    +4

    what can be done about it

    Change telcos.

  • grimace3 on 10/02/2017 - 18:13
    +3

    I'm also on the old Freedom Plus plan and never got charged for 13/1300 numbers, on 21st of Jan I noticed I got charged $1.28 for calling uBank's 13 number.

    Spoke to Telstra who told me it was a fault and they fixed it up for me.

    I've not been charged for any 13/1300 numbers since and I call a fair few weekly

  • try2bhelpful on 10/02/2017 - 18:37
    +3

    I think the better question is why Centrelink has a 13 number rather than a 1800 number. This Government is screwing the poor over. Personally I would've pushed the point - In the past I've queried things with Telstra on my bill and they are usually pretty good at removing them and giving you a chance; particularly if you can say you were dialling Centrelink. I think you should be able to push the bill back on Centrelink as a business expense. Maybe, next time, ring on a landline.

    • retiredfeline on 10/02/2017 - 20:07
      +1

      rather than a 1800 number

      Good luck with that.

      • try2bhelpful on 10/02/2017 - 20:12
        +2

        Maybe the can afford 1800 numbers now they are cutting back on the gold cards. The world is just wrong when they screw poor people but upper management, including Government, has their snout in the trough.

    • Diji1 on 10/02/2017 - 21:17
      +1

      why Centrelink has a 13 number rather than a 1800 number. This Government is screwing the poor over

      The gummint is "encouraging" the poor to use the internet whilst pretending it has a phone service they can use. It costs money to have people talk, it costs a great deal less to maintain a computer.

      • try2bhelpful on 11/02/2017 - 09:07
        +1

        Computer is a good way to avoid helping people; you can just ignore the messages. The way the gummint has setup Centrelink is to avoid paying people at any costs. I feel sorry for the people who work there, they are on the brunt of this whilst the fat cats just rake in the money and tell everyone they have to sort it out. If Centrelink was a private company it would be up on fraud charges - just appalling.

  • tunzafun001 on 10/02/2017 - 19:30
    +2

    Hang up, call again. You will get a different response.

    • Diji1 on 10/02/2017 - 21:16
      +1

      Hahaha, this is so right.

  • tassieeagle on 10/02/2017 - 20:03
    +1

    Holy crap you got me worried, I've called them 4 times in the last month, an hour at a time goes and checks balance

  • tassieeagle on 10/02/2017 - 20:09

    Ok I checked my usage and I haven't been charged for it. I'm on Telstra Freedom Plus prepaid

  • Diji1 on 10/02/2017 - 21:15
    -2

    Jesus Christ Telstra are hopeless. Or maybe they actually aren't as hopeless as they appear to be and they're just trying their luck on raping their customers for more.

  • vinni9284 on 10/02/2017 - 21:59

    Other Telcos' such as TPG are starting to charge 13 numbers as well; where they never used to. I have changed over to Kogan prepaid. They use Vodafone network. They don't charge for any 13xx numbers as far as I know. Ok for reception, depending where you are. Nothing special. I do use Telstra for NBN and they also charge $2.93 pm to go to a private number, such as not display your details on the White pages … etc. I can remember as soon as I got connected to Telstra, about 30 mins later I received a call from a Telemarketer (probably from Telstra lol) hence went private immediately. It's another cash grab, however the good thing about Telstra is that for around $70 pm, you can get 25Mbps speed but coupled a crappy plan though @ 100GB pm.

    • charng on 12/02/2017 - 01:57

      The TPG Mobile T4G Medium Plan is a $29.99 per month prepaid SIM only, mobile service……………The service includes………….Unlimited Calls & SMS to Standard AU Numbers (includes 13/1300)

      • vinni9284 on 12/02/2017 - 12:38

        Thanks for the update. It seems like a great deal. Also the first 6 months is $15pm.

        I have been with both Telcos (Kogan & TPG) and would like to note from my experience (currently with Kogan and was past with TPG)

        TPG - No termination fee BUT an admin fee they charge when you disconnect. It is not much from what i can recall around about the $10+ mark.

        Kogan - The data/call cycle renews on 11:59pm on the chosen day. For example, if your out of data and the app displays that a renew is Sunday 12th February, you would think that it renews on 12am 12/2/17 however it renews on 11:59pm 12/2/17 hence "technically" it is 12/2/17 so you lose a day LOL.

        Cheers

        • charng on 12/02/2017 - 19:51

          when i left TPG, they kept my $20 deposit i paid when i joined in 2012. i knew the port out fee when i joined. so pratically i lost $9. not worth the hassle IMO. so i didn't contest.
          when i left, they were charging the monthly fee 7 or 10 days before the end of current billing month. i called regarding this topic. the rep said not refundable. although i think she was clueless.
          imagine, your bill cycle ends on the 29th every month. they charge your c/c on the 19th. so if you port out on the 21st, you are already charged for the next month. when you port out on the 21st, your next billing cycle has not started yet. but you still may not get your money back. go figure

  • RockyRaccoon on 11/02/2017 - 08:22
    +4

    1800 numbers are free
    13 and 1300 numbers are same as local calls
    On a landline these are capped to the local call cost (Typically 25c)
    On a Mobile calls to landlines (local or STD) these are based on your per minute rates or come out of your plan.

    The issue at Whirlpool is slightly different. Although some posters have gone off the OP's topic a little.

    In that thread the poster is questioning why they got charged when previously they weren't. The explanation was that this was a glitch and they had previously had got away without this charge being applied.

    This seems similar to what AW is saying here.

    The only difference, is that the call centre staff have used the term "Premium Number" when explaining this. 13/1300 number are NOT premium numbers. They are charged numbers under the old landline system, ie they would be charged as a local call.

    In mobiles there is no such term local call, they are "standard" calls and these are charged at your standard call per minute rate. Now it gets a little more complicated working out the cost depending on what call plan you have. If you have unlimited calls to what they say are "standard australian numbers" then these will be included.

    If you have a cap on "standard australian numbers" , say $200 per month free then the cost will come out of the cap.

    Most capped plans also have a cost per minute. Lets say its $1pm, then a $200 cap will give you 200 minutes (ignoring any flag fall).

    So calling any "standard number" is charged on a PM rate. If you called a 13 number and were on hold for 30 minutes, then this would cost $30 out of any cap

    One major issue is that people think 1300 is 1800. 1800 was free whereas 1300 was for landlines capped like a local call.

    Telstra and most other companies dont charge for 1800 numbers called from a mobile, but 13/1300 are.

    Since writing the above, I found an ACMA site page that also discusses this (see both links for more details)

    http://acma.gov.au/Citizen/Phones/Numbers/Special-numbers/ch…
    http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/Phones/Numbers/Special-number…

  • sharkyoz on 11/02/2017 - 09:36

    Dodo used to do the same. Had free national calls but not 1300 numbers. Trouble was their helpline was a 1300 number, so everytime it stuffed up you had to pay for a call to them, stupid. So, i changed to optus where i get 1300 cals for nix.

  • jhmtaylor on 11/02/2017 - 13:54

    Change to Optus. Calls to 1300 numbers are free of charge

    http://www.optus.com.au/shop/mobile/prepaid/plans

  • HeWhoKnows on 11/02/2017 - 21:31
    -1

    Who cares about the legality or what Telstra does? Just talk with your feet. Kogan highly recommended. Much better than any Optus plan and mostly better coverage now.

    • klaw81 on 15/02/2017 - 12:08

      This is a very generalised statement - people's experience will vary massively depending on location.

      In many parts of regional Australia, Vodafone is simply not an option.

  • eggles01 on 11/02/2017 - 23:58

    years ago the 13 numbers were as a cheap way of contacting companies anywhere they were in Australia at the cost of a normal call,after a while the telstra cur rabid dog as they are put the cost of a of a 13 number up from a standard call to .35c a call,it would be too expensive to take the 13 numbers and revert back to the old way but you also would be paying more long distance calls per x minute,if people think as one and stop joining telstra especially in their mobile service you would see just how quick costs would start to reduce,just think,if a person standing next to you suddenly hit you on your hand with a hammer and you gave him/her money for hitting you and when they hit you again and you gave them more money do you think that person would stop hitting you and get no more money because they were no longer hitting you dont you think that person would keep hitting you as they knew you were still going to give them more money,

  • AncientWisdom on 13/02/2017 - 16:24

    Thanks for everone's comments. As an update the issue seems to now been resolved by a Whirlpooler (also a Telstra employee) by the name of ecky.

    To answer some of the comments, as someone living in a rural area going with anything but a telco with a Telstra backed infrastructure is not an option. In addition, to me personally the ability to use my recharge credit to make Google Play purchases is extremely valuable. My guess is that it is much less valuable to Telstra hence the discount of that offer on newer pre paid plans.

    I also want to add that aside from this issue, I've been very happy with the pre paid service from Tesltra. I think (when taking into account the coverage) they offer good value for their service. Not sure what are the current offers from MVNOs that use Tesltra network, but if forced to move that's where I'd go. To Telstra this is a zero sum game where people like me end up giving them money one way or another no matter what. This is why I think it's important we as consumers hold them responsible and don't let them get away with shit like this.

    • RockyRaccoon on 14/02/2017 - 13:51

      Thats just about as confusing as your first post.

      Stop assuming everyone is fully updated on every issue you are considering.

      What has been resolved?

      Your misunderstanding of how 1300/13 numbers are charged?
      Telstra charging prepaid services for these out of your cap?

      Not everyone is going to read the Whirlpool thread like I did, which BTW indicates that you dont accept Telstra's pricing. Viz

      Personally I think 13xx should be included in the "Unlimited Calls to standard numbers in Australia" (for recharge of $40+) and the call credit (for a lower amount recharge) – which is exactly the way it worked until recently.

      Interestingly Department of Human Services instruct their users that:

      Costs and public holidays
      Call costs from your home phone to a:
      13 number – from anywhere in Australia are the cost of a local call – charges may vary depending on the telephone service provider, and mobiles may incur a higher charge

      Also what isnt consistent when Centrelink says

      …. mobiles may incur a higher charge

      • AncientWisdom on 15/02/2017 - 03:36

        I'm sorry you feel my post was confusing.

        It seems to me you did understand what I said as you wrote in your previous post:

        The issue at Whirlpool is slightly different. Although some posters have gone off the OP's topic a little.

        In that thread the poster is questioning why they got charged when previously they weren't. The explanation was that this was a glitch and they had previously had got away without this charge being applied.

        This seems similar to what AW is saying here.

        Hence:

        What has been resolved?

        The issue of being charged for calling 13xx (instead of it being included in unlimited standard calls to Aus numbers, as has been the case until now)

        which BTW indicates that you dont accept Telstra's pricing.

        No I don't. I haven't been charged for calling 13xx until now and that shouldn't suddenly change IMO without a plan change. I do acknowledge that Telstra may be (probably?) within their right to do so though, and hence why I started this thread.

        Thanks for participating.

        • RockyRaccoon on 15/02/2017 - 09:38

          Again I think you are assuming things.

          Even now your comments are confusing

          1. You say its resolved due to Ecky's comments.
          2. You say I havent been charged for 13Xx until now.

          So is Ecky saying that 13XX wont be charged now? Or you have reluctantly accepted that it is?

          As for cap, you have an unlimited cap, so that's irrelevant. You can make as many calls to a standard number.

          Its like saying I call the US or UK Or India etc where would these calls be paid from. As they are not standard numbers it comes out of any prepaid credits you have. If there is none they the calls wont connect.

          Given my Reading of Ecky - the previous non charging wasn't a change to a plan, it was the correction of a billing system error, in that it wasn't being charged and the loophole was closed.

          However I do understand that if this loophole was there for many billing periods by defacto it could have lead people into believing they could make very long calls for no charge and then get a surprise like you did when the charges were applied. Ideally they should have announced, maybe thru SMS, saying that the error had been corrected etc etc

          The real issue for you is that Centrelink uses a 13 number and there seems to be no way around that except try using 03 6222 3455, which is the access number for overseas callers. Ironically callers from overseas countries like US Canada UK, Greece Turkey India get free calls to Centrelink vs our 13XX rate

          https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/contact-us/interna…

        • AncientWisdom on 15/02/2017 - 12:47

          @RockyRaccoon: OK as you say there is a mix of issues here. (I'm not sure what exactly I am assuming - I've stated clearly what I think)

          • ecky is a whirlpooler and also a Telstra employee, he seems to have fixed the issues where 13xx are not included in the unlimited calls/cap credit to standard Aus numbers on the older pre paid plans

          • Since it is now the norm to have 13xx numbers to most goverment services and big businesses, I dispute that those numbers should be treated as premium numbers under any circumstances. Yes that is my opinion, and yes I understand you disagree. Let's agree to disagree then.

      • AncientWisdom on 15/02/2017 - 03:38

        BTW it wasn't my cap that was being charged, it was my recharge credit.

    • klaw81 on 15/02/2017 - 12:09

      If you want Telstra coverage but not their dodgy terms of service, feel free to port to Woolworths Mobile or Boost.

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