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not so free phone calls with Free


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I've been using VoIP with Free since February and have just got around to checking my monthly invoices online - up until February this year each month was the standard 29,99€ - thereafter they are: 43,43€, 52,63€ and 63,31€ - now most of the increase is made up of calls to mobiles, fair enough I knew I would have to pay for them at what appear to be reasonable rates but the rest is made up of charges for calls to the UK but nowhere can I find any reference to international call charges other than: "Une fois ces points vérifiés, le service de téléphonie est accessible depuis le téléphone relié à votre Freebox. Vous pouvez désormais téléphoner depuis cette ligne de façon illimitée et gratuite vers les fixes de 49 destinations et bénéficier des nombreux services associés." Now does that mean free as in at no charge or am I missing something? Looking at the facture détaillée theres a charge against every UK phone call and it increases according to the length of the call so it can't be a connection charge unless it's repeated every so many seconds - anyone any ideas before I do battle with Free customer service?

Récapitulatif de votre facture

Intitulé     Cout en €uro TTC

ADSL Free Haut Debit du mois de Mars 2007    29.99

Telephonie Freebox du mois de Février 2007    

                                                                          Nb appels         Durée

Appels Internationaux                                                    7    04:32:52    8.18

Appels Nationaux                                                          1    00:00:41    0.00

Mobile                                                                         11    00:18:54    4.99

Numero speciaux                                                           2    00:04:44    0.27

Total communications xxxxxxxxxx (Facture détaillée)    21    04:57:11    13.44

ADSL Free Haut Debit du mois de Avril 2007    29.99

Telephonie Freebox du mois de Mars 2007    

Appels Internationaux    6    03:24:43    6.14

Appels Nationaux    9    00:19:19    0.00

Mobile                          27    01:10:50    16.50

Total communications xxxxxxxxxx (Facture détaillée)    42    04:54:52    22.64

ADSL Free Haut Debit du mois de Mai 2007    29.99

Telephonie Freebox du mois de Avril 2007    

Appels Internationaux    14    05:12:19    9.37

Appels Nationaux    4    00:15:24    0.00

Mobile                          32    02:16:09    23.44

Numero speciaux    2    00:11:50    0.51

Total communications xxxxxxxxxx (Facture détaillée)    52    07:55:42    33.32

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My daughter, in the UK, is with some-name-that-escapes-me-for-the-moment and has, ostensibly, free calls to France; but she has to watch the duration of the calls, as if she goes over the prescribed 70 mins allowed in the free allocation then she starts to pay. Occasionally this has happened and then charges for the calls have occurred.

Could this be what is happening to you?

Sue

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Oh right - not that then.

I tried, I failed - not for the first time.

Sorry, now run out of ideas.

Hope you find the answer soon - you might need to query this with them. It seems to be an error on their part.

Good Luck.

Sue

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[quote user="Gemini_man"]no it's not that -

even for a call of 2mins 35secs I have a charge of 0.078€
or
28mins 01secs  0.841€
or
30mins 45secs 0.923€


[/quote]

I am not with Free but I am sure that this should not be the case. There is something on the free web site about signing the new conditions generales de vente (CGV) to profit from the free calls under this bit

21 NOUVELLES DESTINATIONS EN ILLIMITÉ
 on this page

This might be something to do with it...

also see this bit

Pour bénéficier de ce service*
Il FAUT:
Etre abonné à l’une de nos offres FREEBOX
Avoir branché un téléphone sur la Freebox, comme indiqué ici,

- Avoir choisi son numéro de téléphone Freebox, étape obligatoire pour activer le service de téléphonie FREEBOX (en cas contraire, cliquez ici)

on this page

There is certainly something awry...there is no time limit to your free calls and they should be free as long as the phone is plugged in to the modem and set up properly and the telephone service is functioning

hope this helps

Danny

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i already had a good search around there but i'd already done everything required apart from: "nous vous invitons à valider les nouvelles CGV" - i don't remember doing this but my understanding was that choosing my Free phone number validated the CGV - maybe i was wrong either way i validated it earlier this evening just in case!

thanks all for the ideas - looks like i need to have a session online with Free customer service :)

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[quote user="Gemini_man"]i'd already done everything required apart from: "nous vous invitons à valider les nouvelles CGV" - maybe i was wrong either way i validated it earlier this evening just in case!

looks like i need to have a session online with Free customer service :) [/quote]

Maybe validating was the answer and you wont need the session with Free customer service after all. Hope so.

Sue

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we've been with free for over a year and have never had any calls charged which we weren't expecting.

Calls to mobiles in the uk are chargeable, also some of the 0870 numbers are and *special* numbers in france too.

Are you using the phone plugged into the back of the router ONLY ?? because if you have another phone plugged in to the normal phone sockets and are using those then you get charged a phonecall. 

Free customer service should only be phoned if vital, the charges are not cheap and you wait for ages to get through to the correct people.

hth

Pippa

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Anyone who hasn't looked at this site should do so.  That's practically an order!  It's the only way to drive this whole 0870 racket out of business.

http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

It doesn't work for everything but it's oh so satisfying to play these rip off merchants at their own game.

There is an equivalent site in France.

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The datacentre which hosts the servers for the SAYNOTO0870.COM website is currently experiencing some technicial issues.

Engineers are working on the problem, and we hope the issues will be resolved shortly.

As soon as they have fixed their problems, the website will be accessible again.

Apologies for the inconvenience,

Daniel

SAYNOTO0870.COM

reading through this forum the site seems to have technical problems quite frequently but it appears to be highly thought of despite that: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?s=6db6cac12a3110b7b00a71bb3511ce6c&t=196836&page=12

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[quote user="Me0wp00"]we've been with free for over a year and have never had any calls charged which we weren't expecting.

Calls to mobiles in the uk are chargeable, also some of the 0870 numbers are and *special* numbers in france too.

Are you using the phone plugged into the back of the router ONLY ?? because if you have another phone plugged in to the normal phone sockets and are using those then you get charged a phonecall. 

Free customer service should only be phoned if vital, the charges are not cheap and you wait for ages to get through to the correct people.

hth

Pippa

[/quote]

Hi Pippa,

I do have a phone connected to an FT socket but it's only for incoming calls all outgoings are made on the phone which is connected to the Freebox. If I do eventually contact Free customer service it will be via the online Assistance Tchat, I haven't used it yet but assume it will be similar to AOL's where an advisor flits between several online conversations - conjures up a lovely image for me of a harrassed person sat on a chair with wheels scooting up and down a line of monitors [:D]

and thanks Sue - I'll make a UK call this weekend and see what registers on my current month invoice afterwards. I have to say though that the Free online facture set-up is excellent, it actually shows everything you might need to know - apart from why I'm being charged for UK calls that is!

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....yes   sorry to have picked a day when the saynoto0870 link is dodgy. 

Generally very useful though;  for example when my Dell laptop failed the ensuing call to the customer help line was over an hour long.  It would have cost £5 on the 0870 number,  as it was it was less than £1.50.    Money in my pocket,  not their's.

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[quote user="Gemini_man"]The datacentre which hosts the servers for the SAYNOTO0870.COM website is currently experiencing some technicial issues.

Engineers are working on the problem, and we hope the issues will be resolved shortly.

As soon as they have fixed their problems, the website will be accessible again.

Apologies for the inconvenience,

Daniel
SAYNOTO0870.COM[/quote]If you continue to experience problems please call customer services on 0870..............[6]
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The good news is that since validating the CGV all my international calls have been at zero cost, even those over one hour.

The bad news is that as it appears to have been my fault I have no chance of reclaiming my money from Free - grumble grumble grumble !!

So, any Free abonnés reading this in the future - I suggest, follow the instructions on Danny's post and make sure everything has been completed -

Cheers Danny [B]

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