Letters to Editor: Telenor Charged me Rs. 150/Min for a Call to UK

thumb downI was shocked to learn that I have been charged approx. 900 PKR for making a 6 minute call to a UK toll free number.

Telenor blocked my number and later (voice) called me to tell me that I need to pay up my bills. I inquired how much am I charged and for what and they didn’t have a clear answer.

After having called their support number, I got the call rates for calling on UK toll free numbers which is 149.98 PKR per minute (1.73 USD per minute) without taxes and they told me that I have been charged approx. 900 PKR for a 6 minute call.

I had no information prior to making calls because their false marketing vouches very low rates close to 1 PKR per minute or something.

It was a shock to learn about such high call rates, these rates are more realistic for late 90’s era and not in 2010.

It’s for Telenor and to realize that they have to be more honest in their marketing campaigns and give out the correct info to the customer to tell them that they actually care for their customers.

They have just lost one of their loyal persona customer paying more than 3000 PKR per month on average. I am porting my number to some other network, all I have to say is that Telenor has scammed me and others should know it because they won’t tell you!

Rizwan Ahmed

Update:

Telenor has responded to this letter in following mannger:

Please note that the UK numbers called by the esteemed subscriber fall into the category of non-geographic numbers which are not toll-free but rather premium numbers. Charges for calling these numbers are high both from within the country and overseas with similar rates for all operators.

Charges for calling other countries (broken up into 14 categories) are listed on our website here (http://www.telenor.com.pk/persona/idd_otherRates.php) with premium numbers listed here (http://www.telenor.com.pk/images/pdf/premiumIDDCodes.pdf).
The premium list mentions numbers beginning 44-8 fall in Category 12, charges for which are Rs149.98/60 secs. Please also note that Telenor Pakistan has mentioned all such charges in detail with the spirit of complete transparency.

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  • Well I am not a telenor customer but still its my thought that all the networks charged high rates for international toll free numbers becoz they hav to pay interconnect charges to the international networks.
    As far as I feel the subscriber should confirm the rates through website or through call center before making call on such type of number.

    • Agreed with adeel …if you dont know or not sure about call rates than you have to make it sure before calling…!!!…well yesterday i was checking out international charges on PTCL site and the most expensive was 150 per min and it is for antarctica…are you sure your call is for UK…

  • are you sure that was a toll free number and not a 811,805,900 etc. number. I think toll free numbers are free with in that country but from outside one still has to pay international connection but they should not be 900Rs/min.

  • I will suggest you to MNP your no. to ZONG

    Recently, I had MNP from Jazz to Zong after 9 years.

  • They did same with me i called Romanina and they charged me 150 aprrox.
    Kindly just try warid you will feel the difference.

  • Well, you won’t get cheaper rates on other networks as well. Low rates (Below Rs.5/min)are for UK landline ONLY, calls to mobile networks, toll free and other numbers are quite high even in UK.

    I am not a customer of Telenor, nor do I know what kind of service they have but I should remind you that in such cases customer is the one who has not confirmed from the Network about charges.

    I lived in UK, believe me not everything is bad in our country, take mobile call cost, have you checked UK mobile call cost? Because you will be surprised to know that most netwroks charge Rs. 15 to Rs. 30 just for ONE SMS to each other.

    I advise you to ask the network before making such calls.

  • Sir zong is best so far

    i have also shifted to zong from telenor.
    and zong give me best rates
    55pisay/30sec

    i am very happy having Zong network on my Telenor no.
    Thank you Zong.

    • Now call your friends and relatives in USA, UK and Canada from 12 AM to 8 AM at rates more affordable than a local call – only 45 paisas per 30 seconds. Also, calls to UK mobiles for O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange numbers are at the lowest rates – only Rs. 4.50 per 30 seconds. this is a Ufone offer.further more, i suppose no one mention its IDD rates for toll free numbers.

  • he should have stated the toll free number…

    he must have dailed a premium number like 0845 or 0870..

    thinking thats as a toll free number…

  • Telenor cannot be held responsible for this because every time the call rate mentioned for UK are for landline only. It is you who is to be blamed and you should accept the responsibility. Why every time we try to throw our burden on others. You are a literate person , you should have checked the website or called the helpline prior making the call. low call rates for UK are always for landline and it is being communicated by all operators, not that visibly but quite small.

    So we should try to accept our own mistakes sometimes.

    And Please don’t assume that I am working for Telenor.

    • Completely agree. People should be aware that call rates to toll free numbers are high. We have a tendency to blame others just for no reason, before peaking into our own mistakes.

    • I will totally agree with Asad.

      I think it’s your own mistake. You should not blame Telenor for it. You can confirm it by dialing the same number through other operators and share with us what they charged you or atleast share the toll free number you called…

      Waiting for your input!

      • You are free to have your own opinion! I am not bound to test out and reply to you just so you know! :)

  • Should share the number, and you guys should contact Telenor for a comment as this doesn’t seem like something they would do.

    Probably called those 800 Sex lines :P

  • That Number Wil be surly Satlite Mobile Number. Satlite phone pe per min. 250 to 400 rupee call hai warid and zong se.

  • RIZWAN AHMED SAHIB SWITCHING TO SOME OTHER NETWORK IS NO SOLUTION. TELENOR SHOULD BE TAUGHT A LESSON. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT __________ IF YOU NEED ANY HELP. I WILL CHARGE YOU A NOMINAL AMOUNT FOR MY SERVICES. THANK YOU.

    • And what exactly is it that you plan on doing in return for those humble nominal charges?

      • Ha ha, peeps you are taking it too seriously! I am not suing telenor for this! Switching to another operator with spreading the word would be enough i think! :)

  • Log on pta.gov.pk then there is a complain fourm fill it. Mention your problem with some proves like attaching a copy of your bills etc . beleive me this will work they will contact you for sure

  • Put up the number you called, when you called and your phone number and I am sure someone will tell you that you called a premium rated number!

    Anyway – Zong charged me 888 Rs and I aint even on the zong network. Go figure :-)

  • Bhai, mein to kehta hon sab se ke Ye jitne bhi Mobile Networks ke offer hote hain sab Pagal banane ke tareeqe hain or sale badhane ke. Magar hamari Pakistani Awam nahi samaghti.

  • I don’t see any surprise in these call rates. There are many international number those rates are in hundreds of rupees. So a person should ensure first before calling such lines.

    Mostly people calls on number that is showing on TV for calling girls etc etc. These all numbers are like 0900 in Pakistan. So be careful and if want to enjoy talking with some body whom u dont directly know then better to find inside country. :)

  • Not sure, if other operators are following the same practices and charging same amount of money for such numbers.
    For those, who think i should check call rates each time i make a call, i am sorry but no one has time for that, at least not me. I am not an expert on mobile phone tariffs and unfortunately telecom industry is full of these shady practices.

    I have been frequently calling different numbers in the UK and charges are 18.00 PKR or something per minute for UK mobile so I took it as the maximum charge.

    Those of you who think, it is fair to charge 150 PKR/min, I have got a few calls from Telenor since yesterday and they also think the amount charged is a little too much. Come on man, who’s paying such premium rates for international calls anyway. If I knew about these rates, I would have used my Skype account to make the calls where it is almost free to call on these numbers.

    • you did not bother to share the number you had dialed :-) ….. just share the first 3 digits

    • Nobody is telling you to call the network every time you want to call UK. It’s just when you are trying to call anynumber other than Landline or Mobile.

      Toll Free and Premium Numbers of UK are don’t look like mobile or landline numbers.

      It’s not fair to blame Telenor when every other Network in Pakistan would charge you quite high for premium numbers in UK.

      Why don’t you just put the number here and let people see the reality. I am sure it can’t be a personal number since, according to you, it’s toll free number.

      AND I don’t work for Telenor or any other network. It’s just that most people start to blame others even when they are ones who made the mistake.

      I know I know how corrupt/evil companies are these days but in this case clearly it’s on you.

  • Dear All;
    There is no Customer accountability and after sales or complaints service in Pakistan.First of all there are enormous taxes. Secondly there is no check on Advertised packages. It is a total bluff. These practices will not change unless there is a consumer’s NGO challenging the fleecing practices of these Mobile Companies in courts.
    However use of internet like may be a deterrent to these Phone Companies who find new methods of cheating the consumers every day by TV advertisements.Do not hesitate to post a compliant
    every time they cheat you.

  • made two calls on this 0044 845 111 44 66, Sage pay a payment processing company (https://www.sagepay.com/contact_us) and one more call to a merchant bank 0044 845 8500195 (http://www.elavon.com/acquiring/united-kingdom/contact/index.aspx). To my surprise, I have found out that Telenor charged me close to 2000 PKR for making these 3 calls including taxes which I have paid to keep my number active.

    I have spoken to their support reps and asked them about call rates if I wish to call these numbers and they will still tell you they same old bull crap that it will cost

    UK-Landline
    30 sec – 0.99
    1 minute – 1.98

    You can try to call 345 from your Telenor number and verify this.

    Later, I also checked their web-site (http://www.telenor.com.pk/persona/idd_otherRates.php) for call rate and there you go with a confusing display with tariff details of 12 groups of their international calling plans.Take a look and see how easy is to check which number belongs to what group? Easy peasy?

    Now, put aside this shitty way of presenting call rates, Telenor has charged me for group 12 call rates and there is no mention of UK anywhere in the whole list of Group 12 countries and neither the number I called was a Satellite number. So I asked Telenor, why am I charged for group 12 and they don’t have any answer to this.

    I have visited their sales center twice and have spoken to their clueless support staff and managers and they don’t have an answer to any of this.

    I have paid extra 2000 PKR for nothing since Telenor sent me a message that they will suspend my number and block incoming calls. Later, I asked for a billing statement which they promised they will send me via email but I still haven’t received it despite several follow-ups. I thought of Telenor as a very responsible and innovative company but my experience has proven me wrong.

    That’s it!!
    Rizwan

    • sorry boy.. but it is a premium number..
      here is a reliable explaination :)

      http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080515132106AAMWa7p

      here is what it says…

      that’s probably because (0)845 is not a geographical area code (landline)- in the UK all phone numbers beginning 08 are “business rate services”. 0845 numbers are national (and commercial) numbers which are charged as local numbers. Some may also be premium rate phone numbers and may be charged as such from abroad – see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0845#From_a…

      Also the specific number you are trying to call might only work from within the UK.

      I suggest trying their website (if they have one) to see if you can email them instead.

  • @ above all who are cursing Telenor:
    Please give a search on Premium Numbers on Wiki (not wikileaks) and see its details. In UK these premium numbers are charged even in pound(s).
    So here we take some simple assumptions:
    if
    Premium Charges = 1pound/min
    and
    1pound = 132PKR
    Then from some where written above,
    Call to UK = 18PKR
    and if we dare to add both
    Total Call Charges = 132+18 = ohhh man that so hard to calculate….i think that equals 150PKR i guess!
    Oh noooooo…for all those fools above blaming Telenor this is 150 Rs/min call.
    Hence proved: Dont call on phone sex lines while sitting in Pakistan and then write on ProPakistani :)
    *Ref from Wikipedia: “Adult chat lines (phone sex) and tech support are a very common use of premium-rate numbers. Other services include directory enquiries, weather forecasts, competitions and voting (especially relating to television shows). Diplomatic services, such as the US embassy in London or the UK Embassy in Washington, have also charged premium rates for calls from the general public.

    • I love the fact that you are judging my morals while not reading my emails. Clearly, you can see that numbers I have called are of some very respected companies in the UK and they don’t charge for incoming calls. I have been calling them from Skype earlier, was never charged this sort of rates.

      You are trying to prove that whatever is written on yahoo answers and wikipedia is common knowledge. It really isn’t like you won’t know what Nordic circle means though it’s common knowledge on Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers.

      I have called Telenor helpline, provided them the number I called and asked them for call rates. Believe me, they have no knowledge of premium rates on these special numbers, you can make a call yourself and verify if you wish.

      I could have found these special rates for premium numbers if they had published it anywhere on Telenor web-site. They have not published any such information regarding premium numbers anywhere on their web-site and no one in their entire support team could provide me a link on their web-site where I could find rates for premium numbers like 845 etc.

      If both Telenor support representatives and their web-site is not able to convey this information to their customers, why would you expect your customers to be aware of this?

      If you are still not convinced, you are either on Telenor payroll or just too dumb to understand anything about consumer rights. Innovative companies don’t get into blame game and accept their mistake and take corrective action but this is not the case with Telenor.

      I will launch a complain with PTA as soon as I get my billing and call details (which Telenor is reluctant to provide me for last 4 days now) and it’s up to PTA to decide if Telenor is guilty or I am ignorant.

      • Brother i cant imagine how stupid you are and upon that you are justifying your stupid claim again and again…Premium Numbers are those numbers on which Operator gets the basic call charges whereas the owner of that number gets additional amount when that number is called. The rate for every premium number can vary accordingly. So Telenor guys will be more idiot than you if they start posting rates of every individual Premium Number worldwide on their website. And stop waiting for Telenor to provide you call records as they are some most lazy people on this earth, try Persona web portal to take your call history and charging.

        Friend I’m simply a loyal customer of Telenor (Persona by chance) since its launch and thats the only thing…

        And the reason Telenor guys are not telling you the exact reason for charging this much is because they dont want to lose their customer who is giving them on average 3000 pm (as you said above) by embarrassing him and telling that he called a Phone Sex Line :D lolzzzz

        But i agree, rate was too high for just 6 mins, hope you enjoyed :) lolzzz

      • Rizwan ure extremely ignorant. You keep blaming Telenor website. Here’s all the information right there for u to see. i checked the website of other opertaors and such detailed info is nowhere to be found.

        Call Charges:
        http://www.telenor.com.pk/persona/idd_otherRates.php

        Special Numbers:
        http://www.telenor.com.pk/images/pdf/premiumIDDCodes.pdf

        im sure u can find the number u called to in this list. as for customer service, u only called them after ur phone was blocked, so its not like u called them before to check. also whoever gave u that number shudve told u the charges from pakistan or overseas. it was their duty.

        i hate corporate malpractices but sorry mate this time they cant be blamed. i think ure better off without goign to pta.

        • i just saw saw the websites and numbers u posted. there is nowhere on the webiste mentioned that those numbers are toll free. Who told u that? that is your mistake rizwan, totally.

  • Well bro this is your mistake not telenor’s as if u have a little sense you said that you call on UK toll free number and in posters TV adds…. this is clearly written that cheap rates on UK land line or mobile have they mentioned toll free number any were so don’t blame your ignorance to a company. Port out is not the solution you need better education that will help.

    • 100% agree with @striker. No mobile operator mentioned premium no details in their website. if u dial from some other company same no, u will charged the same. as this is not UK no…

  • In UK, other than LL and Mobile there are Special numbers series called NTS where call charges are high and there may be satellite phones and call charges to these are very high.

    Charges are marketed by the telecom companies are for LL and mobile usage; so I don’t think any mistake at Telenor’s end.

  • Before I give my comments on the issue raised here, I can’t tell you how much pleased I am to see the compassion shown by the people to help address the aforementioned concern (reminds me of a roadside accident, more watchers then helpers…police looking at a distance)

    For all those, who are watchers, please do something valuable. Giving your baseless insights drawn from other websites, making a stupid comment and giving even more stupid reasons to support it, trying to come up with super smart comments (my favorite lot)…guys please, be normal. Atleast on a pro-pakistani website, please be a little pro pakistani and come out of the usual retarded, narrow minded halo we are so known for.

    Now for those helpers, appreciate your concern. Agree with you that int calling charges mentioned are not that explicit and detailed. Even the links provided have some vagueness.

    And where is the f*****g police…I guess still looking from a distance.

  • If you use VoIP services and make calls to these premium rate numbers starting with 0871 which is maximum it will cost you Rs.24, for other UK numbers it costs from Rs.0 to Rs.3 per minute.

    Check voipgain dot com and voipalot dot com. You can even call from your mobile (calling their access numbers in UK and on prompt dialling your destination number) but before that in your profile you need to register your cell number after verification (you get an sms) that is just to make sure that when you call their access number, it will check your CLI and will simply let you dial your destination number. But in case you call from your PC this isn’t required.

    Enjoy.


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