Calling 1-800 freephone numbers from Canada

[kofsw4]

I called some 1-800 and other freephone numbers while in Canada from my pay monthly Vodafone mobile recently expecting these to be included in my £6/day roam further allowances (Canada has the same country code +1 as the USA and these were mostly Candadian businesses) but Vodafone has charged me as if I had made calls to the USA (@ approx £2/min).

Is this correct? I have ended up with around £200 worth of calls that I don't think I should have been charged for.

Thanks

[ToniCa]

So, if you are roaming in Canada, and need to contact your Canadian car rental company about a problem with your Canadian rental car, you are deemed to have called the US?

I suspect the clue is that Vodafone UK has done the configuring of their call charges; this isn't a trap that any even half-competent US or Canadian company would fall into, because they would have some more subtle configuration in place.

[floorhead]

This is exactly what happened to me. I called Avis Canada from Toronto. The 15 minute call cost £80. Lovely. 

Vodafone keeps insisting that 1-800 was a call to the USA and are not open to listening to my arguement. 

[kofsw4]

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@floorhead wrote:

This is exactly what happened to me. I called Avis Canada from Toronto. The 15 minute call cost £80. Lovely. 

Vodafone keeps insisting that 1-800 was a call to the USA and are not open to listening to my arguement. 

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Sorry to hear that, I was sure I couldn't be the only one.

I had to make some last minute travel changes which were too late notice to do online so called WestJet (Canadian based airline) the Vancouver airport desk of my car rental company and a hotel in Vancouver all on the Freeport numbers they provide for the convenience of their customers. All were billed and charged as if I had called the US.

Similar calls made when in the US are included so this is a specific issue to Canada (maybe because it's not possible to differentiate which country you're calling as they share a +1 country code?)

[ToniCa]

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@kofsw4 wrote:

Similar calls made when in the US are included so this is a specific issue to Canada (maybe because it's not possible to differentiate which country you're calling as they share a +1 country code?)

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I started travelling to north America before mobile phones were common; if you had to make a call using a local telephone service, the provider knew exactly where in the two countries your destination number was, and you were charged (or not if it was within the immediate local area) according to the charging zone that you were calling. So the local providers can, and still do, make very subtle distinctions by examination of the numbers dialled; perhaps Vodafone needs to tap into their expertise.

For several years I used to lament my secretary's total inability to get the hang of time differences, resulting in regular calls at 08:30 GMT to discuss the day's post. It looks as though the successor problem is Vodafone's inability to get the hang of the North American telephone system. At least my problem only meant disturbed sleep, rather than financial loss.

Pending some satisfactory resolution to this, travellers to Canada who read this thread might be well advised to establish the chargeable alternative to any advertised 1-800 number - though that may be easier said than done.

[Mark]

Apologies for any confusion over these charges, I can see @TJ's raised this to the team in charge of this and will update this thread when they get in touch. So we can look into the charges your received @floorhead, please contact us by following the instructions in the private message I've sent you.

[donnyguy]

Hi guys,

Curious as to whether this was ever resolved or if the team responsible accept now that +1-800 numbers are used by both US and Canadian companies and are free from both countries.

[isdoo]

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@donnyguy wrote:

Hi guys,

Curious as to whether this was ever resolved or if the team responsible accept now that +1-800 numbers are used by both US and Canadian companies and are free from both countries.

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No, not to my knowledge. Hopefully Vodafone will sort it. 

[floorhead]

I have submitted the information regarding my issue via the private link sent by the moderator and am awaiting a reply. 

[floorhead]

@Mark, I followed the instructions in the private message you sent.  I have not heard back from Vodafone at all.  I am cancelling my account and switching to another provider after being with Vodafone constantly since 2006.

[isdoo]

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@floorhead wrote:

@Mark, I followed the instructions in the private message you sent.  I have not heard back from Vodafone at all.  I am cancelling my account and switching to another provider after being with Vodafone constantly since 2006.

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It maybe that your email was not accepted. I had big problems with my own domains. In the end I used a gmail account and got the ackowledgement that my message had been sent etc.

So maybe try that first. Good luck