call charges to Isle of Man

[dogsdodo]

So I've been with Vodafone for well over 20 years (around the time the mobile phone was invented!). I have had little issue or reason to ever complain in all of that time.... until now.

Yesterday I received a text message from Vodafone to say that I had made an international call (£9.32) and that did I want to sign up to a new 'package' that would help absorb costs. Having made no international calls I was concerned so checked my app. The single call in question was to +44 number (UK?) and an STD of 01624 xxxxxx. A quick Google shows this to be the STD for the Isle of Man, I had called a guy back from an advert and spent around 15 mins chatting. 

Pay monthly call charge details tells me that calls to standard UK 01, 02 & 03 numbers are inclusive.... BUT, further into it, it does explain call charges to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, without mention of 01624... and no link between the two. 

Not knowing that 01624 was an Isle of Man STD or to be honest that the Isle of Man isn’t even in the UK.... I didn’t hesitate to call what is obviously an '01' number. I feel completely ripped off. 

I have since investigated the situation with other telecoms providers who have mixed positions. Back to me and Vodafone, I have suggested to customers services and to complaints that they at least update their call charge info pages to annotate 01 numbers included 'with exception'. For me though, whilst this would help, I would assume most people simply could not remember or question calls to an 01 number if included within their contract.... So, the obvious and failsafe solution would be for Vodafone to apply a simple message on the front end of calls to 01624 numbers to explain "calls will be charged, blah... press to continue or hang up... blah"

I suggested this to various people and departments in my mini quest to take this forward. Not good response, I was offered £15 BUT only if I agreed to a resolution in full. Not on your nelly..... I'm feeling completely ripped off right now!

I am currently continuing my investigation and plan to take this up through Social and also directly with Ofcom. Would be interested in others within Vodafone about their position and thoughts also?

[TJ]

Thanks for getting in touch @dogsdodo - I understand your frustration and know that the Isle of Man can be a little confusing. As stated on the website - calls to Standard UK landlines are included in your package; as The Isle of Man isn't part of the United Kingdom, nor is it part of the European Union, it won't be covered. You can find more information on our website here, of what is and isn't included in your plan.

It's great to hear that on this occasion the team you've spoken to offered to add a credit to your account, to cover the charges. If you don't want to accept this, of course you're more than welcome to go through our ADR route (Alternative Dispute Resolution) and take your complaint to CICAS. Please continue to keep us updated and let us know how you get on. 

[Pjlewisuk]

I've just been hit by a similar scenario, but worse. I was charged for a text to a +447 number. After phoning up to find out why, I discovered that although this person lives in the UK, the Sim originates from Isle of Man or Channel Isles and hence you have to pay for calls and texts to it. 

Given it looks like a standard uk mobile number how on Earth are we supposed to know that it originated from Isle of Man?

its such a rip off scam that Vodafone are employing

[TJ]

Hey @Pjlewisuk - thanks for getting in touch. I'm sorry to hear you've been caught out and understand your frustration. All mobile providers have their own charges for making international calls and as advised above, the Isle of Man isn't part of Britain or the European Union. 

[Pjlewisuk]

Thanks for the response, but you've missed the point. 
Because Isle if Man and Channel Island mobile numbers start +44, a customer expects that to be a UK call or text where in fact it is not. How is a customer supposed to know that you will charge them for using that number which looks like a UK mobile number?

[TJ]

Mobile telephone numbers provided by Isle of Man operators Manx Telecom and Sure Isle of Man are prefixed with the national dialling code 07624, followed by a six digit number. That's the best way to check if you're calling an Isle of Man number @Pjlewisuk.

[PaultHewitt]

I've just been hit with this.

I do a lot of work on the IOM so often call the UK from there (my wife/kids, etc...) with no charge - apart from once, but a call to customer services got that refunded.

My work phone was out of action, so I have called the IOM and have been charged.

Feel more than a bit ripped off by this (although unlike others, I know that 01624/07624 means IOM)... but we can call from a foreign country - although it is a British isle - with no charge, but cannot call it.

It may not be UK or EU, but it is British, it has the same starting prefix and country designation of +44.

Its just ridiculous. Although I doubt Vodafone are alone in this.

leaves a bitter taste in the mouth that makes you want to take business elsewhere when renewal comes about.

[PeteC122]

I had this problem as well and it was costing me a fortune so I move over to EE (Which sells a package for £10 per month for 100 mins to IOM and other places although you can buy more mins and I saved an absolute fortune).

You would have thought that Vodafone by now would have stopped this cheap trick of excluding from the IOM from the UK, Europe and the rest of the World packages just to make a few more quid. All it does is lose customers.

Look at EE or the other providers as they recognise there is no need to do this.

[Roland-forum]

This has happened to me too. I have inclusive minutes in my Vodafone account and I ALWAYS want to know if there are calls that fall outside these minutes.  It would be so simple for Vodafone to provide the option to provide a message if there will be a charge for a call, and indeed what the charge will be.  

I have always thought that the attitude of phone companies to provide a bill well after the call is made is a devious way to make money out of non-suspecting customers.  It does not do much to engender a trusting relationship between the supplier and the customer.

In my case, I made a call to 01624 believing that this number was a UK number as to the lay-persons eye it looks like a normal number.  I was shocked to receive a text message saying that I had spent £9.90 on a single call.  I have raised this with Vodafone, and at the present time they are telling me that this is legitimate charge and that I therefore have to pay it.  I am not at all happy.  As it happens I since found out that if I had have used by BT landline that the charge would have zero for this call.  This all feels ridiculous to me, designed to trip up customers.

[simax]

Ironically, if you’re on Vodafone Pay as you Go, calling an 01624 number gives you a recorded announcement advising that this call won’t be included in your unlimited minutes pack and will cost extra….. go figure!

OFCOM need to do something about this anomaly.