Call Charges Under VOIP Ultrafast Broadband

[Thet]

My Bill tels me 

• Sky WiFi

FREE

• Sky Talk Internet Calls

FREE

• Sky Pay As You Talk

FREE

•  
• But if I make any calls I am charged for them. To me this seems like advertising a free parking space and then charging some one who parks on it. I was under the impression that when I took out Ultrafast FTTP that calls made through VOIP would be free as my Bill seems to state, Free internet calls and Free Pay As You Talk but I have been charged. If I hadn't looked at my Bill I could have gone on being charged without realising it. In future My VOIP phone will be used just on incoming calls. My outgoing calls will be made on my Unlimited calls Sky mobile.

[lettice]

The Sky Pay as You Talk service itself is free.
But that Sky Pay as You Talk package is as the name suggests is Pay for calls as you talk.
Some calls like 0800 are free, but most other calls are not.
The call tariff for this and the other Talk packages are here;

Sky Talk - Tariff guide

If you want free landline calls, you will have to upgrade your Sky Talk package.

[Mark39]

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@Thet wrote:

I was under the impression that when I took out Ultrafast FTTP that calls made through VOIP would be free...

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I'm afraid that's not the case. Calls made via Sky VOIP are charged in exactly the same way as calls made via a standard Sky phone line. The Pay as you Talk package is free, in that there's no monthly subscription charge, but all calls are chargeable. I agree it's not clearly explained in the billing.

[Thet]

Hi Mark39

Yes you are right it isnt explained clearly. In my book FREE means FREE and in my limited knowledge using Sky Broadband under VOIP is the same as using my mobile connected to Sky Wi Fi to make calls which in the mobile case does not incur a charge for use of the internet through Sky Ultrafast broadband. This I believe should be explained more clearly by Sky. 

[TimmyBGood · Accepted solution]

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@Thet wrote:

This I believe should be explained more clearly by Sky. 

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That's probably something Ofcom would be interested in.  Using the word 'Free' in that context could well be misleading.

[Thet]

Hi Timmybegood,

They probably would but what concerns me is all the friends I have recommended Ultrafast and VOIP to as being Free..

[Mark-Br]

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@Thet wrote:

My Bill tels me 

• Sky Talk Internet Calls

FREE

• Sky Pay As You Talk

FREE

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Hi @Thet 

Thanks for using the Sky Community.

Just to throw in my tuppence worth. 

Sky Talk Internet Calls - this is effectively confirming that there are no additional line rental costs, these days they are built into the broadband costs. This also confirms the underlying tech that your landline is using.

Sky Pay As You Talk - is your call package, this has no cost with your package.

Feel free to use these contact options to raise these concerns directly with Sky. 🙂

[sidav]

I was told specifically by an advisor that when I upgraded to Ultra fast my call would be free as they were now void.

I am extremely unhappy to find that now I get charged for ordinary calls within the UK. And, they're not cheap!

Personally, I think it's a P take.

It's not as if my £100 + a month to Sky is a pittance. 

[Mark39]

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@sidav wrote:

I was told specifically by an advisor that when I upgraded to Ultra fast my call would be free as they were now void.

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Suggest you ask for the call recording to be listened to and ask Sky to release you from your contract on the basis of what you were told. 

[sidav]

Wonderful answer. More messing about and go back to a standard phone line?

You don't get the point here.

Sky are sadly lacking in customer service skills. 

It's voip, therefore standard calls should be free. Obviously, premium or international should be charged for.

[GD1]

@sidav  Not sure why you think Voip calls should be free, no other VoiP provider gives you free calls unless you have the appropriate calls package.  

[Mark39]

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@sidav wrote:

It's voip, therefore standard calls should be free. Obviously, premium or international should be charged for.

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Sky don't offer free VOIP calls, so that won't happen. Nor is there any reason why they should.  I don't know any other provider that does so either.

So I think you have two options: pay for a calls package with Sky, or see if Sky will release you from your contract as I posted previously and pay for a calls package with another provider.

[TimmyBGood]

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@sidav wrote:

It's voip, therefore standard calls should be free. 

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Why? Calls that are made from a VOIP service to a non-VOIP endpoint still have a cost per minute to the carrier at the point where the traffic breaks out to PSTN. There may be an argument that VOIP to VOIP calls should be 'free', but that's still only a very small proportion of usage.

[Sarky+T]

I use my mobile over sky voip and it is free.. So why should the landline be any different. It is doing exactly the same thing!.. And yes, they need to be a lot clearer with their use of the word 'free'.

[Mark39]

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@Sarky+T wrote:

I use my mobile over sky voip and it is free.. 

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How do you do that?