Numbers beginning with 0872 are used widely across the UK. Mostly they are used by large businesses such as banks and building societies. Some public sector organisations such as hospitals also use 0872 numbers. In recent times, however, 0872 numbers have been on the decline – however you can buy 0872 numbers here. This is because there has been considerable pressure from the regulator to offer consumers a better deal when it comes to these numbers. However, they are not going away any time soon. These numbers can cause a lot of confusion in terms of what you are going to pay for the call, and their use is even more complicated when using them abroad. This short article aims to help you to make slightly more sense of the situation.
Why use 0872 numbers?
Many people wonder why 0872 numbers are used by organisations in the first place. These numbers are non-geographic, which means it is near impossible for the caller to find out where you are actually calling when you dial the number. For example, it allows an organisation to re-route a telephone number to an indium call centre without you knowing. These numbers are actually made up of two charges when you call them. The first part of the call will be your mobile phone companies access charge. This is often around 12p per minute. On top of this there will be a service charge which can vary and can be influenced by the organisation that you are calling – they profit from you making the call. You will also not be able to use any inclusive minutes that you may have as a result of your current contracts monthly deal. This will be a call that will be charged over and above these inclusive minutes.
How do I call from abroad?
Well it can be complicated. You can try if you really need to contact the organisation and use the UK’s international dialling code before the call – +44. However, its not quite as simple as that. Many countries telecom services will impose an additional fee on top of the two that we have already mentioned. However, in most cases they will simply stop you from accessing the service from abroad. Most companies will publish a list of alternative telephone numbers if you are calling from abroad. For example, your bank will usually give you a UK geographical number on the back of your bank card for these circumstances. Alternatively, a quick internet search of the 0872 number may help you find the alternative, UK geographical telephone number.
