Call18866.co.uk

We started using call18866.co.uk in December, to call our children at xmas. We tried using all their access numbers, we could hear the woman saying "please wait a moment" so we know we got through to their system, but the call didn't connect properly to the number we wanted, only silence and a clunk-clunk-clunk noise. We tried hundreds of times over the next few weeks and into January. Now we find our card has been billed for EVERY call, the website says we had 30 or 40 seconds for each call but nothing was heard, just the "clunk" noise.

We've tried all the 18866 or 0808 numbers they give to use, all the same result. Not a single call has worked after getting through to them - they are making a fortune from this!

I have moved a few times and one of the tel numbers match the one 18866 hold. I can't get though. Have wasted many hours. My debit card expired so could not pay outstanding invoice. I sent the amount with account number which has not been allocated to my account. What a mess!!

Call 18866 is fine if you have no problem. I have been told that my payment date (Card month)is **** but i know that they are wrong . I have just spent an hour trying to correct this error with them but they seem to have made it impossible to do so . Unless someone out there knows something i dont.

Have been using this service for many years - since the connection charge was only 1p. Even at 5p it is still good value. I ues it for all day-time calls (I have free calls in the eve and at week-ends with Orange). I also use it for calls to mobiles. The rate for each call is annouced before you are connected so you know exactly where you are. Billing is also very clear with time call made, number called and duration. You can register other numbers to the one account (my daughter's calls are on my account but shown separately). I have never experienced problems with connection or needed to dispute a bill.

Haven't used the service for over 5 years, changed my phone numbers long time ago. Yesterday received 6 bills from them, all dated 02-07-2010. Logged on using my old account details. All itemised statements showed that I haven't made any calls. So where did these fake invoices come from? I cancelled my subscription and a couple of hours later I received another invoice! I'm afraid that they'll charge my credit card with the fake bills and no-one can stop them. What can be done about these scammers?

I have been trying tell 18866 that my telephone provider is changed from bt to sky, but I cannot find a way of telling them.

Because I have changed my internet service provider too I now can no longer send messages to them.

Please please I need an e-mail address (nothing on their website) that I can send indepentently.

How can i contact 18866 service department? They have been disrupting my calls for a month. they say I owe £3.87 which was paid 2 weeks ago (failure to pay due to a cloned credit card that was cancelled). all i want to do is to contact them since they block every attempt on the net and wont answer my emails. Very poor customer service.

My calls were interrupted frequently without warning. I had to call back so many times and pay the 5p connection fee for every call. For the last few days it did not connect at all. All I heard was a rattling sound after dialing. If the service does not improve in the near future, I will stop using their service.

Helen HM

When I joined this service, it was excellent. It has been getting gradually worse over the last 3 years. I cannot get the operator most days in the morning; at other times the connection is interrupted without warnings. Complaints are difficult to get through to customer service and I am thinking of cancelling my contract. Come 18866, get your socks on and do your job properly. These comments are my own, based on my true experience.

Irma Skeeles

Attractive rates from Call18866.co.uk for making international calls from a UK phone. Easy to use.Can be used from a landline (via the 0808 freephone access number or, BT only, via the 18866 prefix) or from a mobile (via a normally chargeable call to 0808 or 020).If the call to the final destination is not answered (ringing out, busy), you will usually not pay at all via your 18866 account, although you might still pay for calling the 0808 freephone or 020 London access number, depending on your first operator's tariff for these calls. As soon as it is answered, you are billed 5p on your 18866 account (connection fee) and the per-minute billing starts.The service can be used for domestic calls as well as international.Getting started is easy. Fill in a web form with basic details. Set up payment by credit/debit card or direct debit (UK bank account). You can start using the service immediately. There is no minimum contract period or monthly fee.Call quality is excellent - stable, clear sound, minimal delay, no interruptions or noise.Call charges are competitive compared to those of the major providers (BT, Virgin, TalkTalk, Tiscali). You still need to pay line rental to one of the big companies, but the calls themselves can be routed (and paid for) through 18866 - at lower rates.The web interface to your account enables you to instantly review the calls made, which are itemised with destination number, duration and cost in £. It also allows you to register multiple numbers (e.g. home, mobile, family members) from which to call. Bills can be viewed in html or pdf.SMS can be sent from a web form, bearing the originating number of your registered UK mobile or even UK landline number. Current cost is 3p+ depending on country, compared to typically 20p to most countries if sent from your fiddly mobile handset. The web sms form can send accented latin characters but not non-latin characters.Security is a little shaky. Anyone calling the menu number from one of your registered phones could obtain your customer number and use it (along with your phone number) to log in to your account via the web interface, view your itemised bills and even change the list of registered outgoing numbers that you are billed for via 18866.The service is provided by Finarea SA, who market several, more or less identical, services via websites such as call18866.co.uk , www.call1899.co.uk , 18185.co.uk and budgetcom.co.uk . Calls to their freephone numbers are answered by the same woman with the same script.Contacting the provider (e.g. with complaints, questions or praise) seems impossible - no telephone number, e-mail address or web form. For this reason it might be prudent to choose direct debit as your payment method. Then, if there is a problem, you can limit your risk by blocking any further payments. To answer customers' most common questions, the web site has a comprehensive FAQ.The recipient of your call (in some countries) sees a different incoming number on their display and will therefore not recognise that it is you that is calling nor be able to call you back if they missed your call.