118 Directory Enquiries - How much will YOU pay?

[Worldlife]

© Table from "The Guardian" article scanned by Worldlife for this forum only

Full article (without tables) on electronic "The Guardian" 23rd Aug 2003

Table of charges for mobile phones

[Worldlife]

Just to complete the story here are the Cable charges.....

[MegaTsunami]

I heard on a local news prog. that 118 800 is the cheapest, your 'scan' proves it.

[thefirs]

No one using this forum need ever pay a penny for Directory Enquiries from their landline. Just use http://www.ukphonebook.co.uk/
or http://www.infobel.com/world/default.asp for our common European and North American requirements.

There's even a reverse European number lookup facility (not UK) on Infobel.

[Worldlife]

Thanks thefirs.

Reckon that information is worth a sticky thread of its own "Free Directory Enquiries" ....

Maybe our gurus could do a home page display and link that would get T/S more hits and revenue

[Memfis]

118000 run by orange, and find them quickest, and politest.

ring from an orange mobile, and they'll text you the number as well so no need for pens

[Onslo]

Mot of them will text you the number, or put you straight through (for additional cost).

'Slo

[gem]

I'm with OneTel so, for the rest of this year, it's free.

[squidgy]

Don't some of these directory enquiries services search the electoral roll for a particular name for you, so that you can find out someone's address, even if they're ex-directory or don't have a phone line? I think that's pretty cool. I think it's unlikely you'll be able to look up the electoral roll for free - unless anyone here knows different. Thanks.

I think these directory enquiries services are basically ways of searching for things (which Google also does) and turning names into numbers (which DNS also does, thereby sparking off the domain name cybersquatting thing a few years ago). Telco's have suddenly realised that this is big business, hence why they're adding things like cinema listings and train timetables to directory enquiries. I wouldn't be surprirsed if Google muscles in on the UK and Europe directory enquiries market too. In fact - I'd be surprised if they don't.

Google can still be bettered, though. The most comprehensive international directory enquiries I know of is http://www.phonebookoftheworld.com

[gem]

I think that you can look up the electoral roll but only locally and in your local (or possibly, main) library. You can also be excluded from the PUBLISHED electoral roll.
On the ex-directory bit, I'm ex-directory but NOT ex-directory enquires.

[buybritish]

check out the costs and stuff available on 118tracker.com They are also asking for comments... There are already some interesting ones on the site. Ex employees of some of the DQ providers + + +

The way oftel have handled this has been a complete and utter shambles.. I cant believe their recent mystery shopper report only looked at 30% of the providers!?!? How can that be helping this new free market? Unbiased? I dont think so... Looks like BT & CW have got friends in all the right places..

If any one does have a complaint about providers send them to info@complaintscentre.com they have began complaining at the highest level for the general public...
www.118tracker.com/costs

[squidgy]

There's a better listing than that here - http://www.magsys.co.uk/telecom/dialdirq.htm

[BexTech]

http://www.192.com/ offer free directory enquires, and also an electoral roll search.

[cheeky2004]

11 88 77 offer a great service. i think they won an oftel award. its run by telco global who have over 1 million of their own telephone customers. ive signed up to them for my telephone service too at www.************ i get some great savings.

[gem]

I've been with OneTel for some while (landline) and their 118 service is free.

[BexTech]

I had always found 118800 pretty good, though they have changed their pricing now.

It used to be 19p per min

Now it's 29p connection, followed by 9p per min.

[Frank Leigh]

Why are people on an internet forum talking about paying for directory enquiries when it's free on BT's website?

[gem]

Cos sometimes they prefer to use the phone!

[thefirs]

I second that. Only fools or the lazy need pay for DQ, as there's a wealth of sites that give the same info for nowt.

If you are really pushed without net access then steam up that old Onetel account you've fogotten about (not much value in the payg deal with their out-of-date rates and their call setup fee) then prefix their DQ number 118111 by the access code 1877.

Gem's onetel unlimited CPS package does the same thing and is good value if your calling pattern fits the product.

[Frank Leigh]

Originally posted by gem
Cos sometimes they prefer to use the phone!

They prefer to pay for it?