Telkom bills for un-answered calls

[Ozone]

Can anyone confirm if Telkom is allowed to bill a user for calls that ring on the otherside, but are not answered?

[Surv0]

if no pickup is made, no call charge is allocated, well not supposed to be but wouldnt put it past telkom to bill you incorrectly.

[Ozone]

Many thanks for the response.

I contacted Telkom and they say they do not bill for engaged calls, but they say they do bill for unanswered calls. Looking at the minimum call charge for each call, you end up paying for minutes that were never used. I would like to know what the Communications Act and the Consumer Protection Act says about this?

[Skywalker786]

Many thanks for the response.

I contacted Telkom and they say they do not bill for engaged calls, but they say they do bill for unanswered calls. Looking at the minimum call charge for each call, you end up paying for minutes that were never used. I would like to know what the Communications Act and the Consumer Protection Act says about this?

wow i did not know this, bloody rip off

[PsyWulf]

It's basically charged for the interconnect,call terminates on a different network answered or no

[Ozone]

The thing is, I know for fact that the terminating network is not charging interconnect if the call is not answered.

I think I need to dig deeper!

[Robertvv]

In the good old days there was a meter that detects if call were answered.
Today with all the technology there is no way for analogue phones.

[ajax]

I contacted Telkom and they say they do not bill for engaged calls, but they say they do bill for unanswered calls. Looking at the minimum call charge for each call, you end up paying for minutes that were never used.

They don't bill for unanswered calls, I think you have been given wrong information.

But it could be that a PABX at say a big company picks up, routes the call to a different extension, which still rings in your ear. This still counts as an "answered" call because a connection was successfully made to the number called.
Or, while you are pressing the "call end" button, in that split second the call was answered.

Which number(s) are you dialling? Private, business, VAS rated?

[bekdik]

This can happen if the called number is an extension on a PBX with direct inward dialling. When you dial the extension number fom outside, the PBX answers the call and then calls the extension, thus Telkom sees the call as being answered.

[WireFree]

This can happen if the called number is an extension on a PBX with direct inward dialling. When you dial the extension number fom outside, the PBX answers the call and then calls the extension, thus Telkom sees the call as being answered.

You can test this with most cellphones. Dial the number and if it is answered the call duration counter starts even though you hear the phone ringing at the other end.

WireFree

[alphabyte]

My gripe is with these confounded call centres that are so widespread. They answer you, keep you on hold forever listening to their awful music, and all the time you are paying for the call.

[noxibox]

In the good old days there was a meter that detects if call were answered.
Today with all the technology there is no way for analogue phones.

Telkom did at one time charge for calls even if they were not answered, claiming it was impossible to know if the call had connected, but it was nonsense.

[WireFree]

Telkom did at one time charge for calls even if they were not answered, claiming it was impossible to know if the call had connected, but it was nonsense.

This could have been the case back in the day of manual exchanges. I think the last of these were sent to the museum (or scrap heap) in 1999, just before Y2K.

WireFree

[noxibox]

This could have been the case back in the day of manual exchanges. I think the last of these were sent to the museum (or scrap heap) in 1999, just before Y2K.

No, they didn't do it back then. It was after they became a traded company.

[kilos]

In the good old days there was a meter that detects if call were answered.
Today with all the technology there is no way for analogue phones.

I remember it was polarity reversal and the meter in the exchange clicked over - very primitive (but it worked)