Every now and then someone begins complaining that Samaritans in Spain are making money from the distressed callers who use the service. They base this claim on the fact that all 902 numbers are premium rate numbers.
This claim could not be further from the truth; in fact it costs SiS money to run this service. The problem arises from Telefonica lumping premium RATE and premium SERVICE into the one 902 range. Whether the number is premium rate or premium service depends on the fourth number. 902 followed by 1,2,3 or 4 are premium rates costing up to four times the standard rate, and from which the receiving company benefits financially.
902 numbers followed by 5,6,7,8 or 9 are to provide a premium service, from which the receiver gains no financial benefit, but does benefit from a premium service.
For example the charity Samaritans in Spain uses the number 902 88 35 35, hence the fourth digit is 8. This means that the number is not connected to any local telephone exchange. This allows the Samaritans to have several phones in several locations attached to the 902 88 35 35 number. This means that whenever someone calls their number, whether they are calling from Madrid, Barcelona, Marbella, the Balearics or wherever, they are connected to the next available listener. And it doesn’t matter where that listener is physically located. All for the same fee!
All Samaritans in Spain calls to 902 88 numbers are charged at national call rates. From landlines and public phones the connection charge is €0.08 plus €0.04/min: Mon-Fri 20:00-08:00, weekends & public holidays and €0.07/min: Mon-Fri 08:00-20:00. Sadly calls from mobiles are CONSIDERABLY more.
Each mobile provider sets their own rates and, sadly, they can, and often do, range from 0.20 cents per minute, to over 0.80 cents per minute, plus a connection charge ranging from 0.12 to 0.20 cents. Unfortunately, Samaritans in Spain have absolutely no control over these charges, nor do they benefit from them. All the profit goes to the mobile provider. Samaritans in Spain recommend that the caller bears these charges in mind and where possible use a landline or public phone
It is so sad when we read that ALL 902 numbers are premium rate numbers when only some are. Many, like Samaritans in Spain are premium service numbers which actually benefits both the caller and the receiver.
Further information and all the details about Samaritans in Spain can be found on their website at www.samaritansinspain.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samaritans-in-Spain/342312575891259
The Samaritan service in Spain is provided by Costa Blanca Samaritans, a not-for-profit organisation registered with the Generalitat Valenciana, with the Registration Number: CV-01-042952-A and NIF: G54341466
Lubbertus
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/46321/
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