Hi everyone
I called up Telstra for 1300 phone words. Number is not Gold or Premium.
1300 776 853
They offered me to buy it for $40000. Are they for real???
Above figure is my salary for a year.
How can a small business effort to buy? It feels like whole world is controlled by reach filthy people.
So disappointing……
yeah i wouldn't pay that much for the sort of combos that number can make..
1300-SS-MULE or 1300-SS-NUKE?
you can buy a premium phone number from more than just Telstra but the pricing is controlled by the govt.
yes, regulated
lol, it's called "Doing Business". Try it some time….
I hate businesses that only have 1300 numbers. With VOIP I get 8ct untimed calls to all regular landlines, but have to pay 25ct to call a 1300…
Yeah, me too. Every time I see a 1300 or a 13 number I go to the web site and see if I can get an ordinary number. I only have VoIP at home. On NBN fibre and did not take up a voice service and saved me about $30 a month from rip offs like the big T.
Me too, my mobile plan doesn't include calls to 1300 or 1800 numbers and calls to them are timed. Given you can be on hold for ever and day with some big businesses that "really care about your problem, or want your business" these calls just cost too much to be worth my while.
Often finding an associated landline is a pain in the butt. Sometimes they are listed as "numbers for overseas callers" but if I have too much hassle I'll use email or just find another business I can contact without costing me some serious additional dollars on my mobile bill. Of course I ditched my landline years ago.
you can use this website to search its 1300 equivalent: http://www.e164.org/non-search.php
just fill in "non-geographic number". Your (land line) number is optional
I use to have that problem too until I changed my plan to include 1300 numbers :P
I think my VoIP planning covers 13 and 1300 no.s, Exetel
Actually, you can also get FREE VoIP calling (ie, to SIP numbers).
Businesses need to find out how to enable non-[costly-]1800 number free calls for their clients, using such VoIP features.
You think people on the dole get more than $40,000?
Nah, you don't think that. You are posing.
You need a change of job if you earn $40k a year. Isn't that below the dole and minimum wage?
how on earth did you get your current job being that naive?
The sheltered workshops aren't too picky when it comes to recruitment. :P
Stop and think for a moment. As a CONSUMER, have you ever given preference a business that has a 1300 number over one that doesn't? I reckon the real value of a 1300 number is closer to $400 (yes, $400!)
Why bother?
I'm with Shadow54 - In my humble opinion, dealing with a business that holds a 1300 number probably means some corporate dreamers too far removed from the customer thus no care factor. They may also be a franchise or similar business model paying hidden percentages/fees to some stranger the customer never meets. $400 for a 1300 number hey! I reckon that's too steep! $200 sounds better based on my experience.
1300 numbers are forwarded to a local number.
This means that a business is not tied to a single location of the originating number. They have the flexibility to move from place to place without changing their business number. It means marketing campaigns still the same and customers still remember the number. In the end, when they grow they can set up their own business telephony system and have that number forwarded around the world or in different states.
I'm sorry Marka but I essentially overlook businesses with a 1300 number and support the smaller local businesses - call it locality prejudice or whatever - but 1300 to me usually means a business from out of the area and too far removed from the locals. If you remember why 1300 numbers were designed in the first place, it was to offer the consumer cheap calls however the phone companies have done a backflip and now your 13/1300 number isnt providing this benefit to many.
I can't change the way you feel about 1300 numbers but nonetheless their use has evolved.
@marka I don't need you to change the way I feel. Simply stating my thoughts on how their use has 'evolved' into something less valuable to the consumer.
VoIP DID isn't bounded to your local telephone exchange either.
Hey Scotty, how's about 1300-BARGAIN?
Also if you intend to serve people country wide, then you need a 1300 or 13 number so ppl on regular pstn services aren't slugged long distance costs.
Couldn't you just figure out a whole bunch of the numbers that would make a phone word that would work for you and ask for one of the specific phone numbers?
And if that number isn't available, the next, etc etc?
1300 SPOTLE - SS 1300 778 653
Guys above is phone words.. I appreciate you opinion.. Thank you
Good call Shadow54… 100% Agreed
yep, they can charge what they like, because people will pay for it.
There are plenty of telcos that will get you your preferred number for next to nothing in the ACMA auctions if it isn't super premium.
Give some of the second tier telcos a call like Commander, TPG, Vocus, Exetel, mnetfone etc. Or just google 1300 numbers:
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=…
Oh, I see you are spelling 1300 spotless. It might be that this is a premium auction number as the Spotless company is bidding for it.
See here for how the process works:
http://www.smartnumbers.com.au/smartnumbers/action/viewHome
And in my opinion, phone words don't work in Australia. People just aren't used to trying to spell out things with the keypad. Better to try for a memorable number if you have a little money to spend on this.
Take a look at the next auction and you can see how much average numbers go for:
http://www.smartnumbers.com.au/smartnumbers/action/auction?m…
You can also see past results here:
http://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Numbering/smartnumbers…
$40k has bought numbers like 1800000000 or 1300333333 so I don't think your number should be that dear.
Disclaimer: I work for one of the Telstra competitors.
Disclaimer: I work for one of the Telstra competitors.
You work for Satan?
He said he was a competitor of Telstra not he worked for Telstra.
Nah, I think he works for Department of Fair Trading.
Many people don't know how to call a '1800 CALLMEE' type number. I've had more than a few people ask how they enter text into a number pad.
I hate calling 1300 numbers - it costs me 30 cents each time I lock/unlock my office door. (Looking at you "back to base" security firms)
personalisation is costly
It feels like whole world is controlled by reach filthy people.
Sorry to break it to you, but it really is…
Yes and they are overreach, er, overrich.
Without giving out my mobile number, the last 6 digits are 6 consecutive numbers. I've had around 10 business randomly call me and offer me money for it. Best offer I have had was $500, I was tempted but I didn't want the hassle of a new number and I also used it for work so I said no. If they offered me like $1000 I'd have come close. Suggestion would be call 0418/0408/0404 etc and the 6 digits you want. See if they are more willing, some people might relish $200 bucks as they don't care. Id rather call a mobile over a 1300 number personally.
I would $40,000 for the mob number 0455378008
Sad - really, really sad! lol
and zero feedback
Don't forget the $8.25 postage.
How can a small business afford $40k for a phone number? Answer: it can't. If Telstra's pricing is silly then make do with a different number that's free.
No one in this day and age cares about what number you have unless you are a massive company and want it for brand awareness
Some numbers are easier than others to remember, so they are easy to type into the phone keypad, or write down later, so a number like 03-4455-6677 would be brilliant.
The bigger problem than the $40k pricetag, as mentioned by other posters is that 1300 numbers currently cost callers a premium, and are often not included in many plans, so they will avoid calling your number at all, even if that means finding an alternative company to do business with, (actually in the office where I work, numbers beginning with 1300 are blocked for all outgoing calls).
That $40k for a large business is probably small potatoes, compared to the money they are losing from it. The far better alternative are VOIP-indial numbers like SkypeIn, which offer localisation and geographic portability, without the multitude of drawbacks of 1300 numbers — is Telstra going to tell you about those options… probably not.
As for 'Phone Words' the whole concept is a complete fail for business, and was predicated on the idea that all communication devices use a keypad modeled on the old rotary-dial phones — in the 21st century world, that is far from the case — whilst many smartphones still have an option to display letters instead of numbers, just as many don't have that option; some devices like Blackberry use a qwerty keyboard with numbers on top of the keys (ie. the numbers align with completely different keys to those on ye olde phone handset), also numerous dialing and communication apps don't give you any option to input letters instead of numbers. Net result: you can never know how much business you are losing, thanks directly to that expensive number.
Agree that the whole business is a waste of time for business in Australia and increasingly so given how many calls are now made, to same, from smartphones.
It was really successful overseas (I think it really established some businesses), but Telstra was slow in bringing it here, so it never really bit.
As regards your example of an easy to remember number…
Purely by chance, when Yatango began, I signed up to their free-trial - just for the data component - only to randomly receive a ridiculously memorable number.
Given that I can't bear to part with it, I have been maintaining it in an active but otherwise unused account ever since. Silly really.
It's still just too inconvenient to swap it for other contacts (juggling as it is), so I probably should just donate it to an Alzheimers organisation so that they can give it to someone who really needs it.
Then again, I do have a rather forgetful Grandfather, not to mention an extra-forgetful dead one!
Well, that took on a morbid tone…
Small businesses don't need 1300 numbers.
I would not call 1300 numbers to do business with you, get a 1800 and we talk!
I use a 1300 number for my business. It is really cheap actually. Telecube.com.au
I got 99 problems but a 1300 number ain't one.
If you're on a smartphone, its actually harder to use a "phone words" number because you don't see the keys showing which number correspond to which letter. The value of these to businesses are surely in decline. Telstra always charge a premium hoping cashed up suckers will just pony up.
duno what kind of smartphone you're using but on my iPhone the letters are shown on the keypad.
just get a skype number that looks like a landline, its something like $10/mth
the problem with your idea is that you expect that your customers can/will spell correctly, problem if they are regular texters. Maybe call telstra and ask for Magda.
The spelling issue for potential customers made even worse by businesses who take on a phone-words number and in the process choose a non-catchy, but still 'creative' abbreviation of their name - instead of just a simple one - or who don't use their full name, when, without any adverse consequence in the actual dialling/connection process, it goes beyond available digits.
OP, just making sure that your business turns up reliably in a relevant Google search - and I'm not talking about the specific pursuit of search rankings.
Even if you have just a basic website landing-page (even with no other pages to takeoff to!) make sure all the contact details you wish customers to know - including the actual words 'contact' and 'telephone', are on that page.
If other people are anything like me when on a specific search, they rarely even use the online directories anymore when seeking a particular business number.
Search of the name (or near-enough recollection of it) + 'contact', or 'telephone' - or even just 'ph', usually brings the desired link.
If a customer knows, or just wishfully includes in those search-terms, a specific suburb name that actually corresponds with your business location or service 'range' (as maybe listed carefully on your webpage…), all the better for them, and you.
Everyone under 30: "what's a 1300 number?"
Oh they were once popular around the time fax machines and pagers were used in the workplace yeah?
…..and when we used to play Tetris in the office!
Used to? I still do
I don't think phone words have caught on in Australia, and don't think they will. I memorable number, sure. But translating letters to numbers to call somebody, I think that will remain a US thing.
why do you want that specific number? There must be some reason it spells something…
1300-PRO-???