999

[PaphosAL]

Without actually dialling 999 from my mobile or VM landline and asking them, LOL! - is there a way of finding an equivalent local landline number for the 999 Emergency Service, please?

And I don't mean my local cop shop- as by the time they pick up the phone, you're long dead- and the criminal is safe in South America!!

This info might tempt me to lose the VM landline, and just rely on VOIP...

Cheers- AL

[PaphosAL]

Hang on a mo, applying a bit of lateral thinking here, why shouldn't 999 work via VOIP?

I have a local area number for my voip phone on my voipstunt account. So, if I add this new speed dial to my PAP2 DialPlan:

<999:0044999>S0|

...then shouldn't this work? What do you think, Mike? Cheers- AL

[mike557]

999 has always been a problem with voip because you can be anywhere in the world while using the account.

Voip providers just decided that there was no real practical solution

There is legislation in place forcing voip providers to handle 999 calls and if you use a sipgate number you specify the phyical address for 999 calls.

Unfortunately finarea are in Switzerland so not subject to legislation and still (as far as I know) ignoring 999 calls.

Sorry can not help with a 'local' 999 facility.

When I was with Virgin, I put an answerphone (PABX) onto the line advising everyone of my new voip number (which everyone uses now) so able to drop the number. If you wish to stay with Virgin broadband then just use a mobile for emergency.

[PaphosAL]

Thanks, Mike- I've been down two avenues today:

Firstly- lose the VM Landline:

My current deal is Phone size M, Free Digi-TV siz M, Broadband size L = £25 pcm (on DD and Ebilling).

It isn't possible to drop the landline and just keep TV size M + Broadband size L. The only 'double bundle' available like this is TV size L + Broadband size L at £31 pcm (on DD and Ebilling)- the crafty bar stewards!

Secondly- I cast fate to the wind, and tried all possible variants of ringing 999 from VOIP, and none of them work, LOL!

Bottom line = Stay as we are!!

Interesting point you made about finarea being based in Switzerland, though. How come they can get away with charging such extortionate VAT rates, when Suisse ain't even in the EU, eh?

Cheers- AL

[mike557]

I think (no expert) that because the service IS supplied in the UK then VAT is chargeable. This is different to tesco / cd's and dvd's which are supplied by the channel islands so vat is not chargeable.
Hopefully the UK VAT office does get the VAT back from finarea....
As for your 'deal' with Virgin - Cheapest option would be to drop phone and TV packages.

[PaphosAL]

Not really a lot of point in dropping my service level to broadband only, Mike- as they still want £20 a month for that! And the subbed Samsung does have it's uses quite often, for BBC iPlayer and catchup-TV. Things that the (ahem) 'other' boxes can't do...

Although we don't buy our credit from voipstunt directly any more (thanks to your Punshon find), I seem to recall that when we did- it wasn't finarea Switzerland that PayPal dealt with, but Betamax gmbh - which I think is Germany, hence the 19% VAT.

Cheers- AL

[lincsat]

You can always use a mobile for 999

[PaphosAL]

True, Lincsat.. Until there's a real national emergency, when the incumbent Govt shut down all cellular networks, so they have all the wavelengths to themselves, in order that they can save their own sad arses...

[lincsat]

When that happens, you won't need 999 - either Dial-a-Priest, Dial-a-Hooker or Dial-a-Boozer depending on your personal tendencies

[Satsearching]

I'll go for the latter then lol.