i can't believe that landline telecom service providers are still charging for this. We have got it free on Mobile phones for years and yet the difference in prices that landline service providers charge is stupid.

Sure, charge 50p if they want to charge, but I don't think it cost over a quid to provide the service.

Although I agree, they're in business to make money and, after they've paid for the equipment to provide CLI, they are not going to miss the opportunity of recovering the cost. Repeatedly.

Worse, in my view, is the the cost of the "press 3" (after 1471) or "press 0" (after 1571) to return a call 'service' (for those stupid enough to use it). They make the money on the returned call but still want to charge for pressing 3 or 0. Brilliant business strategy.

I agree but they all have different pricng models.

BTW, BT haven't charged for years now.

Neither BT or TalkTalk charge for it if you take their privacy options

http://www.productsandservices.bt.co...?topicId=25504 under the home phone security dropdown and is called BT Privacy at Home.

http://broadband.talktalk.co.uk/prod...and/essentials near the bottom of the 'more details' tab

It's been free with BT for many years (6-8?). TT is a bit more recent, though.

i notice that Sky Talk don't charge for caller Id. I know that you don't need Sky T.V to get broadband now, but i am not sure if they will do Sky Talk as a stand alone thing, i know I would have to pay line rental to them.

But they do charge, if you don't use the phone to make calls, they will charge for Caller Id and they have done that to me.

You are suppose to use the phone at least twice a month to have free caller Id, I don't use my landline.

Make the effort then.

You must be on at least BT's Unlimited Weekend Calls Plan and so get inclusive (free) calls to 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 numbers at weekends. It'd take half a minute or so to make 2 free calls one weekend a month to 020 7043 1320 (a geographical number which connect to a Speaking Clock) and, thereby, 'qualify' for free Caller Display.

i am on Bt unlimited weekend calls, but as I said I prefer to use the mobile, I can sit in the chair with hands free and chat, not holding some phone up to my ear for ages.

I forget the phone is there most of the time unless it rings, it is just a habit now to pick up the mobile phone

I never new there was a geographical number for the speaking clock, in fact I bet most people don't, the last time I phoned the speaking clock which was about ten years ago or more it had the number 123 or something like that. I am surprised that BT allows people to call it for free, since it is a way to make money.
not that many people call it these days I doubt, with so many ways to find out the accurate time, like computers connected to the net, set top boxes and even text, saying that I never found teletext and Ceefax to be that accurate.


Anyway, back to topic, I still have to remember to phone that number and that is the problem remembering it all the time. I did use my landline yesterday (sunday) i phoned my dad, my brother and my sister using it, so three times I used it yesterday

I thought it had to be a charged call to qualify for the free Caller ID anyway?

Talktalk do not charge for the Privacy Pack (their name for caller display), but customers who signed up for "caller display" when it used to be chargeable are still paying £2.50 a month for caller display. Call Talktalk, ask to cancel the caller display, and add the privacy pack instead.

Also the option to return calls are chargeable with a one off charge of 13p, but the call will not be charged if used as part of their inclusive calls.

They charged me when I didn't make any chargeable calls last year even though I had made plenty of inclusive ones.

The research I did here (IIRC it was how I found this site in the first place), showed that that was correct although there now seems to be some thought that it wasn't.