Most of us have probably encountered some experience in contacting customer service via phone in Malaysia. Some of the providers are comfortable with regular 03-xxxx xxxx or 01x-xxx xxxx number. The bigger ones usually have a tollfree or LoCall number. Tollfree number is indicated by the 1800 prefix while LoCall number has “1300” prefix. In this artcile, we would like to share with you about Calling Tollfree 1800 from Malaysian number, whether you will be charged or not.
Tollfree number is a popular choice among service providers. Call charges to a tollfree number will be billed directly to the service provider (the owner of the tollfree number). Then, the telco will charge the number owner based on the volume of calls made to that particular number.
Anyone who have tried calling customer service before should know how long is the call duration. The calls can last for at least 15 minutes easily, depending on the issue. Some phone calls may even last for more than 30 minutes. The first few minutes is spent on waiting for the service provide to speak and give direction to us. Then, probably we need to wait until the next agent is available.
Since many of the Malaysians rely on their cellular phone for communication, most of the calls made to 1800 number will be charged. The indirect benefit of this is people will call only when they absolutely need the service.
Calling Tollfree 1800 from Malaysian cellular number
Our experience in using multiple popular telcos in Malaysia has indicated that no telco is giving free calls to the so-called tollfree number. This is also applies for telcos offering talktime plans with unlimited calls!
So, if you are calling from a mobile number, make sure you are aware of the call duration. Besides, you probably would want to check on the call rate from your telco.
Calling Tollfree 1800 from Malaysian fixed line number
Calling from real fixed line or IP phone will not be charged, according to our experiment with TM and YTL broadband lines.
Some users have been complaining that their fixed line was also charged when they call the tollfree number. However, users need to pay attention on their “fixed line number”. If it is a number assigned to cellular service, highly likely the number is a cellular number, hence you need to pay regular charges
Calling tollfree 1800 from Malaysian unlimited call plans
Most, if not all, Malaysian telcos offer unlimited call plans as part of their service offering to their customers. However, often times the service does not include free calls to 1800 number.
Popular Malaysian telcos such as Maxis, Celcom, Digi offer plans with unlimited calls but users will find themselves still be charged when they want to call 1800 number from their line.
Best answer? Check with the respective telcos
It is best if you check with the telco(s) before you subscribe. The same tips also applies if you want to check whether the service comes with a Public IP address or not.
The best way is to get answer from the telcos themselves. Otherwise, if you are looking at a quick answer to your queries, just hit their customer service number and direct your queries to available service personnel.
If you are TM or Unifi customer, you can visit TM Cyberjaya if you require support assistance in person.
Sources
- Difference between 1800 & 1300 Number | Tollfree Malaysia
