Facetime security concern - Adds (0) to your phone number then states you entered incorrect password

On setting up Facetime on a new Apple Macbook Air, Facetime asked me for the associated phone number or email and password for the account. I entered my phone number and Facetime automatically added international dialing code +44 and (0) then I entered my password into the next box, the same password I use day in day out. But Facetime after three attempts said I had entered it incorrectly and that I needed to reset my password across all devices, which I did, only to find the new password I tried to change to was unacceptable by Facetime, (as it was the current one, proving I had indeed entered the correct password while setting up).

I performed the password reset with another new password and went to login to Facetime with the new password. Again Facetime added the +44(0) to my phone number and again claimed I had entered an incorrect password. So on this occasion I went back to the phone number box and I manually edited the mobile number text back to a standard UK phone number without the +44 (0) that Facetime had added and only then after I had manually edited out what Apple Facetime had added the app accepted my new password and I was allowed to continue.

[Edited by Moderator]