COMMERICIAL PHONE NUMBER RIP-OFF CONTINUES - EURO MP FOLLOWS UP

11.51.52pm GMT Tue 4th Dec 2007

Non-geographical phone numbers such as 0845 and 0870 are continuing to cause misery for customers of many businesses and even government departments, forcing the public to pay more while earning money for the numbers' owners.

The situation has prompted a local Euro MP to write to OFCOM to clarify if rules are being broken and to see how this can stop this if it is the case.

Liz Lynne MEP was recently contacted by a constituent who wrote to complain of mistakes by the Department of Work and Pensions which had forced him to contact their 0845 number several times, costing him far more than a regular geographical (01 or 02) number - a problem faced by most customers who have inclusive monthly call packages.

Commenting today, Liz Lynne said:

"The biggest frustration for those chasing a service, such as a benefit claim or a helpline for a product that is not working properly, is that they need to pay over the odds for calls which are still marketed to customers as low-cost but to businesses as revenue-earners.

"Now that excessive mobile roaming charges have been addressed, we must tackle premium commercial numbers. A BT peak-time national call typically costs 3p per minute but 0845 numbers can cost up to 5p and 0870 up to 10p. Businesses often take a cut of this extra cost and are reluctant to give customers non-premium alternatives.

"Ofcom has standardised the prices customers pay, but despite their recommendations, many commercial numbers give customers no warning of the high charges before calls are connected. These numbers should be changed back to regular geographical numbers or the cost must be forced down. As an absolute minimum free customer warnings should be given about the charges before connection.

"I have now written to OFCOM because the current situation is unacceptable and must change for the benefit of the consumer. I believe customers are still being misled by these numbers and if this is the case, it is the job of the national regulator to enforce the rules."