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Call connection services: 'A 39-minute phone call cost me £119' (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The PSA said it had "very strict rules" for connection services, and enforcement action is taken if providers break these rules.

It also said it would cap all call costs at £40 from 18 September.

Fear the regulator! Only £40 for a call that should be free!

Here's the other sort of PSA (from the link):

How to spot a call connection service:

Official numbers usually begin 01, 02, 03 or 0800
If the number beings 09, 087 or 084, it is likely to be a connection service and will cost more
When searching for a number on a search engine, be aware that the first number may not be the one you are looking for
Look out for paid-for ads - these may be connection services.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I always used to use https://www.saynoto0870.com as a way to get phone numbers that were free or local (and sometimes to skip some menus)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago

I remember that site! Glad to see it's still going.

It started as a way to find free numbers for companies which try to get you to use their own premium rate lines. Now we have entirely useless grifters tricking people into calling free numbers via their very expensive service, even when the organisation getting the call does not want them to.

And PSA thinks it's fine to cap them at £40/call. Even though that probably means they'll just cut you off at 10 minutes in the hope that you'll call back and waste another £40.

Just make it illegal FFS.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

After googling HM Revenue & Customs' contact number, BBC journalist Jared Evitts made a phone call which he later found out had cost him £119.

"It was the week my dad had died, so I was actually off work and was making lots of phone calls to various companies regarding his death and pensions and payments," said the 52-year-old.

According to the PSA, while pricing information is available from Bounce Tech, it is easy to overlook due the speed at which it is played on the phone, and because of its lack of prominence on their website - particularly on a mobile device.

The PSA said Bounce Tech operate premium rate numbers costing £3.60 per minute plus the phone company's access charge, and connect customers to organisations including HMRC and O2.

In July, the PSA issued a warning letter to Bounce Tech, explaining the company's pricing information was not clear enough, was misleading, and customers had experienced undue delay while using the service.

It encouraged customers to contact HMRC directly on its 0300 helpline numbers that are "free or charged at the national landline rate".

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