MEP Takes On 0845/0870 Stealth-Charges

10.19.57am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Aug 2006

Some 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers could be classed as a rip-off and the businesses using them for their helplines need to stop costing UK consumers millions - that is the message from Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne.

The West Midlands Euro-MP, who took up the issue on behalf of a constituent and wrote to the European Commission about the problem, said:

"Banks and business are preying on the fact that most people think these numbers all cost the same as a normal local or national call - but they don't!"

"While a basic BT peak-time national call would cost 3p, 0845 numbers regularly cost 4p or 5p and 0870 can cost 8p and a lot of businesses are actually taking a cut of this extra cost.

"What is crazy is that they all have normal non-premium numbers for their helplines but they don't want to advertise them and as these are often helplines or banking service numbers people have no choice but to use them and pay.

"I am writing to businesses asking them to change their pricing plans and adverts so customers do not face these hidden costs or at least have the opportunity to choose to call a non-premium number."

Ends

Editor's Notes

1) Liz has written to the chairmen or managing director of Tesco, Barclays, Halifax and Coventry Building Society.

2) - Tesco charge 4p for 0845 numbers and 8p for 0870 numbers

• Barclays charge 4p for 0845 numbers and 8p for 0870 numbers

• Halifax charge 5p for 0845 numbers

• Coventry Building Society charge 5p for 0845 numbers

3) The original idea behind 0845/0870 numbers was to allow companies to save their callers money by sharing the cost of the call. With competition driving down basic telephone rates, the numbers now regularly cost more and are even used as a way of making money for the business called. Ofcom have announced that the cost of 0870 numbers will return to that of national calls in 2008 and will look into 0845 in the next two years.

4) Liz Lynne submitted a question to the European Commission about the fact that 0870/0845 numbers are advertised as low-rate numbers and was informed that telling customers that a premium-rate number cost the same as a local call would constitute a breach of the Misleading Advertising Directive

5) The constituent who raised the issue with Liz is Paul Baden from Leamington Spa. He has been campaigning on this issue for six years and is happy to talk about it. His number is 07707 629099.

6) There is a website, www.saynoto0870.com, which lists alternative, non-premium rate, telephone numbers for big businesses.