High phone bills and premium rate phone calls
I've just received my phone bill for over £1,000 this month. Normally it's under £25.
It looks as though the large amount comes from Premium Rate calls made over two or three days. I did make some calls to a TV quiz show, but I find it hard to believe that it could be that amount. What can I do?
Premium rate calls cost more than ordinary phone calls, and rates for calls from mobile phones, telephone boxes and hotel rooms can be higher still. Charges for calls from an ordinary domestic phone must be shown in the advert for the service. So you should check carefully how much a call is going to cost before you make it.
However, it should also be made clear that some quiz shows charge even for unsuccessful calls, for example you may get a recorded message saying the line is busy and yet you will be charged premium rate for this.
If you continue to redial and never get through the amount you pay will soon start mounting up, so beware. The same may happen when you buy goods from television, often they use a premium rate number, which can be 1.50 per call.
The information about the charges might only be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Citizens Advice is very concerned that some people may not be given enough warning about charges.
If you need more information about premium rate phone calls visit the CAB advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or ICSTIS (the premium service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk for further advice or to make a complaint.
You can also come to the Sudbury and District Citizens Advice Bureau to speak to an advisor.
This article is intended as a guide only. Please do not rely on this guide for advice in your personal situation. If you have any specific concerns or questions about how the rules could help you, then the Sudbury and District Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help.
The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing advice and information and influencing policymakers.
The advice provided by Citizens Advice is free, independent, confidential and impartial and open to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
Sudbury and District Citizens' Advice Bureau, Belle Vue, Newton Road, Sudbury CO10 2RG, telephone 01787 374671, fax: 01787 881564, email: contact@sudburycab.org.uk
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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