New Ofcom regulations for 07, 09, 0871/2/3 numbers
From 1st August 2009, the premium-rate regulator PhonepayPlus will regulate 0871 and 0872 numbers that are charged above 5p a minute and up to 10p a minute (for BT customers).
Ofcom has published a list that identifies individuals or companies who are possibly misusing these telephone numbers to cause serious or repeated harm to consumers. Ofcom have been assessing individuals and companies over the last year and they have now published their first ‘Under Assessment List’ which can be downloaded from the Ofcom website.
The key areas that the PhonepayPlus regulation covers are:
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Customer service arrangements. Customers must be clearly informed of the price of a call before incurring a charge
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Undue delay. Consumers need to be advised of their expected wait time on the phone
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Fairness. Promotions must not mislead or take unfair advantage of consumers
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Redress. Consumers will be able to complain to PhonepayPlus.
Customers should seek their own legal advice regarding compliance and PhonepayPlus has a dedicated team to help with this. Please visit the PhonepayPlus website for contact details.
