The communications regulator Ofcom has made changes to the way consumers are charged for calling service numbers. The new system, called UK Calling, came into force this month and is designed to make the cost of calling service numbers clearer for everyone. The changes will affect all calls from consumer mobiles and landlines to most non-geographic numbers, including 08, 09 and 118 numbers.
Consumers make calls to non-geographic service numbers for a variety of reasons, from making payments for goods and services through to calling banks, directory enquiries, charities and government agencies. Ofcom suggests that consumers are often confused about how much it costs to call service numbers and where the money goes. This uncertainty can lead people to avoid calling these numbers.
Previously, the cost of calls was often unclear due to limited information and varying rates from different phone companies. Information about the cost of calls often showed the charge per minute from BT landlines only, and simply stated that “Other landlines may vary and calls from mobiles may cost considerably more”.
The cost of calls to service numbers will now be made up of two parts; an access charge and a service charge. The access charge is the proportion of the call charge that will go to the phone company. It will be charged as pence per minute and the phone companies will be required to inform their customers of how much the access charge will be for calls to service numbers. It should be made clear upon taking out a contract and on any bills. The rest of the charge of the call will be the service charge. The organisation being called will decide how much the service charge will be, and will need to inform callers of the rate.
For example, if a phone company charges 10 pence per minute for calls to service numbers then this is their access charge. If the service charge for a particular number was also 10 pence per minute, then the information displayed would say something like “Calls cost 10 pence per minute plus your phone company’s access charge”. In this example, both the service charge and the access charge are 10 pence, so the total cost of the call would be 20 pence per minute. So, not only will consumers more easily be able to estimate the cost of calls to service numbers, but the total cost of these calls will be much more transparent.
The cost of calls to these numbers will not necessarily change; the actual cost of each call will be determined by the access charge set by the phone company plus the service charge. However, as telephone companies adapt to the new system, there may be changes to the cost of individual calls.
The new rules apply to all consumer calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers across the UK. Calls made to ordinary landlines (01, 02), mobile numbers (07) or non-geographic numbers that are charged at the same rate as geographic numbers (03) will not be affected by the changes. Nor will calls made from payphones, international calls or calls made to the UK when roaming overseas. Since these rules apply to consumer mobile phones and residential lines only, phone companies retain flexibility over how they charge for service calls from business phones.
In addition, all Freephone numbers (beginning 08 or 0808) will be made free for consumers to call from all phones. Previously, some phone companies and mobile operators charged for calls to these numbers, but they will now be free regardless of whether the call is being made from a mobile or a landline. These changes came into force on the 1st July 2015.