Complain about a premium rate phone charge or text message

YOU can report a company if you think they didn’t make it clear that a phone number was premium rate. You can also complain about a premium text message service if you think the company didn’t make the costs clear enough.

Premium rate numbers include 118, 0870, 0871, 0872, 0873, 070 and 09 numbers.

Service numbers also cost more than standard calls but aren’t premium rate numbers. They begin 084, 087, 09 and 118.

The cost of calling a service number combines what your phone company charges and what the company you’re calling charges.

To find out how much call should cost you can look here: www.gov.uk/call-charges

Helplines for products and services you’ve already bought can’t charge more than the basic rate (exceptions are package holidays, timeshares and property).

You can report financial firms breaking this rule to the FCA Consumer Helpline (www.fca.org.uk/contact) and all other companies to

Trading Standards. (www. tradingstandards.uk)

If you have an unexpected premium rate charge on your phone bill, you should first get in touch with the company running the premium rate service to make a complaint and get a refund.

Most companies will have a complaints procedure that you can follow.

If the charge came from you calling a telephone helpline, you won’t get a full refund – you’ll just get the difference between what you paid and what the call would’ve cost if you’d called a basic rate number.

If you don’t recognise the number, you can use the PhonepayPlus number checker (www.psauthority. org.uk/for-consumers). You can also check the cost of a call with Ofcom. (www.tinyurl.com/cawok25)

If you’re still not happy you can report premium rate numbers to PhonepayPlus (www.psauthority.org. uk/for-consumers), who will look into your problem and contact the company for you. This is a free service.

You do need to have complained directly to the company first.

PhonepayPlus can’t refund you themselves, but will negotiate with the company on your behalf.

PhonepayPlus is open from Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm. To contact them, call 0300 30 300 20

You can get help, information and advice from your local

Citizens Advice or visit www. citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk or contact Citizens Advice Wokingham at Second Floor, Waterford House, Erftstadt Court, Wokingham RG40 2YF. Tel: 0300 330 1189. email: public@citizensadvicewokingham. org.uk