Watchdog caps call charges

The cost of directory inquiries calls will be capped to protect consumers from rip-off charges.

The move comes after it was revealed some firms have been charging almost £20 for a 90-second call.

Directory inquiries numbers – which all begin with 118 – are still used by more than one million people, many of them elderly, and most of them are unaware of how much the calls cost.

From April, the maximum charge for calls will be capped at £3.65 for every 90 seconds, regulator Ofcom announced. Jane Rumble, Ofcom’s director of consumer policy, said: “Directory inquiry prices have risen in recent years and callers are paying much more than they expect. Our evidence shows this is hurting people, with some struggling to pay their bills.”

The most commonly dialled directory inquiries number is 118 118, which charges £11.23 for a 90-second call. Ofcom said while cheaper services were available, consumers tended to use the numbers they remembered. People aged 65 and over are four times as likely to call 118 numbers than those aged 16-34, and are far less likely to have internet access as an alternative means to finding a number.

Every year, about 450,000 people pay a total of £2.4m more than they expected for these calls.

The directory inquiries phone service was changed in 2003, which until then had been dominated by BT’S 192 number. Companies behind the new numbers spent millions of pounds on marketing campaigns.