We all know just how ambiguous the explanations can be on how much it costs to call service numbers. This is done for a purpose.  To make money!

From the 1st July 2015, all service numbers (08, 09 & 118) will be under strict guidelines on how they explain the cost to call them. The new scheme is made up of two parts. These are an access charge and a service charge.

The Access Charge

The access charge is the part of the call charge that is paid straight to your telephone provider and is charged in pence per minute. This now has to be agreed when you take out a contract and be made very clear on bills where these costs have been incurred. Make sure you pin this down with your phone company on signing up with them, this way you will know their costs to call any service number so there are no nasty surprises!

The Service Charge

The service charge is the remainder of the call charge, and is the fee billed by the organisation you are calling. This will more than likely be the bigger chunk of the ‘pence per minute’ cost of the call on the whole.  Make sure you pay close attention to this when calling service numbers as these can be pretty high!

An Example

As of the 1st July, you should no longer hear Ant & Dec struggling for breath in order to speak as fast as possible when saying …….‘Calls cost 30p per minute from a BT Landline, other landlines may vary and calls from mobiles may cost considerably more’ (And they can be CONSIDERABLY more!).

New Transparency

Call charges should now be explained like the this:

‘Calls cost 30p per minute, plus your phone company’s standard access charge’

This should be a lot easier for you to know the cost to call.  Your telephone provider may have an access charge of 10p per minute when calling service numbers and the organisation you are calling charge 30p per minute.  The cost of that particular call will be 40p per minute… don’t stay on the phone for too long if the costs are too high!

Which numbers will this affect?

These rules will apply to all service numbers begging 084, 087, 09 or 118 and will allow transparency in the cost of calls for everyone in the UK. The charges don’t impact calls to ordinary landline numbers or mobile numbers. Freephone numbers will also be made free (the clue is in the name) for users on all devices, whether a landline or a mobile phone. We think that’s great news, particularly with the drop in landline users in the mobile age!

If you call 118, they may have your number but now you have theirs too!!!!

If you require any assistance with your telephony, or just wanted to discuss the new charges scheme… get in contact today. We are available on 03331 50 60 70.