STOP Calling Your Bank on an Expensive 0845 Number!

Ian011

Look up the level of Service Charge that will apply to their 084 number.

Approach your local media.

The story is "Southern Water require customers pay them Xp per minute to deal with customer enquiries made by telephone. They collect this revenue through an additional charge added to the cost of the 084 telephone call. This fee is known as the Service Charge and from 1 July 2015, Ofcom requires that it be openly declared. Alternative numbers that do not impose this charge have been available since 2007, but are not in use."

OldGreyFox

oliverbrown wrote: »

I'm starting to wonder who is right here. Why have CC Water categorically stated to me water companies can use 0845 for billing enquiries? Aren't they supposed to know the law? What's the point of going to the CEO when a third party body who is supposed to support customer complaints is telling me I've got it all wrong?

They said: "We are not a legal organisation and, therefore, should you consider that Southern Water is acting unlawfully then I’d suggest that you consider taking legal advice as I’m afraid that neither ourselves nor Ofwat, the economic regulator, can pursue such action against the company."

Water Companies are definitely not exempt.

Scroll Down to section B. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310044/bis-13-1368-consumer-contracts-information-cancellation-and-additional-payments-regulations-guidance.pdf#page=23&zoom=auto,0,580

oliverbrown

OldGreyFox wrote: »

Water Companies are definitely not exempt.

see : http://www.fairtelecoms.org.uk/consumer-contracts-regulations.html#exemptions

That was my understanding too. Apparently I'd have to take legal advice to do anything about it, but I'm not prepared to do that.

OldGreyFox

oliverbrown wrote: »

That was my understanding too. Apparently I'd have to take legal advice to do anything about it, but I'm not prepared to do that.

Fair enough.

I have also found that raising the matter on facebook and twitter sometimes does the trick.:D Or getting the local paper to run a story.

When the new regulations come in on the 1/7/2015 and they have to declare a service charge i am sure they will get many more complaints if they dont change to a 01/02/03 number.

http://www.ukcalling.info/industry/simple-guide-changes

Ian011

After several years of dithering, the FCA has recently published new regulations for the financial sector to take effect on 26 October 2015.

The regulations simply mirror the BIS regulations that came into force for retailers, traders and passenger transport companies on 13 June 2014. Quite why it has taken almost 18 months to perform what appears to be little more than a cut and paste and minor edit is anyone's guess.

From 26 October 2015, financial services companies including banks and insurance companies can no longer use 084, 087 or 09 numbers for existing customers to contact them on.

While these numbers can continue to be used for new customers, regulations in force since 1 July 2015 require the Service Charge to be declared everywhere the number is advertised. For the small number of organisations using these numbers for this purpose, this is a large incentive to stop doing so.

Swipe

So does that mean from 26/10/15 my insurance company can no longer ask me to call their customer services on an 0844 number?

Ian011

That's correct. If you are already a customer and they give you a telephone number to call, it must be one starting 01, 02, 03 or 080. They might also just about get away with an 0500 number. They will not be able to use an 084, 087 or 09 number.

brewerdave

...even the Companies themselves don't know what they are doing.....had a renewal notice for Home Insurance recently -on one page it had an 084x number,a second page had a geographical number...and a third page had an 0800 number !!!
Needless to say, I phoned on the 0800 number!!:rotfl:

donnac2558

Getting back to banks. Santander now has a 0800 number for customers, been going for over a month now.

tony08

Great points raised- ALWAYS look for an 03 alternative if possible