MSE News: 0845 & 0870 price hike warning as Ofcom changes rules on call pricing

Former_MSE_Paloma

Mobile users can call any 080 number for free from tomorrow, while Ofcom is also shaking up 084 and 087 number charges ...

Read the full story:

0845 and 0870 number price hike warning as Ofcom changes rules on call pricing




Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

Ian011

Throughout the last week there has been a flurry of press releases from organisations that are switching off their 084 and 087 numbers and moving, principally, to replacement 03 numbers.

These are organisations that are unable to justify the imposition of a Service Charge on callers and have changed their number at the point where they would otherwise be forced to declare it.

As the usage of 084 and 087 numbers sees a further decline, the cost of calling these numbers is becoming irrelevant.

ec9wrr

Hi All,
EE have sent me an email advising me of the changes to call charges on 0845 and 0870 calls on my EE Landline. I used to get free calls to these numbers at weekends but won't anymore, the call cost has also increased during the week.
Can I cancel my contract?
I've called and they said no.
So I started an email conversation with them through resolver and they're still not letting me cancel.

Does anyone know where I stand?

EE are saying that because the change is an ofcom enforced one I can't cancel.
I have no contract with Ofcom and from the sounds of the announcement, Ofcom haven't said they HAVE to charge. Just that they need to split the costs.

Ian011

When you call an 084 number, now including 0845, your landline or mobile provider has to pay out up to 7p per minute (up to £4.20 per hour) to the organisation that you called.

When you call an 087 number, now including 0870, your landline or mobile provider has to pay out up to 13p per minute (up to £7.80 per hour) to the organisation that you called.

This is why these calls can no longer be included.

If you made 1000 minutes of calls to 084 and 087 numbers, your landline or mobile provider would have to pay out up to £130 to the organisations that you called. It is only right that the caller that made the calls to those chargeable services pays the Service Charge that was incurred in doing so.

Organisations that cannot justify the Service Charge must change their number to stop imposing it. Ofcom made replacement 034 and 037 numbers available for this purpose in 2007. Many organisations are making that migration, some voluntarily, others compelled by regulation, e.g. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, or guidance, e.g. from Cabinet Office.

mobilejunkie

I have a contract with T-Mobile including ALL 08 numbers. Within the bundle they are still inclusive.

ec9wrr

Sorry, should have pointed out it's an EE landline.

ec9wrr wrote: »

Hi All,
EE have sent me an email advising me of the changes to call charges on 0845 and 0870 calls. I used to get free calls to these numbers at weekends but won't anymore, the call cost has also increased during the week.
Can I cancel my contract?
I've called and they said no.
So I started an email conversation with them through resolver and they're still not letting me cancel.

Does anyone know where I stand?

EE are saying that because the change is an ofcom enforced one I can't cancel.
I have no contract with Ofcom and from the sounds of the announcement, Ofcom haven't said they HAVE to charge. Just that they need to split the costs.

simonpr

This has likely been raised elsewhere, but can anyone advise as to whether the increase constitutes a material change to the contract (i.e. a price increase outside of limits)?

In the opinion of Plusnet, it did. To the extent that they emailed their customers clearly stating that they could cancel their contract without penalty.

Did PlusNet get it wrong, or can someone stand up to the mobile phone companies and allow people to terminate early without penalty?

Not sure where you would stand if you had a phone on HP with a provider though?

If Plusnet CEO got it right then surely it should be the same for Mobile Providers?

mobilejunkie

WHY? Maybe they decided to introduce that policy regardless. You can only cancel normally if your costs would increase by a certain amount; that would depend on whether you paid to call such numbers previously and whether your costs had increased accordingly by that percentage.

samwardill

Sky also allowed their home phone customers to cancel their contract as a result of this change. I'm with O2. They have not even told me about any change in pricing yet. Have O2 changed prices? Can I cancel my O2 contract as a result?

ec9wrr

Several calls and emails to EE and they're still refusing to cancel.

simax

Why should they let you? This is an a industry wide change imposed by OFCOM so is exempt from price rise T&C's...