Cost of calls....

tinkerbella3065

Hi

Recently I discovered I was overcharged for a hotel stay (about £13). So I called the number on the invoice, and they resolved the issue.

Last week I checked my phone bill and I have been charged over £7 for the phone calls. the number was an 0843 (I wasn't aware that it would cost so much a minute). I've asked the hotel to reimburse me for the calls, but they are saying they will only reimburse £1.20. :mad: What are my options here? They have said that I should go to ofcom, as the call cost they receive is only 7p a minute, the rest is the charge my mobile phone company charges. I wouldn't of had to call them if they hadn't overcharged me in the first place!!

pinkshoes

tinkerbella3065 wrote: »

Hi

Recently I discovered I was overcharged for a hotel stay (about £13). So I called the number on the invoice, and they resolved the issue.

Last week I checked my phone bill and I have been charged over £7 for the phone calls. the number was an 0843 (I wasn't aware that it would cost so much a minute). I've asked the hotel to reimburse me for the calls, but they are saying they will only reimburse £1.20. :mad: What are my options here? They have said that I should go to ofcom, as the call cost they receive is only 7p a minute, the rest is the charge my mobile phone company charges. I wouldn't of had to call them if they hadn't overcharged me in the first place!!

The cost of an 08 call from a mobile phone is very clearly publicised by mobile phone operators, so i think their offer of £1.20 is fair.

Are you saying you have no landline and no access to a landline?

Did not you not check https://www.saynoto0870.com for an alternative?

Was there no other way to contact them e.g. Letter, email?

marliepanda

Was there an alternative number? Could you have emailed them to resolve this?

You have to mitigate your losses.

tinkerbella3065

I don't have a land line.

The invoice only had the 0843 number and the head office address. Not very helpful I suppose, but will try to remember that website for future reference!

So frustrating!!

Thanks guys.

PZH

tinkerbella3065 wrote: »

I don't have a land line.

The invoice only had the 0843 number and the head office address. Not very helpful I suppose, but will try to remember that website for future reference!

So frustrating!!

Thanks guys.

I thought businesses were required now to offer local (low) call numbers ?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4993877

Pennywise

Did you pay extra for a signature upon delivery? If you did then they're in breach of contract as they didn't get a signature (unless it was an intelligent bin that could write).

Pollycat

Pennywise wrote: »

Did you pay extra for a signature upon delivery? If you did then they're in breach of contract as they didn't get a signature (unless it was an intelligent bin that could write).

Is this on the wrong thread?

agrinnall

Pollycat wrote: »

Is this on the wrong thread?

Probably should have been in the "Tesco left my delivery in the bin" thread.

Ian011

tinkerbella3065 wrote: »

Recently I discovered I was overcharged for a hotel stay (about £13). So I called the number on the invoice, and they resolved the issue.

Last week I checked my phone bill and I have been charged over £7 for the phone calls. the number was an 0843 (I wasn't aware that it would cost so much a minute). I've asked the hotel to reimburse me for the calls, but they are saying they will only reimburse £1.20. :mad: What are my options here? They have said that I should go to ofcom, as the call cost they receive is only 7p a minute, the rest is the charge my mobile phone company charges. I wouldn't of had to call them if they hadn't overcharged me in the first place!!

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 were published by BIS on 13 December 2013 and came into force on 13 June 2014. These regulations are nothing to do with Ofcom.

Regulation 41 requires retailers, traders and passenger transport companies to use 01, 02, 03 or 080 numbers for post-sales helplines.

In the event of non-compliance, Regulation 41(2) gives callers the right to a refund of any excess call costs incurred above whatever an equivalent call to an 01, 02 or 03 number would have cost.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/41/made

If you make calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers as part of an inclusive calls allowances, your right is to a refund of the whole call cost when calling 084, 087 or 09 numbers.

If you pay a per-minute rate for calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers your right is to a refund of the difference between what you paid for the call to the non-compliant number and what you would have paid for an equivalent call to an 01, 02 or 03 number.

How much they receive is irrelevant. The regulations focus on how much extra the caller paid in comparison to how much they would have paid for an equivalent call an 01, 02 or 03 number.

Breaches of the regulations can be reported to the Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506. I urge you to take this route in addition to claiming your right to a full refund.

Ian011

pinkshoes wrote: »

The cost of an 08 call from a mobile phone is very clearly publicised by mobile phone operators, so i think their offer of £1.20 is fair.

The regulations take this into account and in those cases the caller's right is for a larger refund.

pinkshoes wrote: »

Are you saying you have no landline and no access to a landline?

How the caller chooses to call is irrelevant. The regulations correctly recognise that many people do not have a landline.

pinkshoes wrote: »

Did not you not check https://www.saynoto0870.com for an alternative?

This should no longer be necessary. The regulations require the use of a 'basic rate' number and give the right to a refund in cases of non-compliance.

pinkshoes wrote: »

Was there no other way to contact them e.g. Letter, email?

This is also irrelevant. (EDIT: Providing an email or postal address is not a get out clause for those who continue using a premium rate number. The regulations require that where a telephone number is made available for contact about goods or services already purchased the number must start 01, 02, 03 or 080.)

PZH wrote: »

I thought businesses were required now to offer local (low) call numbers ?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4993877

The requirement is for a 'basic rate' number, i.e. 01, 02 or 03, or a number that is free, i.e. 080.

A distinct 'local rate' ceased to exist in 2004. This term continues to be widely misused and is best avoided altogether. Likewise 'lo-call' which applied to 0845 numbers in the 1990s.

bris

Ian011 wrote: »

The regulations take this into account and in those cases the caller's right is for a larger refund.


How the caller chooses to call is irrelevant. The regulations correctly recognise that many people do not have a landline.


This should no longer be necessary. The regulations require the use of a 'basic rate' number and give the right to a refund in cases of non-compliance.


This is also irrelevant.



The requirement is for a 'basic rate' number, i.e. 01, 02 or 03, or a number that is free, i.e. 080.

A distinct 'local rate' ceased to exist in 2004. This term continues to be widely misused and is best avoided altogether. Likewise 'lo-call' which applied to 0845 numbers in the 1990s.

Can you link to those irrelevant details you talk about?


A consumer also has to mitigate any losses to keep it to a minimum in this case using a mobile is not keeping to a minimum and was a choice they made. In this case it could very well be argued that the retailer is only liable for the cost of a landline call as there are still plenty public phones available.
Your link does not say anything about mobile phones, I may have missed it so clarification will help for the next time.


Similar situation is return postage, whilst we like to send our goods back tracked the trader is only liable for basic postage to minimise the loss.