Outrageous BT call charges

DominicM

I was with my 85 year old father at the weekend and he wanted my help to download and print his BT phone bill - he likes to have paper copies of such items.

His phone bill was a lot higher than normal and in checking we found two phone calls that together cost more than £123.00 - they were both to the same number, 118-444. The first call of just under 11 minutes was charged at just over £21 and the second call lasting 27 minutes was charged at £100.47. Neither he or my mother have any recollection of calling this number.

I did a search for 188-444 and found their website, they indicated their charges as being £3.60 per call + £3.60 per minute.

I contacted their customer service email and got a really fishy reply back that just screamed SCAM - I can provide a link to the email if required. It used dodgy English, promised a refund as a "Commercial Gesture" and enclosed an image of an IBAN payment example using the fictitious "Wessex Bank" as they proposed making a direct repayment rather than refunding the charge to BT.

I have warned my father not to have any contact with this outfit as they look extremely dodgy.

I have 2 questions for this forum.

1: Has anyone else had experience of this outfit - 118-444.co.uk?
2: Do we have any redress against BT? From my perspective BT are facilitating a fraud against their own customers in allowing such a dubious operation to bill through their systems and in allowing such extortionate call charges to be levied.

I look forward to the collective wisdom of this community responding to this post.

TadleyBaggie

So presumably your father actually called 118444 for directory assistance and agreed to allow them to connect the call?

I don't think BT have done anything wrong here.

You might want to read this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5360819/directory-enquiries-and-call-connection-services-explained-dont-get-caught-out

elsien

They might not remember the specific number, but do they recall contacting directory enquiries for any reason?

Perhaps you could suggest they either look numbers up online, or put one in their phone memory that has slightly more sensible rates. And stress to them that they should get the number then dial themselves, rather than agree to be put through.

You can make a complaint about them but you need to have complained to the company directly first. I would agree that it's not up to BT to police the calls their customers make.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/complain-about-a-premium-rate-phone-charge-or-text-message/

Browntoa

Your father's ringing then for telephone numbers and then saying "yes" when asked if he wants to be connected.

Get him in the habit of ringing you up to get telephone numbers for him or write down all the ones he regularly needs and put it next to his phone

It's not a scam , it's nothing to do with BT

DominicM

Thanks for the various replies - I checked and neither of my parents used the service to be connected to another phone number. They are both savvy enough not to use 118 numbers in the first place as they are aware of the cost of such services.

The reply I received from the companies customer service email (on a Sunday) was highly dubious - I enclose their reply here:


Dear Customer,

We have review your file and we have decided to reimburse you as a commercial gesture.

For this purpose, we thank you for sending us your IBAN by return mail (IBAN model attached).

The Customer Service

Yours Sincerely

They also enclosed a very dubious image showing how to provide IBAN details - if this company were legitimate I would expect any refund to be made through BT.

[Deleted User]

DominicM wrote: »

Thanks for the various replies - I checked and neither of my parents used the service to be connected to another phone number. They are both savvy enough not to use 118 numbers in the first place as they are aware of the cost of such services.

The reply I received from the companies customer service email (on a Sunday) was highly dubious - I enclose their reply here:


Dear Customer,

We have review your file and we have decided to reimburse you as a commercial gesture.

For this purpose, we thank you for sending us your IBAN by return mail (IBAN model attached).

The Customer Service

Yours Sincerely

They also enclosed a very dubious image showing how to provide IBAN details - if this company were legitimate I would expect any refund to be made through BT.

If you give their bank details over be assured that more money will be taken.

Do the dates & times of the two calls make any sense? Were your parents there at the time?

DominicM

Rest assured no bank details will be provided in reply to the email sent from customer services. Apart from being downright dodgy in the first place why would a UK company want payment using IBAN?

[Deleted User]

DominicM wrote: »

Thanks for the various replies - I checked and neither of my parents used the service to be connected to another phone number. They are both savvy enough not to use 118 numbers in the first place as they are aware of the cost of such services.

So how do you account for the telephone bill?

Are you saying the call to 118 was never made, even though it is itemised on the bill?

DominicM

Fair point with regards to making the call - I do know that in the case of the call charged at more than £100 my father would not have been at home.

However in doing my own search I found an article on the Daily Telegraph website about people being charged for calls they never made - just search on this - news/2016/04/27/new-phone-scam-leaves-victims-with-300-bills-for-calls-they-neve/

I also found this article on the Guardian web site - business/2017/mar/25/118-directory-inquiry-call-fees-cap-ofcom-clampdown - it quotes Martin Lewis of MSE on unregulated 118 numbers.

No one seems to be focused upon the dubious elements of this item, apart from the excessive cost the email provided by the outfits "customer service" using peculiar language and the request to provide IBAN details for a refund.

Good news is that the lower charged call has been credited by BT and they are investigating the higher charge for the call to 118-400.

I posted this in part seeking assistance and also to alert others to the dubious nature of the operation behind this phone number.

esuhl

Given the dubious nature of the email reply you received, I'd report it to the police as a suspected fraud attempt.

DominicM wrote: »

Good news is that the lower charged call has been credited by BT and they are investigating the higher charge for the call to 118-400.

I posted this in part seeking assistance and also to alert others to the dubious nature of the operation behind this phone number.

Was it 118-400 or 118-444...?

esuhl

Jesus Christ! I thought an access charge + £3.60/call + £3.60/min was daylight robbery, but I just checked 118-118's prices... £4.49/call and the same per minute.

Shocking!!! No wonder they can afford so many TV adverts!