vodafone charges for calling 08435047178 (esa number)

seanny

I got charged 55p per minute access charge by vodafone for calling esa on this number. The call was for about half an hour so the call cost a lot. Is it right that this happened? Is there anything I can do about it?

Browntoa

You've used a 3rd party connection service

The REAL 0800 number is further down this page

https://www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus/existing-benefit-claims

0800 1690310

mobilejunkie

In answer, yes and no.

zagfles

Never call 084/087 numbers, always get numbers from the official site of the organisation you're phoning, not rip-off sites which use premium rate numbers to connect you to a free or normal price number.

If the official site uses an 084/087 number, look here to see if there's an alternative https://www.saynoto0870.com

You can try complaining to Vodafone about their ridiculously expensive access charge, they don't have to do anything but you might get a good will gesture. The irony is that the connection site which ripped you off only gets a small proportion of the call charge, Vodafone took the vast majority.

pmduk

Next time be careful when using Google or other search engines to look up phone numbers. There are companies that prey off people who don't take enough care to check that the numbers they're using are genuine or are in a rush.

tazwhoever

Why didn't you look at the top of jobcentre letter for telephone, it's 0800 169 0310.

Ian011

The premium rate 0843 number that you called is yet another example of the "call connection service" scam.

If you can still find the website that advertised this number, you should complain to ASA stating that the website is misleading.

Ofcom has just closed a consultation where it is proposed that these third-party call connection services will come under full PSA regulation, irrespective of call cost or prefix used. This will extend PSA's reach to cover these services where they operate on 084 numbers.

Vodafone has done nothing wrong. Vodafone has charged a call to a premium rate number at premium rates. The Access Charge would be the same amount irrespective of whichever 084, 087, 09 or 118 number you called and would be the same amount whether you had called from a Vodafone mobile or from O2, Three or EE.



See also:
- http://www.fairtelecoms.org.uk/ICSS
- https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5639282/what-is-a-call-connection-service-be-aware-and-then-avoid
- https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5360819/directory-enquiries-and-call-connection-services-explained-dont-get-caught-out
- https://www.asa.org.uk/news/call-forwarding-services.html
- https://psauthority.org.uk/news/~/link.aspx?_id=9A449C42E1B8407BA3C13282E5C926CC
- https://psauthority.org.uk/news/~/link.aspx?_id=D9D202F1BC924B74B883899BD389F7AF
- https://psauthority.org.uk/tribunal-adjudications?type=ICSS

[Deleted User]

Ian011 wrote: »

The premium rate 0843 number that you called is a scam.

If you can still find the website that advertised this number, you should complain to ASA stating that the website is misleading.

Ofcom has just closed a consultation where it is proposed that these third-party call connection services will come under full PSA regulation, irrespective of call cost or prefix used. This will extend PSA's reach to cover these services where they operate on 084 numbers.

Interestingly, searching on that number gives various sites listing it and (for the first 6 sites at least) they all list either the 0800(free) or 0345(local rate) numbers as well. Is this an attempt to get ahead of the regulations?

Ian011

The PSA regulations covering ICSS currently apply only to services operating on 087 and 09 numbers where the Service Charge is more than 7p per minute.

Those regulations are detailed here:
http://psauthority.org.uk/~/media/Files/13th-Code-of-Practice/Clean-version-of-special-conditions-notices-by-service/Notice-of-SC-for-ICSS.pdf

Within months, the regulations are very likely to apply to ICSS operating on any 084, 087 or 09 numbers irrespective of call price or prefix used. It is yet to be seen whether PSA will introduce additional requirements.

zagfles

Ian011 wrote: »

The premium rate 0843 number that you called is yet another example of the "call connection service" scam.

If you can still find the website that advertised this number, you should complain to ASA stating that the website is misleading.

Ofcom has just closed a consultation where it is proposed that these third-party call connection services will come under full PSA regulation, irrespective of call cost or prefix used. This will extend PSA's reach to cover these services where they operate on 084 numbers.

Vodafone has done nothing wrong. Vodafone has charged a call to a premium rate number at premium rates. The Access Charge would be the same amount irrespective of whichever 084, 087, 09 or 118 number you called and would be the same amount whether you had called from a Vodafone mobile or from O2, Three or EE.

Legally, maybe. But you see nothing "wrong" in Vodafone or other networks adding a 55p/min "access charge" to a relatively low 7p/min "service charge"?

The OP has been scammed by a call connection service. But the vast majority of the money the OP has been scammed out of goes to the mobile network. And this is (presumably) someone on disability benefits.

I would suggest the OP complains to Vodafone, and also to Ofcom for allowing the mobile networks to profit massively from such scams.

Ian011

When calling genuine premium rate services, on e.g. 09 numbers, where a Service Charge of e.g. £2 or perhaps £3.60 per minute is levied, the Access Charge is a minor component of the overall cost of the call. By necessity, the Access Charge is the same level irrespective of which 084, 087, 09 or 118 number was called.

Given that these charges are widely publicised, I put the blame on the services using those 084 or 087 numbers. It is worth noting that even if the Access Charge were zero, you would, in this case, still be paying 7p (084 number) or 13p (087 number) per minute to a scammer. Efforts are rightly being made to eliminate this scam, not reduce the price of it.

Indeed, it is the high price of these calls that causes most people to realise this is not the official number of the organisation or business they wanted to call and to not call the number. Now that usage of 084 and 087 numbers is banned for most purposes there is almost no need to ever call these numbers. Indeed, the time must be coming where these number ranges can be withdrawn from use.