End of the telephone rip off in sight

Local Liberal Democrat, Cllr Julia Cherrett is delighted by the announcement by Ofcom that people who use phone numbers beginning with 08, 09 or 118 should in future have a much clearer idea of how much their calls will cost.

Julia has campaigned on ending the extra charges for people needing services, and in 2008 was successful in getting North Tees Hospital to move back to a local number. The campaign continued with lobbying of Tristar Homes, who introduced the cheaper to use 03 number when it became Vela Homes. Stockton Lib Dems have also lobbied Lib Dem MPs whilst they were still in opposition, and spoken out at party conferences in 2008 in 2009.

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has confirmed a plan to change the way such calls are charged for.

At the moment customers are not told what they will be charged for using these numbers, unless they are using a landline supplied by BT, so those with other landline providers, and mobile phones, don't even know how much they are paying till they get the bill. Most phone packages do not cover the cost of these calls, but again that is not clear to people.

New rules that will come in at the end of next year mean that organisations using these numbers will have to make it clear exactly how much the call is going to cost. Also 0800 and 0808 numbers that are free to call from landlines, will be free from mobiles too.

Julia said today, on hearing the news " the way the system works now is an organised rip off. I believe that very many current users of numbers such as 084 will be unwilling to declare their charge for contacting them by telephone, and most mobile phone contracts make it very costly to call such numbers, as I know to my own cost. Today's announcement can only be good news for phone users. It is also excellent news for mobile users, who are increasing in number, who will have the same benefit as landline users of 0800 numbers"