" Recommendations included:

• Ensuring calls to dedicated complaints phone lines cost no more than the basic rate.

• Making sure firms that use freephone 0800 and local rate 0845 numbers also provide an alternative 03 number for customers using a mobile phone."

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/nov/17/britains-biggest-financial-firms-complaints-handling

It is important to note that this does not represent any progress from the situation advised back in April, when the FCA announced that it would undertake a consultation before the end of the year:

read - http://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-says-time-to-end-premium-calls-for-consumers

hear - http://www.fairtelecoms.org.uk/radio-player.html?118

Although the Guardian reports "recommendations" from a review, these are recommendations to the FCA, which it will respond to with the consultation that has long been promised.

This point is confirmed by the following quote from the FCA statement on which the newspaper article is based
Quote:

The FCA is now considering these recommendations and will be consulting on possible policy changes. Firms and consumer bodies will then be encouraged to provide their views and contribute to this process.

Read this in context using this link.

In the summer of 2013 we had seriously hoped that the FCA would be able to be as nimble as the Department for Business, in applying the same protection to the consumers that it serves as consumers in general, by hitting the 13 June 2014 deadline. Unfortunately another campaigning organisation took on responsibility for pressuring the FCA, whilst we focussed on BIS and the government in general.

It appears that this organisation approves of the use of "local rate" 0845 numbers, but suggests that mobile users need an alternative. It was also clearly happy for the FCA to work on a very extended timescale, as it actually welcomed the delayed announcement of delayed action.

Given that "Clear Call Rates for Everyone" will start to bite during the early months of 2015, it is likely that action by the FCA will simply get overtaken by events.