This is the only number listed to try and change my Gatwick to Tangier flight.  It's impossible to modify it on their website and I've emailed them 3 times but I only ever get a standard reply. 

Good Morning AnnieR

Welcome to SayNoTo0870.com

I have looked and cannot as yet find an alternative number for Air Arabia.  I have however sent them a complaint e-mail regarding their excessive premium rate contact number.

In the mean time if you are unable to contact them via any other route you maybe in a position to request a refund of the costs to call them.


Quote:

Help-line charges over basic rate 41.—(1) Where a trader operates a telephone line for the purpose of consumers contacting the trader by telephone in relation to contracts entered into with the trader, a consumer contacting the trader must not be bound to pay more than the basic rate. (2) If in those circumstances a consumer who contacts a trader in relation to a contract is bound to pay more than the basic rate, the contract is to be treated as providing for the trader to pay to the consumer any amount by which the charge paid by the consumer for the call is more than the basic rate.

AnnieR wrote on Sep 1^st, 2020 at 4:42pm:

This is the only number listed to try and change my Gatwick to Tangier flight.  It's impossible to modify it on their website and I've emailed them 3 times but I only ever get a standard reply.

Having looked through the airline's access numbers for various different countries disappointingly no number was listed for Canada (as calls to USA and Canada are often free or very cheap with many low cost call carriers) but I found they list a number for Amsterdam of 0900 779 7790

And according to https://access-nl.org/features/no-extra-charge-calls-0900-customer-service-number/ additional charges for calling Dutch 0900 customer sercvice numbers are no longer allowed by their telecoms regulator.

So for instance looking at Now Broadband's tariff guide for Specialised Numbers at http://web.static.nowtv.com/images/NOWTV_2017/13_Docs/SNG_June2017_NOWTV_INT.pdf#:~:text=NOW%20TV%20Calls%20-%20Specialised%20Numbers%20International%205,0055%20858%20British%20Virgin%20Islands%20Mobile%200012%2084346 00 31 900 is not listed as being a specialised extra cost range meaning that on my first year deal with Now Broadband with free Unlimited Anytime Calls I should be able to call it for 2p per minute.

That also means I can presumably call it on my mobile voip app with www.sipgate.co.uk for 1.9p per minute.

So I would suggest this is by far the lowest cost  number to call this airline on and I will be adding the Dutch 900 access number to the alternative numbers list on this website with an appropriate note explaining that it can be called for as little as 1p or 2p per on many low cost calling plans to international landline numbers.

Thanks here obviously due to the Dutch telecoms regulator who have been clearly been far more effective than OFCON or the Competition and Markets Authority or the ASA in preventing non EU airlines from ignoring the EU Consumer Rights Directive...............

See also https://access-nl.org/features/no-extra-charge-calls-0900-customer-service-number/ re it now not being permitted to charge extra to call Dutch 900 numbers.

EDIT:- Threw caution to the wind by trying to call the Dutch 900 number for the airline and in the case of both Now Phone/Broadband and my Sipgate calls App I got the engaged tone preventing me from connecting to the number.

So seems like UK call carriers don't want to connect to the Dutch 900  number because they know it is illegal to charge more than for a standard rated call but they still fear that they will in fact be charge more than the standard rate by Dutch telecoms carriers.

Looked at other countries and found non premium rated 00420 233 312 618 for the Czech Republic but again I am barred from calling it by both Now Broadband and Sipgate.  So I assume the airline are offering this non premium rate number in this country because the regulator there forces them to but they have barred it from being called from outside the country knowing this would allow callers in other countries with less strict regulators to avoid their outrageous ripoff premium phone call charges. :o >:( :'(

FURTHER EDIT:-Same thing with Sipgate that their Istanbul number is barred so presumably premium rate again despite the airline not admitting this on its webite..............

Sipgate now emailed me to tell me they blocked the call because I have their "Block Expensive International Destinations" feature enabled in my account settings.

Looks like our Moroccan friends are determined you should be ripped off for phoning their call centre.

Bingo as I did manage to get through to their New York Office location as listed at www.airarabia.com/en/office-locations on a normal rated US number of +1 866 888 8764 or it may be easier to call the Los Angeles office on  +1 877 953 8521 as that should be open until 1am UK time................