Keith wrote on Apr 17
th, 2008 at 1:43pm:
My last 2 BT bills have described the 0845 numbers as 'Calls charged at the BT local call rate'.
I thought this description has been stopped by BT and surely they shouldn't be allowed to describe these as such
My last BT bill before I left them over a year ago showed "0845 rate" and "0870 rate". This was after long correspondence with their head of pricing (John Strutt) and the CEO (Ben Verwaayen). They cited programming difficulties (I very much doubt this was true) in their billing system as the reason why they had not changed earlier for 0845 and 0870 price description for BT Option 1 to 3 customers (such as on 1st July 2005 when the prices became different)
Are you saying that BT is now showing "Calls charged at BT local rate". Surely not. Other companies like PostOffice Homephone and YourCalls are shamelessly still doing this and just cite the excuse that it is what their main competitors do (official high level letter from PostOffice states this in black and white) and also that phone bills are not subject to control by the ASA.
Ofcom have just launched a new investigation in to non compliance by phone companies with the need to give equal prominence on websites to 084 and 087 prices as to 01/02 numbers. I have written to the head of this investigation (a Mr Michael Love) to suggest that as phone bills are not covered by the ASA (not adverts) but are items statutorily required by Ofcom General Conditions to be produced for fixed line customers (either on paper or online) that Ofcom needs to widen its investigation to the matter of 0845 and 0870 calls in particular being misdescribed as Lo-Call/Local Call and National Rate. Mr Love was on leave last week and has now said he needs another week to think about it before he gets back to me. I suspect I have asked a big question here as Ofcom can control the content of phone bills (especially under their backstop powers under the Communications Act 2003). Asking phone companies to accurately describe calls in non advertising material does not amount to excessive and disproprotionate regulation by Ofcom. It is obvious Ofcom knows this is happening and yet has been ignoring it (presumably as usual either to side with their mates in the telcos or simply because they are useless at pursuing any consumer raised issue). I suggest you write to Mr Love with your experiences indicating you also believe he needs to add price misdescription of 0845 and 0870 calls on phone bills accessed via websites to Ofcom's "investigation.
His email is michael.love@ofcom.org.uk - he is the Case Leader.
See
www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ocases/open_all/cw_980/Although the investigation is only about NTS (084 and 087) price indications being given equal prominence on webites but BT, yourcalls and various other companies either only offer website based phone bill provision (yourcalls) or now charge extra if you insist on a paper bill (BT). So to my mind a statement that 0845 is Lo-Call or Local Rate on a website based phone bill with the company is a breach of the requirement to accurately describe NTS call prices (although not of the requirement to give them equal prominence). Even if the matter cannot be tackled by this Ofcom investigation it could be tackled by an Ofcom investigation if they chose to do so. Indeed it is more important because it is about the price indication being misleading rather than not having the same prominence or not being provided at all.
See
www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ocases/open_all/cw_980/ for details of the investigation. If BT has really now gone back to calling the calls Local Rate on phone billsthen this must be challenged immediately. It also goes against the statements previously made by BT's new CEO designate (Ian Livingston) published by The Scotsman newspaper condemning the abuses of consumers perpetrated using these phone numbers.
See
http://business.scotsman.com/business/BT-calls-on-Ofcom-to.2642029.jp