http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/consumer_affairs/article275...

Many firms are introducing sneaky new fees to recoup losses as customers switch deal

Jessica Bown

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MOBILE-PHONE firms hit by fierce competition are using sneaky new charges to boost profits, industry insiders claim.

The fees include sky-high call charges for those using 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers, as well as added costs for services such as itemised bills and voicemail.

Anthony Ball of switching web-site Onecompare said: “I believe we’re going to see more extra charges for services that have previously been included in the price of call and text bundles.” Britain has gone mobile mad in recent years. There are now more mobiles than people and only 12% of the adult population is without a contract or pay-as-you-go mobile agreement, according to First Direct.

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Call centres

Calls to numbers beginning 0845 and 0870 are another price battleground. Such calls can prove expensive even from landlines, but these costs pale in comparison with mobile charges.

According to Moneysupermar-ket, another comparison site, O2 charges 20p a minute for calls to 0800, 0845, 0870 and 0844 numbers and 35p a minute for those made to numbers starting 0871, wheareas before they were included as free minutes.

Orange is slightly cheaper at about 12p a minute, apart from 0871 numbers, for which it charges 35p a minute.

Vodafone charges between 15p and 25p, 3’s fee is a blanket 15p and T-Mobile charges up to £2.50 for all calls except those to 0800 numbers at 10p a minute.

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