Calling directory enquiries (DQ) numbers starting 118 can be very expensive. When call charges for calls to 08, 09 and 118 numbers were reformed in July 2015, Ofcom wanted to place a cap on the charges for calling 118 numbers. The industry successfully argued against such a cap.

Since then, those call charges have soared. The most expensive DQ provider currently levies a Service Charge of £15.98 per call, plus £7.98 per minute after the first 60 seconds (plus your phone provider's Access Charge).

Ofcom has recently published a consultation proposing to cap the Service Charge at £3.10 per 90 seconds of a call thereby setting the rates back to 2015 levels. Ofcom has taken all of the arguments advanced by DQ providers in their responses to the earlier 2013 consultation and thrown them back in their faces.

The consultation can be found at
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/directory-enqui...

The consultation opened six weeks ago (on 13 June 2018)  and will be open for another four weeks (until 22 August 2018).

The following Service Charge price points were withdrawn on 1 April 2019:
SC068, SC069, SC080, SC070, SC071, SC072, SC087, SC088, SC089, SC090, SC091.

From 1 May 2019 onwards, new per-call and per-minute rates are being assigned to some or all of the above service charge price point identification codes. This seems to be a recipe for endless confusion - especially where various landline and mobile providers have failed to update their list of service charge price points with the new rates and are now potentially grossly overcharging for these calls using the "old" rates.