26 April 2007
Consumers who are left on hold for an unreasonable amount of time after dialling a 0871 number should be refunded, according to a statement from industry watchdog the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the Telephone Information Services (Icstis).
Callers spend up to 35p a minute dialling 0871 numbers, earning the premium rate phone line industry over £300 million each year.
Icstis also called for clearer price warnings to be given to consumers before they are charged. According to Icstis's Chief Executive George Kidd, trust in 0871 numbers is "critical" which was why callers should not be made to suffer "unreasonable delays".
Due to take over the management of these numbers in early 2008, the watchdog is currently assessing new measures to ensure a fairer deal for consumers when calling premium rate phone numbers.
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