On the 13th June 2014 the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 will come into force. Amongst its provisions is a requirement that calls from the Consumer to the Merchant, to discuss the contract or product, must not charge consumers more than the basic rate for the network they call from.
The use of 087 and 0845 prefixed numbers for customer service purposes is common. Calls to these number ranges are not generally included in consumers call bundles and are charged in excess of the network basic rate; bringing them within the scope of the regulations.
AIME has published a Whitepaper with guidance on implementing the customer service provision of the new regulations and potential liability when promoting other calling options in close proximity.
