Have you ever checked your phone bill and spotted a charge you weren’t expecting? We know it’s tempting… but please don’t panic.
Premium rate services (PRS) cover a wide range of services, ranging from competitions and entertainment, all the way to information services, charity donations and customer interactions.
Not sure what Premium Rate Services (PRS) are? Please see our dedicated article on the topic: What are Premium Rate Services (PRS)? A Consumer’s Guide
… But what happens when a charge appears on your bill that you don’t recognise? Or it costs more than you expected?
The good news is that consumers have important rights when it comes to premium rate services and unexpected charges. Understanding how these services work, what information providers should give you, and what you can do when something goes wrong can make it much easier to challenge a disputed charge.
In this guide, we’ll look at unexpected premium rate charges and your consumer rights in this situation.
Read on to find out more!
If you’ve hit a wall with a communications provider, CommsADR offers a FREE, independent route to a resolution – approved by Ofcom to settle non-regulated disputes between providers and their customers across the UK, whether you’re an individual consumer or a business with more than 10 employees.
> What to do before you come to us
Why might you receive an unexpected PRS charge?
There are several reasons why a premium rate charge might appear on your bill unexpectedly.
You may have:
- Sent a text to a premium-rate number without realising the cost
- Entered a competition or promotion
- Signed up to a subscription service
- Continued receiving messages from a service you previously interacted with
- Forgotten that you had subscribed to a service
… The tricky thing with Premium Rate services is that they can often include charges for receiving texts (often called Reverse-Billed Messages), which means that even if you aren’t the one sending texts, you might still be paying to receive them.
Although the unexpected charge may be a simple mistake or misunderstanding, it’s important to never ignore an unfamiliar charge.
Investigate where possible by contacting the communications provider, or your mobile provider, before bills pile up!
Should premium rate charges be clearly explained?
Consumers should always be given appropriate information about the cost and nature of a premium rate service when they sign up.
Thanks to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (as well as other laws such as the Communications Act 2003), terms and conditions are no longer allowed to be hidden in small print!
If you want to learn more about your Consumer Rights & legal protections, you can read the following article: Your Consumer Rights explained… In Plain English
Pricing information is particularly important to Premium Rate services, because they can cost significantly more than standard calls or messages.
If you believe the price of the PRS wasn’t made sufficiently clear, or that you were charged in a way you did not expect, you may have grounds to raise a complaint.
What should you do if you don’t recognise a PRS charge?
If you notice an unexpected premium rate charge, the first step is to check the details.
Look at your phone bill or account information and identify:
- The number or service associated with the charge
- The date and time of the transaction
- The amount charged
- Whether the charge appears to be a one-off or recurring
- Any information provided by your mobile network or service provider
If you still don’t recognise the charge, contact the relevant provider and explain your concerns.
Keep copies of your correspondence and make a note of when you contacted them. This information can be useful if the issue needs to be escalated later – whether in court or via an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme such as CommsADR!
Can you challenge a Premium Rate charge?
Here’s the short answer: Yes.
If you believe a charge is incorrect, misleading or unauthorised, you can raise a complaint with the relevant company or organisation.
The precise process will depend on who provided the service and how the charge was applied.
When making a complaint, it can help to clearly explain:
1. What happened
Identify the charge you’re disputing and explain why you believe it is incorrect.
2. Why you disagree
For example, you may not have knowingly subscribed to the service, may not have understood the cost, or may believe you’ve been charged incorrectly.
3. What outcome you’re seeking
This could include an explanation, correction of the bill, cancellation of a service or a refund, depending on the circumstances.
Giving the provider a clear explanation of the issue can make it easier for them to investigate!
When Can CommsADR Help?
If you’ve been unable to resolve your non-regulated complaint with a communications provider after submitting a direct complaint, your dispute may be eligible for FREE, independent escalation through an ADR scheme (such as CommsADR); no need to take the provider to court!
To use CommsADR, you just need to make sure you’ve fulfilled at least 1 of these conditions:
- Received the phone provider’s Final Written Response
(otherwise known as a ‘Deadlock Letter’) - Given the provider 8 weeks to respond to your dispute
PLEASE NOTE: CommsADR can only deal with disputes concerning ‘non-regulated’ matters.
Not sure what non-regulated means? Check out our dedicated article on the topic!
> Regulated VS Non-Regulated Communications Complaints: What’s the Difference?
If the above apply to you, hooray! You can submit your complaint to us cost-free, and we’ll handle the rest.
An independent adjudicator will review the evidence provided by both you and the provider before reaching a fair and impartial decision. Depending on the circumstances of the dispute, they may consider factors such as:
- Whether the provider acted in accordance with the contract
- Whether the price increase was communicated appropriately
- Whether the provider followed its complaints process correctly
- Any evidence submitted by both parties
ADR offers an alternative to court proceedings and provides an independent, stress-free way of resolving disputes when agreement cannot be reached directly.
How do I get started?
You can lodge your complaint with us for FREE in whichever way suits you – through our online portal, by post, or by phone:
> Start your complaint with CommsADR
> What to do before you come to us
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