Unexpected Phone-Paid Service Charges: What can you do?

Ever checked your phone bill… and had to do a double-take?

Spotting phone bill charges you don’t recognise can be concerning – especially if they’re linked to Phone-Paid Services ((PPS), also known as Premium-Rate Services (PRS)) you don’t remember using, or subscribing to.

Phone-Paid Service charges can arise for a variety of reasons, from premium rate calls and competitions to subscription services and digital content. If you’ve noticed unexpected charges on your bill, it’s important to understand what they are, how to investigate them, and what steps you can take if you believe they’ve been applied incorrectly.

All will be explained below!

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.

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What are Phone-Paid Services (PPS)?

Phone-paid services (also known as Premium-Rate Services (PRS)) are products or services that are charged directly to your phone bill or deducted from your mobile credit, rather than being paid for separately.

These services can include:

Competitions and prize draws
Charity donations
Voting for television or radio programmes
Information and entertainment services
Subscription services, such as daily content alerts or games
Digital content and in-app purchases that are billed through your mobile provider

While many Phone-Paid Services are legitimate, consumers may not always realise they’ve signed up for a service or understand how ongoing charges work.

Why might you receive unexpected charges?

Unexpected phone-paid service charges can happen for a number of reasons.

For example:

A subscription service may have continued beyond a free trial
A charge may have been authorised without fully understanding the terms
A family member may have used your device
You may have accidentally signed up by clicking on an online advert or link
You may simply not recognise the name of the service shown on your bill

Whatever the cause, it’s important not to ignore unfamiliar charges. Reviewing them promptly can make it easier to understand what’s happened.

Check your Phone Bill carefully

Before contacting anyone, take a close look at your bill.

Consider:

When did the charges first appear?
Are they one-off charges or recurring payments?
How much is being charged?
Is the service provider named on your bill?
Do the dates match when you may have used the service?

Identifying these details can help you explain your concerns more clearly when raising a complaint.

Contact your Mobile Provider

If you’re unsure about a charge, your mobile provider should be your first point of contact as a source of information. Even though they likely cannot cancel the subscription for you, they can provide more information on where it’s come from, and how you can contact the PPS/PRS provider yourself.

Ask them to:

Explain what the charge relates to
Confirm which service provider applied the charge
Provide information about when the service was activated
Explain whether further charges are likely to be applied

Your provider may also be able to advise you on how to stop future charges if a subscription is still active.

Gather any relevant Evidence

If you believe the charges are incorrect, it’s helpful to keep records that support your complaint.

This could include:

Copies of your phone bills
Screenshots of text messages or confirmation emails
Notes of conversations with your provider
Details of any attempts to cancel the service
Information about when the charges first appeared

Having clear evidence can make it easier to resolve the issue if your complaint needs further investigation.

What if you disagree with the Charges?

Not every unexpected charge is necessarily incorrect, but if you believe you’ve been charged unfairly or without your knowledge, you should explain this clearly and make a direct complaint to the PPS/PRS provider.

They may investigate:

How the service was activated
Whether appropriate information was provided before charges were applied
Whether the charges match the agreed terms
Whether the billing process was carried out correctly

Each complaint will depend on its individual circumstances and the available evidence.

If the Phone Paid Service provider leaves you unsatisfied and/ does not resolve your complaint, remember: you don’t have to just give up! You can always escalate your complaint via an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme (such as CommsADR, if it’s a non-regulated complaint), or court.

How to Help Prevent Unexpected Charges

A few simple precautions can reduce the risk of unexpected phone-paid service charges in the future:

Review your phone bill regularly
Be cautious when clicking on online adverts or pop-ups
Read terms and conditions before signing up for offers or competitions
Monitor any free trials and cancel them if you don’t wish to continue
Keep your phone’s security settings up to date
Speak to your provider about any available spending controls or charge restrictions

Taking these steps can help you stay in control of the services billed to your account.

When Can CommsADR Help?

If you’ve been unable to resolve your complaint with the Phone-Paid Service 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 them to court!

To use CommsADR, you just need to make sure you’ve fulfilled at least 1 of these conditions:

Received the PPS provider’s Final Written Response
(otherwise known as a ‘Deadlock Letter’)
Given the PPS 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? Please see our article on this: 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 PPS provider before reaching a fair and impartial decision… All within 60 days of declaring a Complete Complaint File. Simple!

ADR offers an alternative to court proceedings and provides an independent, stress-free way of resolving disputes when agreement cannot be reached directly.