Premium rate customer service phone lines to be banned It puts huge pressure on the likes of the Department of Work and Pensions, the Citizens Advice helpline, the banks and the transport companies to follow suit, regardless of what the proposals state. For me the tide is beginning to turn. Richard Lloyd, exec director of Which? added: "It's unbelievable that companies would add insult to injury by charging their customers a premium to make a complaint. The proposals to end this practice are long overdue, so it's encouraging to see the Government tackling this issue. Consumers spend nearly £2 billion a year on calls premium rate numbers. In 2009, they accounted for around 12% of the total call traffic volume in the UK, and generated 10% of the total revenue. Which? last year revealed that banks, insurers and energy companies were ripping off existing customers by forcing them to call 0845 numbers to complain about bad service or problems with their bills, while new customers were offered free numbers. In draft Consumer Contract regulations yesterday, the Department for Business said a "trader" entering a contract with a consumer has to provide them with either a "geographic" or landline number, a mobile number or a free phone line. A spokeswoman for BIS was unable to say why transport firms were not covered by the proposals, stating simply "we haven't ruled it out." She said banks were covered by regulations stemming from the City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. Experts claim the public can pay as much as 41p per minute to call an 0845 number, from a mobile phone. They add that telecom companies "carrying" the call also charge extra to households for the connection. Earlier this year it emerged that Cable & Wireless was making almost £1 million running HM Revenue & Customs' 0845 telephone helplines. Premium rate phone lines made £2.5 million in two years for the Department for Transport. In April, Ofcom have outlined plans to force companies to be far clearer about the cost of using their phone lines, instead of simply stating "prices may vary." The consumer proposals are out for consultation until later this year but could become law in 2014. The proposed rules also include measures allowing consumers 90 days to cancel a purchase and get a full refund. The move is designed to protect vulnerable pensionsers targeted by door-to-door salesmen.