"Ban expensive phone lines for complaints" call CUSTOMERS should not have to pay out for calls to high-rate phone numbers to contact ­organisations when they have a query or a complaint, a consumer group has warned. Which? has launched a campaign to ban organisations such as banks and public bodies from offering only high-rate numbers such as 09 and 0871 as the main method of contacting a ­company call centre - and ­replace the pricey numbers with local-rate lines. In research for its Costly Calls campaign, the watchdog found that two-thirds of people believe that firms utilise the high-rate numbers as a way to deter customers from contacting them thereby avoiding complaints. Calls to numbers beginning 09 can cost up to £2.60 a minute, while 0871 numbers usually set callers back between 11p and 15p per minute plus a call set-up charge. "It's outrageous that consumers are faced with a high phone bill just to ask a question or make a complaint," said Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director. It's no wonder that people think companies do this deliberately to deter them from ­complaining. Under recent changes to the EU Consumer Rights Directive, calls to customer helplines must be charged at no more than the basic rate, for organisations where consumers are paying for goods or services. However, financial services and public bodies are not ­included in this legislation, and the government is currently consulting on whether to ­include travel, timeshare and package travel in the ban. Of those surveyed, three-quarters of people said they would be put off phoning customer services if they had to use a high-rate number, and three in five would be deterred from making a complaint. Two-thirds have taken other actions, such as emailing, to avoid calling a high-rate number when they wanted to complain. Mr Lloyd added: "We want an end to all costly calls for customer service and complaints, and to have new rules so that all companies have to provide a local-rate number. There should be no exceptions. Which? called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to clarify existing rules to stop financial-services companies using costly numbers on complaint lines - and to change the rules so that this also covers customer helplines. It also wants the government to extend the Consumer Rights Directive ban to the travel industry as soon as possible, and has called on public bodies to scrap costly numbers across the board. The National Audit Office ­recently estimated the consumer cost of premium numbers for public services helplines is £56 million. "The government recognises the detrimental impact of expensive call costs on customers," said a spokeswoman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. That is why we announced draft regulations to tackle this in the Consumer Rights Directive last month. A spokesman for the FCA said: "Our rules require every FCA authorised firm to have a free channel for making complaint. We do not believe it is fair for firms to profit from consumers contacting them to make a complaint via a revenue sharing agreement with a telecoms ­provider. Telecoms watchdog Ofcom said it encouraged public bodies to use an 03 number which costs the same as a local call. Call Costs Calls are charged between 1p and 13p per minute for landline customers. Calls are typically charged at between 1p and 11p per minute depending on the time of day for landline customers, and often include a call set-up fee of up to 14p. Calls from some landline providers cost no more than a geographic rate call and may count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way. Calls from other landline providers typically cost up to 11p per minute. Calls typically cost between 11p and 15p per minute for landline customers, plus a call set-up fee. 09 numbers Calls typically cost between 9p and £1.69 per minute or per call from a BT landline, but other landline providers can charge up to £2.60 per minute.