For teachers

This site is an essential resource for all teachers of ITC, Citizenship and PSHE. It is packed with everything children need to know about the sensible use of premium rate services and will ensure they become well informed so they can make educated decisions for themselves. This section will give you an insight into the premium rate industry and the problems consumers may encounter. It also tells you what to do when things go wrong and there's a handy lesson plan at the bottom of the page!

You have witnessed the dramatic development of premium rate services in the UK. They have gone from being niche and 'top shelf' to something that is mainstream, mass media and worth millions every year. At all times of the day and night, across all media platforms, premium rate is now a popular way for consumers to buy products, enter competitions, cast votes or donate to charity.

Facts and stats...

More exposure to premium rate services: there are now over 45,000 premium rate services in the UK and the industry is worth a staggering £1.2 billion every year (that's the same as £35 for every adult in the country!)

More access to premium rate services: 65% of children aged 8-15 own a mobile phone, 72% have access to digital TV at home and 65% can log on at home.

PhonepayPlus received 19,593 complaints about premium rate services in 2005/6 - a fall of 75% on the previous year.

Types of premium rate services...

TV votelines (e.g. Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor), competitions, ringtone downloads, computer helplines, scratchcards, horoscopes, football goal alerts, fundraising for charities, chat, interactive TV games, dating, alarm systems, adult entertainment and directory enquiry services.

Problems consumers may encounter...

There are two main problems to consider.

Not understanding the premium rate service or the technology it uses.
Being the victim of a premium rate scam.

Both problems can be very upsetting and result in big bills. It is important to stay in control by making sure you know exactly how the premium rate service works, how much you will pay and what you will get.

www.phonebrain.org.uk is brought to you by the premium rate services regulator, PhonepayPlus, which believes that all consumers should be able to use premium rate services with trust and confidence. The vast majority of premium rate services are run responsibly and don't cause problems.

The best way to prevent problems is through education. Through www.phonebrain.org.uk we want to teach children:

to recognise premium rate services
to appreciate the costs involved
to understand the issues and potential pitfalls
to be in control and make educated decisions

Need help?

Follow this link to find the answer to your question

Want to know what service is running on a certain number?

Often you will see a number on your bill and not remember what is was or why you called it. PhonepayPlus keeps records of all the premium rate numbers that consumers have asked questions about so others can see the information too.

To find out what the service is, look it up on the PhonepayPlus number checker by following this link: www.phonepayplus.org.uk/consumers/ncd

Type in a premium rate number or mobile shortcode into the number checker and it will tell you the name of the service, and the name, telephone number and address of the company running it. You may realise that you wanted to call the number. However, if you check the number and realise that you did not want to call it, you can use the details provided to contact the service provider directly.

Got a problem with a premium rate service and want to report it?

Problem with the content, promotion or operation of a premium rate services can be reported by calling PhonepayPlus on 0800 500 212 between the hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (but not Bank Holidays).

For further details about PhonepayPlus, please follow this link to the PhonepayPlus website: www.phonepayplus.org.uk.

For specific consumer advice, please follow this link to the section for the public: www.phonepayplus.org.uk/consumers/how_to_complain

Trouble Shooting...

Documents:

How much do premium rate calls cost?

Premium rate calls cost between 10p - £1.50 from a BT landline (plus surcharges). Other network costs vary but by how much? Find out from this table. Please remember that new phone packages with different prices are introduced regularly and as a result costs may change. To get the exact price for a specific service, visit the website link or call the customer service number provided. This information was correct 02.04.07

1_premiumrate_callcosts.pdf (155 kb)