Premium Rate Abuse

What services can ICSTIS investigate?

ICSTIS investigates complaints about the content and promotion of services involving the use of a telephone connection to make a premium rate call.  This includes calls to recorded services, voting lines, interactive games, chat services, Internet websites and fax services.  ICSTIS regulates any service as long as it is provided in one of the following ways:

• Services that are provided on numbers starting with 090 or 091.
• Directory Enquiry (DQ) services operating on the 118xxx range.
• International services commencing +00 that provide a product or service.
• SMS text messages charged at a premium, which provide content or a service (such as a ringtone or chat).  These are promoted by 4 or 5-digit shortcodes that start with 8, 6 or 2.
• 0800 REVERSE services.

What information should I give when submitting my complaint?

• Keep the details brief but relevant: for example, there is no pricing, the promotion was misleading, unsolicited, inappropriate etc;
• Where you saw the advertisement: for example, magazine, newspaper, fax, email, text message, internet etc;
• The name of the publication:  (if applicable) and page number;
• What happened when you used the service?:   If you called it, what is your complaint regarding the content and/or promotion of the service?;
• Transcript of the service:  Provide, where possible, the written/spoken information (for example, if you received an unsolicited text message, what exactly did it say?);
• Internet services: If your complaint is regarding an online service, you should tell us the www address of the website you are complaining about so that we are able to monitor it (you may need to check your internet history if you are unsure).

**  PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT INFORMATION **

Reference Numbers
Due to the current volume of enquiries that we are receiving, ICSTIS is not issuing individual case reference numbers. To help you, we have advised all telephone companies of this and have given them a list of many of the internet cases currently under investigation. If your phone company requests a reference number, please provide them with the premium rate number(s) that you are disputing as your reference.

Refunds for premium rate services
ICSTIS cannot require companies responsible for these services to give refunds.  As the regulator they are responsible for dealing with complaints concerning compliance with their Code of Practice and not resolving disputes over bill payments.  Whilst they are able to supply the name and address details for the service provider, there is nothing further ICSTIS can do to help you obtain a refund.  Check whether the numbers you are querying are in the ICSTIS database by clicking here.  If they are, the company details will be provided.  If you feel you have a valid claim for a refund, write to the company, ensuring that you enclose a photocopy of your telephone bill, with a covering letter to explain the reason for your claim.

Disputed Calls
Please note that the occurrence of a premium rate number on your bill is not classed as a complaint that ICSTIS can investigate. Please find further details below under ' Disputing that a call originated from your phone line '.

What can't ICSTIS help with?

ICSTIS cannot help with or investigate complaints about the following:

• Non-Premium rate Numbers
  Services provided on telephone numbers that start with any of the following
  01
  02
  07
  08
• Cancelling text message services
  If you need to unsubscribe from a 'reverse-billed' text message service, you should contact your mobile phone company, request details of the shortcode that is causing the charges and the contact details of the company responsible for the messages you are receiving.  You should then contact that company and request to be removed from their database.
• Disputing that a call originated from your phone line
  If you feel that the premium rate call you are querying was not made from your telephone line, you should contact your telephone company and request that they investigate the matter further. There are millions of numbers in use and tens of thousands of services running at any given time. It is not possible to keep track of every one, and this is not our proper function as we are responsible for taking action against the tiny minority that harm consumers. If no details of a particular phone number are on the ICSTIS database, check the website UK Phone Info and enter the phone number there to find out which company provides that phone number.  They will in turn be able to tell you the name of the company running the premium rate service.
• Refunds for premium rate services
  You should note that ICSTIS cannot require companies responsible for these services to give refunds.  As the regulator ICSTIS are responsible for dealing with complaints concerning compliance with our Code of Practice and not resolving disputes over bill payments.  Whilst ICSTIS are able to supply the name and address details for the service provider, there is nothing further ICSTIS can do to help you obtain a refund.  Check whether the numbers you are querying are in the ICSTIS database.  If they are, the company details will be provided.  If you feel you have a valid claim for a refund, write to the company, ensuring that you enclose a photocopy of your telephone bill, with a covering letter to explain the reason for your claim.
• Complaints about your phone company
  If you have a complaint about your telephone line provider, you should, in the first instance, check the website for the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service at www.otelo.org.uk to see whether they will be able to assist you.
• Telecom Billing Systems
  This service does not conform to the definition of a premium rate service, so does not fall within the ICSTIS remit.  You should contact your local Trading Standards service to see whether they are able to assist.
• Your phone company's tariffs
  If your phone company is charging more than the advertised rate for a premium rate service, you should contact your phone company and discuss the tariffs that are applicable to the contract you have with them.
• Contractual agreements
  If you have a dispute relating to a contractual agreement you have with a Network Operator to provide a premium rate service, you should seek your own independent legal advice.

What will happen to my complaint?

ICSTIS will assess whether your complaint appears to be in breach of the Code of Practice that they administer.  If there does appear to a breach, ICSTIS will investigate this further, taking up the matter with the service provider responsible.  Most of the time is spent gathering facts and information that supports your experience of the service you reported to ICSTIS.  Once that has happened, ICSTIS have to allow the company an opportunity to respond to the potential breaches raised.  ICSTIS has to ensure that all the companies we investigate get a fair hearing.  If breaches are identified, a report is compiled and the case is adjudicated upon by the ICSTIS Committee.  If the breaches are upheld, it can impose a range of sanctions upon the service provider.  These can range from a warning through to barring the service for a defined period, or fining the company.

The length of time spent investigating a case can vary.  Usually an investigation can take about 12 weeks from the date ICSTIS receive your complaint.  In some cases, particularly some premium rate Internet services where the service provider is based abroad, this could take as long as 6 months.  ICSTIS try and complete investigations as quickly as they can, but it is essential that cases are investigated thoroughly and fairly so that ICSTIS can try to prevent future consumer harm.  Details of the investigation ICSTIS carry out into your complaint and all other complaints can be found on the Latest Adjudications page of the ICSTIS website.

Will my complaint remain confidential?

Yes, at all times. ICSTIS will not reveal your identity to the company you are complaining about, unless you give your specific agreement.

Complain online

Before continuing to submit a complaint, please read the following:

• Is your complaint within remit?
• Is the number(s) you are complaining about in the ICSTIS number checking database?  Click the blue 'More' link (where given) to get more in-depth information about the service and what to do now.
• Do you wish to obtain a refund? If so, you must write to the service provider responsible for the premium rate number.  ICSTIS cannot assist you with this.  Use the number checking facility to see whether the address details are available.
• Provide relevant and useful information.  Ensure that you provide relevant information in your complaint by reading the 'What information should I give in my complaint?' in  this section.

Querying unknown numbers on your phone bill

Please remember that ICSTIS will not respond to number checks submitted through our complaints form.  A number check will be defined as requesting information about the nature of a number that has appeared on your bill.  There are millions of numbers in use and tens of thousands of services running at any given time. It is not possible to keep track of every one, and this is not our proper function as we are responsible for taking action against the tiny minority that harm consumers. If no details of a particular phone number are on our database, check the website  UK Phone Info and enter the phone number there to find out which company provides that phone number.  They will in turn be able to tell you the name of the company running the premium rate service.

By submitting a complaint, it is assumed that you have read and understood the information that we have provided to you on this page and that the information you supply is in accordance with it.

Go to the ICSTIS complaint form.