Day 46: ‘Oh I’m sorry, have we not paid you enough?’

A FRIEND highlighted an issue to me today that I think is well worth a rant - thank you Sir Guy of Northernshire!

If you’ve invested in a product - often quite expensive like a TV or a computer - you wouldn’t expect that when something goes wrong, you’d have to fork out again - a little thing called manufacturer’s warranty. 

But you’d be wrong! While they can’t charge you on repair or replacement, the big thieving corporate giants can do you sideways (note the editing) for calling their premium rate numbers! 

It’s one of those things that I haven’t pondered too much before, because for some god forsaken reason I trust in large retailers, banks, travel firms and mobile phone operators, that they wouldn’t dream of charging me to discuss a problem with the product they so confidently sold me so recently. 

But apparently my blind faith has failed me once again, hasn’t it Barclays, Vodaphone and Currys? (apparently some of the worst offenders).

When you’re calling to order something new, or to discuss upgrading a new contract, you’ll be talking to a friendly chap or chapesse on a freephone or locally charged line. However, their friend just down the corridor in ‘call centre towers’ is talking about the same products, to customers who have already bought them, and charging extortionate call rates for the privilege.

The more I thought about this - and the more I worried that I’ve succumbed a number of times to premium rate calls without realising it - I did a bit of research. 

Thanks to the lovely Martin Lewis, the country’s resident Money Saving Expert, I feel I will sleep a little better on this subject - Martin Lewis of course whose financial advice is invaluable, not least for the fact that he set up his money advice website just a few years ago and recently sold it for £87m, while in turn becoming a household name - bloody genius! 

Rather than me paraphrasing, here it is from the horse’s mouth:

‘From June 2014 the new Consumer Rights Directive, which is due to come into force in June 2014, will end expensive premium 084 and 087 numbers for customers calling airlines, train operators and major high street and online retailers.

Meanwhile the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will consider whether it could introduce similar measures for those calling banks, insurance companies and investment brokers.’

The only real sad part as a consumer, is that this ‘ban’ is being enforced on the companies that we choose to spend our money with. They haven’t chosen to be the good guys, they’re doing it while handcuffed to a drainpipe, being whipped by Messers Cameron and Osborne.