Soaring charges for calls to 118 118 see customers paying nearly £9 for a 45-second call

The popular adverts for 118 118 featured two moustachiod men
PA
Eleanor Rose8 May 2017

Price hikes have left users of the well-known 118 118 directory inquiries service paying nearly £9 for a call lasting less than a minute.

Calls to the directory enquiries service, best known for its jovial adverts featuring two distinctive moustached men, now cost a minimum of £8.98 – 22 times the price of a call to BT’s 192 before deregulation in 2003.

The firm now charges £4.49 plus £4.49 per minute, with a minimum 60-second fee, plus the fee billed by the customer’s own telephone service provider.

If a caller agrees to be put through, they continue to be charged, meaning costs can soar to £94.29 for a 20-minute call.

The service previously charged £3.49 plus £3.49 a minute.

A number of responses to 118 118’s official Twitter account suggest that some customers were feeling the pinch.

"Unbelievable," said one customer, while another warned: "Don't ever call 118 118."

Citizens' groups are meanwhile concerned that, while those who can afford a smartphone easily access numbers they need online, the less well-off – and especially the elderly – are more reliant on the directory inquiries services run by a number of companies on numbers beginning with 118.

Citizens Advice Bureau reported recently that one elderly man had sought help after being charged £150 for a call to a 118 number, while an Ofcom report cites an elderly man paying £350 for a call to a directory enquiries line.

David Hickson of the Fair Telecoms Campaign told the Evening Standard: "118 118 is one of many directory enquiry services, also including BT, 118 500, that are over-priced for the basic service of providing a published number in response to a simple enquiry.

"There are, or there may be, many cheaper services to provide that service at a more sensible price."

He said alternative options should be made clear to customers.

“We also believe that Ofcom and the Phone-paid Services Authority should recognise that this market is not working for consumers, and take some necessary remedial measures,” he added.

A spokesman for 118 118 told the Evening Standard: "118 118 strives to account for the diverse needs of its customers by offering a range of services at different price points.

"For some speed and convenience is paramount, for others it may be cost."

It said its alternative services include a no-frills £1 search service, a free ad-funded service on 0800 118 3733, a free website search, and a subscription-based mobile app service.

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