BT fined by Ofcom after the telecoms giant overcharged EE mobile customers who made calls to pricey 118 numbers
- Ofcom fined BT after it overcharged EE customers for calling 118 numbers
- The watchdog introduced a cap on 118 numbers to ensure fairer pricing
- BT did not implement this new rule immediately
The telecoms watchdog has fined BT nearly a quarter of a million pounds, revealing the firm overcharged its EE’s mobile customers for making calls to 118 directory enquiries services.
Ofcom introduced a price cap on 118 phone numbers in April 2019 in a bid to protect vulnerable people and ensure fairer pricing.
However, BT did not implement this new rule immediately and Ofcom found that 6,000 EE customers calling 118 numbers were overcharged by BT for a total of around £42,000 between April and June last year.
BT was able to correct most bills before EE customers paid them, meaning around £10,000 of the total amount overcharged was paid by EE customers.
Thousands of EE customers were overcharged by BT for calling 118 directory enquiry numbers
All EE customers have since been refunded.
However, Ofcom said that BT’s failure to implement the 118 price cap was a ‘serious breach’ of its rules, particularly considering the potentially vulnerable people that use directory enquiry services.
Therefore, it decided to impose a fine of £245,000 on BT, which includes a 30 per cent discount reflecting BT’s admission of its failings by agreeing to settle the case.
The money raised from the fine will be passed on to HM Treasury and must be paid to Ofcom within 20 working days.
An EE spokesperson said: ‘We apologise for any inconvenience that this mistake caused to a very small number of our customers.
‘Customers that were affected were overcharged by less than £5 on average and we quickly contacted and refunded every one of them.
‘We have taken this very seriously and have reviewed and updated our procedures to ensure it does not happen again.’ EE was taken over by BT in 2016.
Ofcom said that BT’s failure to implement the 118 price cap was a ‘serious breach’ of its rules
Many still using 118 despite the cost and rise of Google
While use of directory enquiries has fallen in recent years, more than a million people still use them each year.
Many people still rely on them for information and to obtain any number they might need with older people and those without internet access more likely to make 118 calls.
The price cap was introduced after Ofcom found that some companies charged almost £20 for a 90-second call to 118 services, with a 90-second call to the most popular service, 118 118, previously costing £11.23.
From 1 April 2019, Ofcom ruled that the maximum cost a 118 service can charge will be £3.65 per 90 seconds.
Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at Uswitch, said: ‘EE customers will be concerned to hear that BT failed to implement Ofcom’s price cap on 118 phone numbers, resulting in thousands being overcharged for calls.
‘Unfortunately the error is most likely to have affected older and vulnerable people, who are more inclined to use 118 numbers.
‘BT, which owns EE, did realise its mistake and corrected most bills before they were paid by EE customers – but not before customers had to pay out £10,000 unnecessarily.
‘All customers should have been refunded now, but if you think you have been affected by a similar mistake, contact your mobile company in the first instance.
‘If you are unhappy with their response, you can take your complaint further by getting in touch with the appropriate ombudsman for your mobile provider.’