Premium Rate Customer Service-Beware!

Saw this and thought I should share it.
It seems that the companies "Garden Gear" and "Happy Beaks" are sister companies of T&M and calls to their Customer Service helplines are charged at Premium Rate - this has been unlawful since 2014.

Read more at:-

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/j...D1YZyqvLUQ

Good job we never need to complain about T&M!

Interestingly their websites all show a premium rate number (especially if phoned from a mobile) for orders and a "lo call" number which is charged at the same rate as an 01 or 02 number when phoned from a land line as the customer service number. I would think that these fit them within the law. I wonder if the problem comes from calling the lo call rate number from a mobile as the mobile provider can add a connection charge which the company you are calling has no control over.

According to the article:-
"Garden Gear’s terms and conditions require all customers who need to return a faulty item to ring it to obtain an authorisation code. When you emailed to chase your order, an auto response referred you to the number without mentioning the charges. A 13p-a-minute service charge goes to the retailer, and an access charge of up to 65p a minute to the mobile phone provider."
As the owner of a mobile phone that is never used for calls, its all beyond me!!

Not sure I understand why they can't e-mail you the authorisation code instead.

I don't think Premium Rate calls should be a "thing" - especially if it involves placing or following up on business with a company. How to alienate a customer? Charge them extra for the pleasure of contacting us (and probably being put on hold and given some lame response eventually.

That is so wrong! My house phone broke about 4 years ago and I haven't got it fixed yet :eek: so I can only use a mobile!

As a rule though I pretty much deal
With everything by email.