Recent Ofcom changes to 087 and 084 destinations

As of 13th June 2014, companies will no longer be able to use a helpline number beginning with 08, other than a Freephone number.

The reasons for this is that Ofcom stipulates that consumers should not have to pay more than a basic rate call, therefore higher call costs destinations such as 0844 and 0870 are not permitted. This new ruling applies to calls from consumers and not business to business calls. It only includes calls from a customer who is in a current contract with the called party.

Do you currently have a helpline for contracted customers to call you on?

If so, there are other options available to you if you do not want to give out your geographical fixed-line number. 0300 numbers are a good alternative, as the caller is charged at the standard local rate. Please see our guide to UK telephone numbers and prefixes for more information.

For a full summary of the new ruling, please follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310044/bis-13-1368-consumer-contracts-information-cancellation-and-additional-payments-regulations-guidance.pdf