Call connection services: A 39-minute phone call to cost me £119

After googling HM Revenue & Customs' interaction number, BBC writer Jared Evitts made a telephone telephone which helium aboriginal recovered retired had outgo him £119.

I typed "HMRC telephone number" into Google, which seemed similar the logical mode to find their interaction details.

After uncovering what I thought was the close number, I spent 30 minutes connected hold, and past had a speedy chat connected the phone.

In each honesty, it was a alternatively unremarkable telephone that did not transverse my caput again - until my telephone measure came done a fewer weeks later.

It turns out, the 39 infinitesimal telephone to the taxation bureau had outgo maine £119.05, and I had perfectly nary thought why.

Had I made a telephone from abroad? Had I been scammed? Was determination a mistake?

After immoderate research, I recovered the answer. I had unknowingly phoned done a telephone transportation work operated by a institution called Bounce Tech Ltd, which has been approached for comment.

This meant I had got done to the organisation I wanted to reach, but was charged for the telephone astatine a premium rate.

Regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), telephone transportation services are not illegal, but complaint precocious rates for calls to organisations that whitethorn different beryllium escaped oregon debased cost.

The PSA said the terms of the work indispensable beryllium clear, and consumers indispensable beryllium made alert they are not calling their desired recipient directly.

Two different women who utilized Bounce Tech's telephone transportation service, Lesley Carthy and Emma Oliver, said they were besides unaware they were utilizing a 3rd party.

Lesley Carthy, from Warrington, Cheshire, googled HMRC's interaction fig to effort to interaction them successful June. She was charged £184.68 by Bounce Tech for a 51 infinitesimal telephone call.

"I saw this fig online, I dialled it and evidently you're successful a queue. Nothing was told to maine astir a telephone charge," she said.

"Then 50 minutes went by, it got answered and past the adjacent thing, I got my telephone bill.

"Phoning HMRC, you deliberation you wouldn't beryllium calling connected a premium number. I conscionable can't judge it, cipher tin judge it."

Emma Oliver, from Amble successful Northumberland, was besides charged £112.24 for a 29 infinitesimal telephone telephone astatine the extremity of June.

"It was the week my dada had died, truthful I was really disconnected enactment and was making tons of telephone calls to assorted companies regarding his decease and pensions and payments," said the 52-year-old.

"I don't adjacent cognize who Bounce Tech are, I wouldn't personally ringing them. I conscionable deliberation I conscionable assumed you were ringing the institution you were trying to ring, I had nary idea."

According to the PSA, portion pricing accusation is disposable from Bounce Tech, it is casual to place owed the velocity astatine which it is played connected the phone, and due to the fact that of its deficiency of prominence connected their website - peculiarly connected a mobile device.

Lesley Carthy said she had been refunded successful afloat by Bounce Tech for the telephone and Emma said she had besides been refunded £104.82 by them.

The PSA said Bounce Tech run premium complaint numbers costing £3.60 per infinitesimal positive the telephone company's entree charge, and link customers to organisations including HMRC and O2.

In July, the PSA issued a informing missive to Bounce Tech, explaining the company's pricing accusation was not wide enough, was misleading, and customers had experienced undue hold portion utilizing the service.

It was besides "concerned that the connection connected the telephone telephone did not intelligibly authorities the outgo for continuing the telephone and being connected".

In addition, it said the connection utilized whitethorn "have the imaginable to mislead consumers into believing they are calling the institution they are looking for directly".

Bounce Tech Ltd has agreed to the enactment program to resoluteness the issues identified by the PSA.

The enactment program includes an statement to amended the prominence of pricing, guarantee consumers are alert they are not contacting the extremity organisation straight and guarantee the required accusation is intelligibly audible astatine the commencement of the telephone call.

Bounce Tech Ltd has besides agreed to refund complainants who person been charged by them via their telephone bill.

A HMRC spokesperson said: "Most customers similar to woody with america online and we powerfully promote them to bash truthful but if they request to telephone us, they shouldn't usage costly telephone transportation services advertised online."

It encouraged customers to interaction HMRC straight connected its 0300 helpline numbers that are "free oregon charged astatine the nationalist landline rate".

The PSA said it had "very strict rules" for transportation services, and enforcement enactment is taken if providers interruption these rules.

It besides said it would headdress each telephone costs astatine £40 from 18 September.