The big 118 rip-off

If you regularly call 118 directory enquiry services, you could be forking out far more than you thought...

We’ve all seen those annoying adverts for the directory enquiries service, 118 118. You know, the ones with the two men sporting ridiculous moustaches and 118 118 t-shirts, doing anything from a parody of the A-Team to dancing around singing ‘Who you gonna call?’ to the Ghostbusters theme tune.

Unfortunately, the idea of this is that the more annoying the advert is, the more likely it is that you’ll remember it and then use the service. And I daresay it works.

But of course, 118 118 is not the only directory enquiries service available – there are several others, many of which still start with 118.

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Directory enquiries became more competitive back in 2003 after Ofcom opened up the market to new companies in an effort to reduce costs for customers using the services.

Sadly, instead of having its desired effect, costs have jumped dramatically. What’s more, the combination of initial connection fees and charges per minute* have left many customers feeling confused about how much they are really being charged every time they use one of these services.

The rise in mobile usage to call these services and the fact that customers can be put through to the number they need via the service at a charge per minute far higher than standard calls has only exacerbated the problem. As a result, many customers are now being ripped off - so much so that it's prompted Ofcom to demand simpler call charges.

How much would you pay?

The fact that customers are being ripped off has been further exemplified by recent research from online directory service 192.com. The research investigated whether customers knew how much they were paying to call 118 numbers – and revealed that in many cases, customers dramatically underestimated how much they were being made to fork out.

Here are the full results:

Source: 192.com

The true cost

Sadly, the majority of respondents were pretty far off the mark. Indeed, 66% of respondents thought that 118 calls cost less than £1. In contrast, according to Ofcom, a typical 45 second 118 call from a landline costs a mammoth £1.75. Ouch! Use the service regularly, and you could have a hefty phone bill winging its way to you.

Meanwhile, calls from a mobile can end up costing significantly more. The following tables demonstrate how.

45 second call (typical call for a number)

Source: 192.com

Call with five minutes of call completion

Source: 192.com

As you can see, the costs really do stack up, and unless you’re religiously timing your call, you could easily get caught out. In fact, Ofcom found one example of a man who was charged a whopping £350 for a 118 call and connection request from a landline in 2009.

Ofcom’s consultation, which closed in March, aims to ensure customers are fully aware of how much they are being charged to call 118 numbers, and try and reduce some of the confusion surrounding this. By doing this, it should help to prevent people receiving ridiculously high phone bills they weren’t expecting.

Cut the costs

If you do need to use a directory enquiries service, fortunately, there are a few tips you can carry out yourself to help keep costs to a minimum.

1. Use a free service

Using a free directory enquiries service is the most obvious solution. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. However, if you call the number 0800 118 3733 you won’t be charged – providing you call from a landline. (If you use this service from mobile, your mobile operator is likely to charge you.)

There are a few downsides to this service – after all, it is free, so what do you expect? Firstly, you will need to listen to an advert before you can place your enquiry. The system is also automated so you’ll need to be prepared to respond to automated questions rather than speak to a human being. You’ll also be asked for an address of the place you want to enquire about, which can be a bit of a hassle.

2. Go online

Alternatively, get online and use a free directory service such as 192.com. BT also has a directory enquiry search on its site – thephonebook.bt.com - and you can also use 118118.com.

Of course, this is only practical if you happen to be near a computer, or if you have a smartphone and can access the internet easily.

3. Don’t call from your mobile

Unless you have no alternative and you urgently need to use a directory enquiry service, don’t make calls to these services from your mobile! It will be far more expensive than using a landline.

If you do need to use your mobile, you could try the number 68100 – although this service isn’t free, it’s a lot cheaper than 118 numbers. You’ll be charged 35p per minute and you’ll have to listen to a short advert beforehand. However, the advantage is that you will be put through to a call centre, not an automated service.

4. Don’t get connected

If you do use a directory enquiry service, once you’ve made the call and put in your enquiry, make a note of the phone number you need and hang up. Don’t agree to be connected through the service (known as call completion) as you’ll be charged a lot more. Hang up, dial the number yourself and save yourself a few pounds.

*As an example, the cost of a 118 500 BT call from a landline is £1.39 per minute, plus a connection charge of 49p. From most landlines, calling 118 118 costs £1.29 plus 42p per minute.

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