118402 service and charging before calls are answered

[nick_89]

I recently made some calls to 118402 as I was trying to find a number and couldn’t find it online even through Google.

So I rang 118402 which is the designated directory service for O2. Calls to 118118 and 118500 will cost around £12 for a two minute call, whereas 118402 costs around £1 per minute.

However when calling 118402 I was placed in a queue and eventually the call disconnected, this happened twice and then I learnt that I had been charged for the 2 calls.

They shouldn’t be charging for calls until an operator answers, all other 118 services do not charge until an operator answers. I believe it is unfair.

So in the end I chose the next cheapest option and that was to use a BT Payphone using the exclusive 118141. I inserted £2 and they didn’t charge until they answered and the answered pretty fast and I got the numbers I needed and no need for a huge bill.

I could have used my O2 mobile to call another 118 service but why pay around £6 a minute, it’s crazy!

So my question is, because O2 was charging for the calls before they were answered and because they got disconnected at O2’s end, am I eligible for a refund? It’s roughly £2.50

[MI5]

@nick_89 

No idea if you can get a refund or not but if you call cust service and ask them there's a good chance you might Guide: How to find help & contact O2 

[nick_89]

Many thanks for your response. I shall try that tomorrow then.

[MI5]

Best of luck.

[Martin-O2]

Hey @nick_89 we'd like to get someone to investigate this for you. I'll drop you a message to grab some details. 

[Martin-O2]

Hey @nick_89 I've had a reply from our Guru team and they have advised that calls are charged from when they connect, not when an adviser answers so a refund would not be due in this case. It's worth giving customer services a call as they may be able to refund at least one of the calls as a gesture of good will but please be aware this is not guaranteed.