Welcome to Tesco Telecoms

The code of practice for publishing charges for Number Translation Service Calls and handling customer queries about Premium Rate Services

Purpose of the Code

1. The purpose of our Code of Practice is to:

i) ensure that we provide our customers with readily accessible and accurate information relating to calls to Premium Rate Services;
ii) ensure that we provide our customers with readily accessible and accurate information relating to our charges for Number Translation Service calls on our network;
iii) set out clearly what is good practice in the provision of information to customers about charges for Number Translation Service calls and dealing with customer complaints and enquiries about Premium Rate Service calls.

2. For the purpose of this Code Number Translation Service calls refers to calls to numbers starting 08 and 0500 freephone but excluding calls to 0844 44 and 0808 99 numbers, which are designated for specific types of internet access. Premium Rate Service calls refers to calls to numbers starting 09 and 118.

3. In this Code “our”, “us” and “we” refer to Tesco Telecoms and “you” and “your” refer to customers.

Status of code

4. By law, all companies who provide access to Premium Rate Services and Number Translation Services are required to establish a Code of Practice for those calls. Their Code must conform with Guidelines put in place by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, and companies must comply with the provisions of their Code.

5. This Code has been prepared in accordance with Ofcom’s Guidelines.

6. Compliance with this Code does not guarantee that it complies with any other legal requirement.

7. Non-compliance with this Code does not affect the validity of any contract between the company and the consumer, unless the law states otherwise.

Customer information and advice: Premium Rate Services

8. We will provide information and advice to our customers about our role in relation to:

i) general Premium Rate Service enquiries;
ii) requests for number checks via the number-checker facilities provided by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Telephone Information Services (“ICSTIS”) on the ICSTIS website (www.icstis.org.uk);
iii) dealing with formal complaints about abuses of service content, the ICSTIS Code of Practice and alleged scams.

9. In doing so we shall provide:

i) information about the role and remit of ICSTIS in dealing with complaints and how to go about making a formal complaint to ICSTIS via their website, helpline or in writing;
ii) information about the tariffs that apply on our network for calls to any Premium Rate Service number range;
iii) basic information about how Premium Rate Services work including whether the call(s) in question are routed to service providers hosted on our own network or on the network of another provider, known as a Terminating Communications Provider, together with a basic explanation of how revenue sharing with Service Providers operates;
iv) information about how consumers can bar access from their telephone to all or specific Premium Rate Service number ranges due to cost or content;
v) information about the purpose of the Telephone Preference Service and Fax Preference Service and how to go about registering with such services;
vi) information about how internet diallers operate and how consumers can identify and take action, such as improving their computer’s security, to avoid further instances of these or similar scams;
vii) in the case of mobiles, in addition to the above, information about how premium rate SMS/MMS/WAP billed services operate and how consumers can unsubscribe from these;
viii) information on the role of the Telecoms Ombudsman schemes in resolving disputes concerning Premium Rate Service calls;
ix) information on other options available to consumers for seeking refunds in cases of abuse or scams involving Premium Rate Service calls;
x) contact details of individual Service Providers or the Terminating Communications Providers which host them; and where these details are available – typically via ICSTIS’ website at www.icstis.org.uk; and
xi) Customer service contact details for Service Providers where consumers can obtain further information from about services provided on the Premium Rate Service numbers found on their bills.

Customer information and advice: Number Translation Service Calls. Published price lists and websites

10. We will publish on our website and in our published price list our charges for calling Number Translation Service numbers. We will publish this information in a way that gives those charges the same prominence in terms of location and format given to charges for geographic calls, calls to mobiles and call packages, including bundles.

11. In addition, we will give prominence in particular to:

i) any usage charges that apply for calls to freephone numbers including details of when those charges will apply;
ii) usage charges for Number Translation Service calls which include variations by time of day. For example, “08xx calls are charged at x pence per minute or per call during weekday evenings inclusive of value added tax”; and
iii) whether or not any special offers, discount schemes or call bundling arrangements apply to Number Translation Service Calls, including details of which of those arrangements apply to which number range.

Advertising, promotional material and new customers

12. In our advertising and promotional materials which refer to call pricing and maximum prices applying to Number Translation Service Calls, we will publish a clear reference as to where on our website and in our published price lists a complete set of Number Translation Service Call charges can be found.

13. When a new customer signs up for our service, we will provide, in the relevant correspondence, a clear reference as to where on our website and in our published price list a complete set of Number Translation Service Call charges can be found. We will also set out in the relevant correspondence the maximum prices applying to Number Translation Service Calls.

Processes and Procedures

14. We will have procedures in place for our customer service staff to know of the existence and content of this Code so that they can respond to complaints and enquiries about Premium Rate Service calls and Number Translation Service calls. We will monitor our customer service staff’s compliance with this Code.

15. We will have a fully documented procedure in place to make customers and advice agencies aware of the existence and content of this Code, for example by referring to this Code in sales and marketing literature and by making the Code available through our website.

16. This Code is drafted in plain English, which is easy to understand, and copies of this Code will be provided on request, and free of charge, to customers.

How to contact us

17. If you feel that any representative of Tesco Telecoms has breached the terms of this Code, please report you concerns to:

Jan Rogers - Tesco home phone Customer Service Manager

who has responsibility for compliance with this Code, and for handling associated complaints.

by post: PO Box 5879, Forres, IV36 2YF

by phone: 0845 300 70 80 (8am - 8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sunday and Bank Holidays. Calls may be recorded. Calls charged at up to 4p per minute from BT landlines. Other providers may vary.)

by email: support@tescohomephone.com