News item | 11-23-2022 | 9:00 am
Consumers and entrepreneurs are still being misled by telephone by several forwarding services and information numbers. Without being well informed, they are kept on the line and as a result pay high rates or even for what is actually a free service. To counter this, Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) will introduce stricter rules from 16 December 2022. From that date forwarding to free 0800 telephone numbers is prohibited and this prohibition also almost always applies to forwarding via paid 0900, 0906, 0909 numbers. In addition, the maximum rates for information numbers that are still permitted will then be limited.
Consumers often subconsciously choose these services. This is done, for example, via a search on the mobile phone or via a search engine to find a company’s number. Someone thinks they are calling a company or agency directly, such as the government or customer service, but calls via an expensive information number because it appears at the top of the search results. For example through a paid advertisement.
Minister Micky Adriaansens (EZK): “The cabinet stands for an economy where entrepreneurs can do business under fair competition and consumers are well protected. Rogue telephone forwarding and information services dupe benevolent providers and usually target vulnerable consumers such as seniors. Often users do not even realize that they are using a paid service with high rates. To better tackle this deception, I am tightening up the rules.”
Limitation of rates and more information obligations
In addition to a ban on misleading forwarding services, the rates of information numbers that are still permitted will be limited. These are four-digit telephone numbers starting with the number 18. Users must also be better informed.
From 16 December 2022, providers must themselves apply a maximum rate that they state prior to the caller’s call and also prior to the forwarding itself. From December 2024, the maximum rate for call costs will then be ten euros. Research by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy shows that this is cost-effective for the existing providers. There are also new requirements for transparency. For example, a notification prior to a transfer, after which the caller must also explicitly agree to the transfer (opt-in).
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will enforce the new rules from 16 December 2022 and can also apply them directly to number requests submitted by providers to ACM.