In Q3 2019, 40% of all issues raised by consumers to ComReg’s Consumer Line related to premium rate services (PRS).
Premium rate SMS (text) services are numbers that begin with the prefixes 53XXX to 59XXX and can be associated with competitions, quizzes, games and other entertainment services. They usually cost more than a standard rate text message.
So what exactly can you do if you find a premium rate charge on your phone bill that you cannot account for? What can you do to prevent further charges?
The first thing to consider is if your number is subscribed to a PRS. A PRS subscription means that there will be an ongoing charge. It is important that you text ‘Stop’ to the PRS number to unsubscribe unless you wish to continue to receive the service and continue to be billed for it. The cost to do this will be no more than a standard rate SMS charge.
If you wish to have PRS blocked from your mobile phone, the mobile operators eir Mobile, Three and Vodafone provide a barring facility allowing you to bar such services. This facility is available free of charge and should be in place no later than 14 days following your request through their Customer Care channels.
To make a complaint, you should follow these steps:
- Log a complaint with the PRS provider. You can find out who this is by entering the number into our PRS Service Checker facility. If you continue to have difficulty identifying the PRS provider, ask your mobile provider to help you.
- Log an official complaint with your mobile provider.
- Contact ComReg’s Consumer Care team if you fail to resolve the issue having followed the above steps.
To find out more information visit the PRS section on our website.
