Itemisation fees

Under Clause 6.7.2 of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code, 'a Supplier must ensure that Itemised Charge details relating to the Current Bill are available without Charge,' with some exceptions. However, under section 6.7.3 of the Code, 'a Supplier must not Charge for providing Itemisation in an endeavour to resolve a Billing Complaint' about recent accounts.

The TIO takes the view that a fee should NOT be charged for issuing an itemised local call record where it is issued in response to a complaint to verify the accuracy of the customer's account. Under Clause 9.3.1 of the TCP Code, a provider is not permitted to impose complaint-handling charges except in particular circumstances, including 'if the investigative/handling process for the Complaint is sufficiently onerous.'

The TIO considers that the provision of an itemised call record could not be classified as "onerous" even if after investigation the charges were found to be valid, unless it is clear that the complainant is acting vexatiously, e.g. disputing local calls in order to avoid paying the standard fee.

>Next: Liability for calls made by third parties