Can it really be legal for a broadband provider to charge premium rate phone calls to their helpline?

Question

It's an incentive for poor service as the more problems customers experience the more money the service provider reaps in premium rate calls.

Answer 1

check for an 800 (free) number

Answer 2

Here they charge 14 cents a minute, but try calling 999

Answer 3

Yes it is legal.

Answer 4

Nothing that has to do with phone charges is legal.  If you want to start a class action suit, you can ding these robber barons for millions, teach them a lesson.  Their sneaky little rate charges, and don't even get me started about credit card company trickery.  If you are sucessful in your class action litigation, you may be so lucky as to recover $1.34 from these crooks as your share of the settlement.  Just to play devil's advocate, I think if anyone's dumb enough to actually call a worse-than-useless helpline they ought to be skinned for every penny that can be shaken out of them.

Answer 5

Apparently it is a legal charge. I used to use dialup service by NetZero and they charged for calls to their help line. I reached them via a toll free number but was still charged a per minute fee if I spoke to a tech rep; so I do not think the service would be free even if your broadband supplier  provided an 800 number.

I am presently using Verizon  DSL (east coast supplier) and they do not charge for tech support. However, you have to navigate through their phone tree which is a royal pain.

~

Answer 6

No they are not suppose to but as i see broadband and their billions they do WTF they want' and it sucks.We in Washington state have one cable company for the whole state and now there are not any more free channels ' so we all can get screwed more' without even getting kissed...GGGGrrrr.

Answer 7

I suspect it could come under the "unfair contract terms act".

Answer 8

Rip off