No Charge for FreePhone Crisis Calls

Mobile provider joins Virgin Mobile and 3 in ending charges to call freephone helplines across the UK

From April 2005, callers to any of the 233 freephone helplines registered with the Telephone Helplines Association (THA) will no longer be charged for using their Orange mobile phone to get help when they need it.

THA warmly welcomes Orange’s decision, making it the third provider, along with Virgin Mobile and 3, to offer this benefit to callers.

In 2000, Virgin Mobile became the first mobile phone operator to provide free calls to freephone helplines registered with the THA, with 3 joining the scheme in 2004.

Calls to freephone numbers from mobile phones have traditionally been chargeable and have consequently been itemised on mobile phone bills. This scheme encourages mobile phone operators to make it easier for callers to use their mobile phone to get confidential help free of charge.

This particularly benefits people who do not have a landline, those who need to use their mobile phone to seek immediate help or those, such as women experiencing domestic violence, who need privacy away from a household phone and want to avoid the call being itemised on a phone bill.

THA has lobbied for these changes for the last 10 years” said Kathy Mulville, Chief Executive of Telephone Helplines Association.This is a major breakthrough for people using mobiles for advice and support from freephone helplines. People are deterred from continuing with a call because of the charges they will incur and the fact the call will be itemised for all to see on the phone bill. Helplines can only provide free, confidential advice if mobile companies agree to stop charging for these calls. We are delighted that Orange has joined Virgin Mobile and 3 in supporting the THA campaign.

William McCoubrey, Director of Regulatory Strategy UK Public Policy for Orange, commented: “Having discussed this issue with charity bodies and the Telephone Helplines Association, we acknowledged that this was an area that needed to be looked at seriously in order to protect customers in potentially vulnerable situations.

We’re calling on all remaining UK mobile operators to do the same in order to create a safer environment for children and those in vulnerable situations.

Vodafone currently offer free calls to one hundred and eleven helplines using a unique freephone number range only available to members of the Telephone Helplines Association. T-Mobile is expected to make a positive announcement within the next few weeks.

Do you want your callers to be able to contact you for free from most mobiles? Email us or call 0845 120 3767* to find out more. *Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 4p per minute from BT landlines. Calls from mobiles usually cost more.