PHONESAFE - Beware the extortionate call cost

[xxplod]

I called a couple of sellers recently to view a car. Having got my bill, I found that calling a phonesafe number costs 50p per minute.

Keep your conversations short!

PH - this is bordering on a scam, what are you doing about it?

[Kinky]

xxplod said:

PH - this is bordering on a scam, what are you doing about it?

It's documented here: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/phonesafe.asp

And gives you the option to email instead

[xxplod]

The costs should be put on every ad that uses it.
It's a premium rate phonecall.

[Kinky]

There's a link right next to the number to explain all.

As Garlick has said previously:

Previously Garlick said:

Phonesafe is used on many larger classified sites these days, and is within the strict guidelines set out by industry regulator Phone Pay Plus. We at PHHQ thought long and hard about introducing the service, but the benefits it offers to the seller was hard to ignore with all of the problems associated with publicising your phone number on the internet.

However, we realised the not everyone would want to use it so the e mail contact option remains very prominent as an alternative. We also know that PS can be used to make initial contact only, with 'normal' phone numbers being exchanged within minutes of the call. I guess a certain amount of trust is given to the user of the service, and after viewing the costs (click the logo to see) they make up their own minds as to how they want to use the service.