Regulating to build consumer trust in phone-paid services
PhonepayPlus is the organisation that regulates products or services - such as competitions, TV voting, helplines, adult entertainment, downloads, new alerts or interactive games - that are charged to users' phone bills or pre-pay accounts.

6 Provisions relating specifically to live services

6.1     Permission requirements
6.2     Promotional material
6.3     The conduct of live services
6.4     Chatline services (multi-party)
6.5     Claims for compensation

6.1    Permission requirements

6.1.1     No live services may be provided without prior permission from PhonepayPlus, save that PhonepayPlus may identify categories of live services which are exempt from the prior permission requirement. Such exemptions may be withdrawn or modified by PhonepayPlus at any time on reasonable notice and a list of exempt categories will be published by PhonepayPlus from time to time.

6.1.2     PhonepayPlus may set such conditions as it sees fit in the granting of permission under paragraph 6.1.1. 

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6.2    Promotional material
  1. Unless the live service is available 24 hours a day, or permission not to provide such information has been granted by PhonepayPlus, hours of operation must be stated on the promotional material.
  2. Unless PhonepayPlus has granted permission for it to do so, no promotion may be directed primarily at persons under 18 years of age or encourage such persons to call the service. 

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6.3    The conduct of live services

6.3.1    Unless PhonepayPlus grants permission to do otherwise:

  1. all providers of live services must ensure that on connection each service user receives a brief introductory message giving details of the call costs and the name of the service provider providing the live service,
  2. service providers must actively discourage service users from seeking or giving out surnames, places of work, addresses or geographic phone numbers, or arranging or attempting to arrange any meeting while connected to a live service,
  3. service providers must ensure that operators use reasonable endeavours to prevent persons under 18 years of age from taking part in any live service,
  4. if an operator has reasonable grounds, upon questioning a service user, to suspect that the user is under 18, the service provider must immediately end the service for that user.

6.3.2     The service provider shall take reasonable steps to identify and cut off calls made without the permission of the bill-payer. 

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6.4    Chatline services (multi-party)

6.4.1     Chatline services must not be promoted or operate as sexual entertainment services and operators must use all reasonable endeavours to prevent conversation which is primarily of such a nature.

6.4.2     Before a service user may participate in a chatline service, the service provider must obtain the user’s date of birth and confirmation that he has the permission of the bill-payer to use the service. 

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6.5     Claims for compensation

6.5.1     Where it considers it appropriate, PhonepayPlus will not grant permission under paragraph 6.1.1 unless it is satisfied that compensation arrangements exist for the prompt and effective provision of compensation. Compensation must be available to any person whose connection to the electronic communications network has been the subject of unauthorised use of the relevant live service(s) and in respect of which the Adjudicator has made an award in accordance with paragraph 6.5.4 of the Code.

6.5.2     At the time of publication of this Code, neither live entertainment services nor chatlines may be provided unless a compensation scheme approved by PhonepayPlus is in place and the relevant service provider has complied with the terms of the relevant compensation scheme.

6.5.3     Claims for compensation may be made by any person whose connection to the electronic communications network has been the subject of unauthorised use. When claims are received by PhonepayPlus, the relevant service provider(s) will be given an opportunity to settle them to the satisfaction of the claimant.

6.5.4     If the service provider does not settle the matter to the satisfaction of the claimant within a reasonable time, the matter will be referred to the Adjudicator, who will determine the matter in accordance with his procedures and who may require that the service provider pays the claim or part of it, together with an administrative charge and appropriate provision for the claimant’s costs.

 
SECTION 7 SUPPLEMENTS, BUT DOES NOT REPLACE, THE GENERAL PROVISIONS IN SECTION 5.

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6.1 Permission requirements
6.2 Promotional material
6.3 The conduct of live services
6.4 Chatline services (multi-party)
6.5  Claims for compensation

6.1   &n