Ofcom accused over mobiles charges

SOME mobile phone operators are being allowed to send out incorrect bills because regulator Ofcom has watered down its rules.

Ofcom has allowed Orange to operate without approval for its billing system since June 2002. And now it has emerged that the regulator bowed to a request by mmO2 and issued orders to the firms that check billing accuracy to 'use professional judgment' and ignore mistakes in the bills of pre-pay mobile customers.

But when judging the quality of systems, mobile firms must still find and correct errors. An executive from one mobile phone company said: 'We were asked to give the nod to the auditors ignoring the overcharging of mmO2's prepay customers. If you read the official release, it looks like the whole industry was happy, but that is not true. We strongly objected.'

A spokesman for the regulator said: 'We believe that this guidance achieves the right balance between ensuring the consumer is protected and imposing requirements that are proportionate and achievable.'