Many commonly used customer services require you to go through premium rate numbers. Here is a list of their free alternatives.
If you have ever tried to get through a customer service, you have certainly experienced the very annoying situation of having to go through a premium rate number. These numbers usually require you to wait for very long minutes during which you have to put up with very annoying music, while your bank account is drained as time goes by.
As reported by UFC-Que-Choisir, companies have been required to provide their customers with a non-premium rate number since 2008. This number should allow customers to express their dissatisfaction or ask questions about the company’s services, without having to pay more money.
While many companies comply with this legislation, there is nothing to prevent them from having a second number in parallel with the free number and promoting it as the official number on their website. This number is of course surcharged in order to collect a few precious euros on the backs of customers who try to contact the company. The company can even decide for itself the price of this surcharged number up to a certain limit of €24 including tax in total.
In order to help disgruntled future customers who do not wish to avoid a surcharge, the UFC website recently communicated the telephone numbers presented by the companies as well as their non-surcharged equivalents.
E-commerce companies:
| Company name | Toll number | Non-premium number |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | – | 08 05 10 14 20 |
| Baker | 0825 850 850 | 30 11 |
| Crossroads | – | 09 80 98 09 86 |
| Cdiscount | 3979 | 09 70 80 90 50 |
| Cdiscount at will | – | 09 70 80 90 50 |
| Darty | 0892 01 10 10 | 09 78 97 09 70 |
| Darty+ card | – | 09 78 97 09 70 or 09 80 98 32 34 |
| Decathlon | – | 09 69 32 33 22 |
| eBay | 078 16 16 00 | 01 73 00 17 10 |
| Fnac | 0892 35 04 05 | 09 69 32 43 34 |
| Fnac+ card | – | 01 53 56 28 00 |
| gif | – | 05 53 40 54 68 |
| Groupon | – | 09 70 73 20 00 |
| Ikea | – | 09 69 36 20 06 |
| Interflora | 0825 20 20 20 | 09 69 36 39 83 |
| The Redoubt | 0892 350 350 | 09 69 32 35 15 |
| Leroy Merlin | 0810 634 634 | 03 59 57 46 04 |
| Nespresso | – | 08 00 55 52 53 |
| Rakuten | – | 09 70 75 64 60 |
| Rueducommerce | 0892 46 56 66 | 0 809 40 03 76 |
| Sephora | – | 0 809 40 40 45 |
| Showroomprivé | – | 01 85 76 00 00 |
| Truffaut | – | 0 806 800 420 |
| Velux | – | 0 806 80 15 15 |
| Veepee | – | 08 09 10 88 88 |
| Zalando | – | 01 82 88 49 63 |
Delivery companies:
| Company name | Toll number | Non-premium number |
|---|---|---|
| Chronopost | – | 09 69 39 13 91 |
| Colissimo | – | 3631 |
| Deliveroo | – | 09 77 55 03 30 |
| The Post Office | – | 3631 |
| World Relay | – | 09 69 32 23 32 |
| UPS | – | 01 73 00 66 61 |
Transport companies:
| Company name | Toll number | Non-premium number |
|---|---|---|
| Air France | – | 3654 / 09 69 39 36 54 (from abroad) |
| Airbnb | – | 01 84 88 40 00 |
| Booking.com | – | 01 57 32 92 09 |
| Yes SNCF | – | 01 73 20 98 51 |
| Ryanair | 0892 562 150 | 01 80 14 44 53 |
| SNCF | – | 36 35 |
| Private travel | 0892 426 425 | 01 76 49 30 31 |
Streaming platforms:
Banks and insurance:
| Company name | Toll number | Non-premium number |
|---|---|---|
| BNP Paribas | – | 3477 |
| GMF | – | 09 70 809 809 |
| MMA | 0825 096 096 | 01 40 25 59 59 (assistance) / 09 809 809 11 (report a claim) |
You can find all the official numbers and their non-premium rate equivalents on the UFC-Que-Choisir website. Keep in mind that these are generally advisors who handle multiple calls every day, so try to remain polite when you speak to them. This will only have positive effects in helping you with your procedures or resolving your problems.