Research shows consumers back PhonepayPlus’ proposed Code of Practice

Findings from in-depth interviews with consumers carried out by Thinktank on behalf of PhonepayPlus show that consumers welcome the flexible, principles-based regulation suggested in the proposed Code of Practice. Across the board consumers were pleased and reassured that the PRS industry is regulated. At the same time consumers did not want ‘nanny-ish’ regulation that limited consumer choice.

A significant finding for industry from the research is that consumers’ awareness of regulation can be good for business – reinforcing trust in services, with the potential to turn services from something a consumer would ‘never try’ to something they ‘might consider’. Alongside this, a clear message from consumers was that companies could gain by giving more clarity on basic product information to consumers, in particular the full cost. Most consumers in the research would not consider using services that had been advertised without clear pricing and where the company was unknown to them.

The research is published today alongside the other industry and stakeholder responses to the consultation on the new Code of Practice. PhonepayPlus will now carefully consider the points raised by the research and the consultation responses, before asking Ofcom to approve the final Code of Practice later this year.

Click here to view the research.

To view the responses to the new PhonepayPlus Code of Practice consultation, click here