>
MPs to debate our Pick Up Or Pay Up campaign in parliament: we demand that companies be fined if they don’t answer within ten minutes
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
MEPs will debate Money Mail’s collection or payment campaign in parliament today.
We’re asking for consumer protection laws to be updated so that large companies can be fined if they don’t answer their phone within ten minutes.
It would put an end to customers having to spend hours on hold trying to get an answer to an urgent question.
Debate: We call for an update of consumer protection law so that large companies are fined if they don’t answer their phone within 10 minutes
Conservative MP Robert Halfon will today present a bill on this initiative to MPs from the back seat for debate.
He said: ‘I am incredibly proud to present my bill on consumer telephone service standards to Parliament today, and to have worked closely with Money Mail to support their Pick Up Or Pay Up campaign.
Every day in the UK utilities and service providers provide poor customer service, with hours of waiting time, automated replies or requests to use online chat boxes.
“These providers have created a Kafkaesque torture chamber of customer service, and that must end.”
Mr. Halfon’s bill is another step toward our vision of becoming law.
Money Mail’s proposal is simple: we want to update the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with a legal instrument – a form of secondary legislation that can make changes to an existing law.
This would make it illegal for large companies to keep their customers on hold for more than ten minutes.
Earlier this year, a similar consumer law was passed in Spain.
It means Spanish companies face fines of up to £85,000 if they don’t answer their phone within three minutes.
The rule applies to companies that earn more than €50 million (£43 million) per year and have 250 employees or more.
h.kelly@dailymail.co.uk