DIAL A MOBILE AIRTIME PROVIDERS

Early day motion 197, tabled 12 November 2007 by Roger Godsiff (Labour). Signed by 10 members.

That this House views with the gravest concern the behaviour of airtime providers in seeking to enforce, in full, the terms of contracts taken out by customers following the collapse of Dial a Mobile trading as Mobile Connections; notes the increasing reports of the listing of former customers as debtors and subsequent pursuit through debt collection agencies leading to negative credit references; further notes the complete absence of any regulatory protection for customers, which continues to allow airtime providers to be complicit in the sale of expensive contracts through third parties offering cash-back deals yet still to demand full payment in the event of administration; and calls on the Secretary of State as a matter of urgency to call a meeting of Ofcom, the industry regulator and the airtime companies to negotiate early release for customers who are being pursued in this manner and suffering genuine financial hardship.

Signatures by party: Labour 8, Conservative 1, Liberal Democrat 1.