From 1is January 2021, calling certain public services will no longer have unpleasant surprises on telephone bills. On this date, premium rate numbers will be prohibited for administrations and bodies responsible for a public service mission.
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Having to pay a phone call to pay a parking fine or inquire about retirement will soon be a bad memory. Pursuant to article 28 of the law for a State in the service of a trust company (known as the Éssoc law), the administrations and bodies entrusted with a public service mission will no longer be able to resort, from 1is January 2021, to premium rate telephone numbers to obtain information, take action or assert your rights.
→ On the same subject: Free customer service numbers: the list of non-surcharged numbers
Often expensive calls
While some organizations had already opted for free telephone services, such as Pôle emploi, the National Agency for Secured Titles (ANTS) or even taxes for the withholding tax information number, others will wait until the last moment to do so.
Example with the 39 39 “Allo service public”, the general entry number in relation to the administrations which is still invoiced 0.15 € / minute until December 31, 2020! The same goes for the numbers dedicated to the payment of fines (automatic speed cameras, post-parking packages or RATP and SNCF fines) with their 0.05 € / minute or that of the pension insurance (0.06 € / minute) .
New rates and sometimes new numbers
On the other hand, the very many contact numbers of the Urssaf have switched to the price of a local call as of December 7, “This pricing is also applied to all our new services (Cesu, Tese, Pajemploi, Cea …)”, confirmed the organization.
The Caf, it took the opportunity to simplify its contacts by setting up from mid-December a new unique contact number with four digits (32 30), instead of the previous 10 digits, paying (0, 06 € / minute) and which had to be adapted according to its department number.
Finally, taxes have deployed a virtuous device. “For any user who calls a premium rate number that is still active from 1is January, a free information message will tell them the new unmarked number to call (0 809 401 401 for individuals, for example) “, the General Directorate of Public Finances tells us.
The late implementation of these free numbers is not linked to the financial loss of income from the abandonment of premium rate numbers. It is valued for example at 30 million euros per year just for social security organizations (Cnam, Caf…)! But by the fact that some administrations have recourse to external service providers with whom the contracts signed have not yet expired.
The free numbers of the main public services (and those billed until 12/31/2020)
| Administration / Organization | Numbers at the cost of a local call |
|---|---|
| TAXES | |
| Tax Information Service | 0 809 401 401 |
| Urssaf | 36 98 and 0 821 08 60 28 (autoentrepreneurs) |
| DIVERS | |
| Allo Service Public | 39 39 (€ 0.15 / minute until 12/31/2020) |
| La Poste | 36 31 |
| AUTOMOTIVE / TRANSPORT | |
| National Agency for Secured Titles (ANTS) gray card, registration, driving license … | 34 00 |
| Payment of fines (speed cameras, increased FPS, SNCF and RATP fines, etc.) | 0 811 10 10 10; 0 811 10 20 30 (automatic speed cameras); 0 811 871 871 (electronic report). € 0.05 / min until 12/31/2020 |
| RATP | 34 24 |
| SNCF | 36 35 |
| CAF (Family allowance funds) | 32 30 |
| MSA (Agricultural social mutual fund) | List by department to find on the MSA online directory |
| Employment center | 39 49 |
| Association for the employment of executives (APEC) | 0 809 361 212 |
| Pajemploi (individual employers and their employees) | 0 820 00 72 53 |
| CESU (Universal service employment check) | 0 806 802 378 |
| HEALTH | |
| Health Insurance | 36 46 |
| Youth health thread | 0 800 235 236 |
| RETIREMENT | |
| Pension insurance (Cnav, Carsat) | 39 60 (€ 0.06 / min until 12/31/2020) |
| CNRACL (National pension fund for local government employees) | 05 56 11 33 35 (general questions), 05 57 57 91 95 (estimates and individual statements) |
| Ircantec (public supplementary pension) | 02 41 05 25 25 |
| State Pension Service (SRE) | 02 40 08 87 65 (active) and 0 970 82 33 35 (retired) |
| RIGHTS | |
| CNIL (National Commission for Informatics and Liberties) | 01 53 73 22 22 |
| Defender of rights | 09 69 39 00 00 |
| Departmental directorates for the protection of populations (DDPP) | List of numbers by department available on the website of the DGCCRF |
| Europe direct | 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 |
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To note
Please note, local authorities (town halls, departments, inter-municipal authorities, etc.) are not obliged to adopt this new rule and remain free to use surcharged numbers.
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