End to rip-off texts further good news for Scots holidaymakers (Dumfries Liberal Democrats)

Dumfries Liberal Democrats <tom@therussells.org.uk>

End to rip-off texts further good news for Scots holidaymakers

April 23, 2009 12:00 AM

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Elspeth Attwooll has welcomed news that new European rules making holiday texting cheaper are set to come into force on July 1st - just in time for the summer holidays.

The rules will bring an end to Scottish tourists being ripped-off for sending texts abroad in comparison to people from other EU Member States - a text from a UK number currently costs around 41p, with exactly the same text from a Latvian phone costing around 4p.

The MEP for Scotland said:

"Only a month or so ago the European Commission announced an investigation into lost luggage that will mean better rights and compensation for travellers whose baggage is lost by airlines.

Now it will be cheaper to text home or check the football scores on your mobile while abroad, which is further good news for holidaymakers, especially with the current economic situation and exchange rate.

This is a perfect example of how the European Union is working for the benefit of Scottish consumers".

END

• The European Parliament has already forced mobile phone companies to lower call prices and now they say texting home from countries in Europe should cost less too.

• It now means that people will pay a maximum of around 10p per message - about a third of what it costs now - and texts will be free to receive, making all the difference to tourists who want to stay in touch with home whilst on holiday abroad.

• The changes will also restrict how much phone companies can charge to surf the internet on mobiles, as well as lowering the costs of making and receiving calls abroad even more.