Autumn 2007

In an initiative that is being promoted as supporting a fight-back by consumers against rogue call centre operatives, a service for recording incoming and outgoing phone calls easily has been launched under the name EasyCallRecording.

Users simply dial a special phone number before initiating a call. No subscription is needed in order to record outgoing calls, though those taking one out get additional benefits and more flexibility in how they can play back and manage calls. Subscriptions are obligatory to record incoming calls.

Recording a call without a subscription costs 10p per minute. Recording with one costs 5.7p per minute on UK land lines, while the subscription itself costs £4.99 a month or £39.99 a year.

The company says it is perfectly legal to record calls, though if they are likely to be used in a court case, 'all reasonable efforts' should be made to inform the other party of that fact.