What is the charge for using a directory enquiry service?
Charges for Directory Enquiry services are not subject to regulation and are determined by a combination of the Directory Enquiry Service Provider and the telephone network used to access the service. If you are using a fixed line telephone or pay monthly mobile, charges are collected through your telephone account and will show on your phone bill. For prepaid mobile customers, charges will be deducted from your credit. For some prepaid price plans you can view account transactions through your operator's website.
You can call all of the directory enquiry services from any phone, whether it’s a fixed line, mobile or payphone. The tables below provides price information from an eircom landline. Call charges may vary depending on which telephone company provides your phone service and you should contact your telephone company for price information. In particular call charges from mobile phones differ depending upon your network, price plan, peak/off-peak times and the directory enquiry service used. Charges can be as high as €1.30 or €2.40 per minute for calls to national or international directory enquiries.
| National Directory Enquiries (Prices correct at 1st April 2008. All prices are inclusive of VAT at 21%) | |||
| Conduit | Eircom | Numbers Direct | |
| Number to Call | 11850 | 11811 | 11890 |
| Minimum Charge | 99 cent | 84.51 cent | 71 cent |
| Price from most landlines | 99.00 cent setup plus 25 cent per minute thereafter charged on a per second basis | 22.90 cent per minute charged on a per second basis | 71.00 cent per minute plus 18.00 cent per minute from then on, charged per second |
| Number of listings Per call | Unlimited | 3 | Unlimited |
| Charges upon connection | 25.00 cent per minute (0.4166 cent per second) | 22.90 cent per minute (0.3816 cent per second) | 18.00 cent per minute (0.3 cent per second) |
| Cost of a 30 second call (Listing only) | €1.12 | €1.12 | 71.00 cent |
| Cost of a 1 minute call (Listing only) | €1.24 | 95.96 cent | 71.00 cent |
Do all directory enquiry service providers charge the same rates?
No, the rates vary depending on the network you use and the service you call. Charges are calculated on the basis of a fixed set up charge or a minimum charge plus a per second charge therafter. The minimum charge may cover the first 30 seconds or the first 1 minute of your call, depending on your choice of directory enquiry service.
What about ‘call completion’ services?
For all national but only for a limited range of international numbers, some directory enquiry services will offer to connect you to the number you have sought. While this may be a convenient service, you should be aware that this will cost you considerably more than if you call the number yourself. The table above shows the cost of using ‘call completion’ services. You should also be aware that if you agree to ‘call completion’ you may not be given the number you requested . Should your connected call be unanswered, you will not have the phone number to call again directly.
What if the directory enquiry service provider doesn’t have the number?
If you have provided the correct information and a directory enquiry service provider cannot find the number you want, this may mean that the person (or business) is ‘ex-directory’ and does not wish their phone number to be made available.
Please note you will be charged for your call to the directory service provider, even though the number sought was not provided.
What other services do directory enquiry service providers offer?
Directory enquiry service providers offer the following other services.
Business finder – they can find a type of business for you in a particular area even if you don't have a name. For example you may want to find a plumber in Galway.
Web-based search – some directory enquiry service providers have a searchable directory on their website that you can use to get telephone numbers free of charge.
Information by Text – after you have called the service for a phone number, they will text the number to your mobile.
The table below shows which directory enquiry service providers offer which services.
