Questions, answered

Covmod is an adult phone chat service run from France. You browse the hostesses' profiles, choose the woman you'd like to talk to, ring one 09 number and key in her code. Everything happens by voice, over an ordinary phone line: it isn't a dating site, there's nothing to download and there's no sign-up. The price per minute sits next to the number wherever it appears.

No, and that won't change. Calling needs no registration, no email address and no card details on this site: you simply ring. Covmod doesn't hold an account for you at all, which also means there's no profile of yours to leak, sell or close. You pay through your phone bill, like any other call to a service number.

On a mobile, tapping Call dials our 09 number and keys in that hostess's code automatically, so you go straight through to her. On a laptop or tablet that can't make calls, dial the number displayed from your phone and key in the code shown on her profile once you're connected. Either way, the price per minute appears next to the button.

Straight away, if she's showing as 'Online': that label means she's available at the moment you're looking. 'On a call' means she's with another caller, so give it a few minutes or choose someone else. 'Back soon' means she's off shift for now. Statuses update automatically throughout the day, so the list of hostesses who are online now is a good place to start.

No. Covmod is conversation by phone, and that's where it ends. Hostesses don't give out personal numbers, social media accounts or addresses, and nobody arranges to see anyone in person. If you're after a date, a dating app is the right tool; if you'd like an easy, unhurried chat with someone who has time for you, you're in the right place.

Yes. Every call is answered by a real woman aged 18 or over, working under a stage name with our telephony partner; she doesn't work for Covmod. What isn't real is the profile: the photos, names, bios and measurements on the site are computer-generated illustrations, not portraits of the person you'll speak to.

No, and we'd rather say so plainly. Profile photos are computer-generated. The women who answer are real, adult and working with our telephony partner. The pictures give each hostess a look and a personality to choose from; they don't show the voice on the line, and no real person's face was used to make them.

More or less whatever you like, within the law. That's the point of talking to someone who doesn't know you: no judgement, no awkwardness, nothing that follows you home. Hostesses will politely end a call that turns hateful, involves anyone under 18 or asks for something illegal, and they won't hand out contact details. Otherwise, the tone is for the two of you to set.

Yes. Her code doesn't change, so make a note of it or bookmark her profile, and ring back whenever she shows as 'Online'. If she's on a call, you can wait a little or try someone else. Hostesses work shifts, so 'Back soon' is your cue that she'll be around again later in the day.

Each call costs the per-minute service charge shown next to our number, plus your phone company's access charge. We print our part wherever the number appears, including on every profile and on our prices page. The access charge depends on your tariff and is often higher from a mobile than a landline, so it's worth checking with your provider before a long call.

Yes. There is a single rate across the whole catalogue: no premium hostesses, no surcharge for a particular woman and no extras added part-way through a call. Whoever you ring, you pay the same service charge per minute, plus your own access charge. The only thing that changes the total is how long you stay on the line.

The access charge is your phone company's share of any call to a service number such as 09. It's set by your network, not by Covmod, and appears on your tariff as a pence-per-minute figure. Add it to our service charge and you have the full cost per minute. Landline and mobile tariffs often have different access charges, so check the one for the phone you'll use.

Neither. No subscription, no bundle, no joining fee and no minimum call length. You aren't signing up to anything, so there's nothing to cancel and nothing renewing in the background. Your bill reflects the minutes you actually spent on the phone, charged at the rate shown next to the number, plus your access charge.

The simplest control is the clock: charges stop the moment you put the phone down. If you'd like something firmer, your network can bar 09 numbers on your line or set a spending cap on your account, and most UK providers offer both. We'd rather you enjoyed a conversation you can afford than one you regret when the bill lands.

Yes: an itemised bill shows the 09 number, not the content. You'll see the date, time, duration and price of each call next to the number dialled, exactly as for any other call, with no hostess name and no description of the service. That said, anyone familiar with 09 numbers will recognise it as premium-rate, and it also sits in your phone's recent calls until you clear them.

Largely, yes. You never have to give your real name: introduce yourself however you like, or not at all. Covmod holds no account in your name. Your number is still handled by your network and our telephony partner, because that's how any phone call gets connected and billed, but it isn't published, sold or linked to a public profile.

They may be. Calls can be recorded by our telephony partner, on our behalf, and only to check they comply with the law, for example to protect minors. If a call is recorded, a message at the start tells you so, and you can object. Recordings are deleted after a set period (six months on our French line) and are never published or sold.

Send a request through our contact form, choose the personal data option and include the phone number concerned. We deal with anything Covmod holds directly and forward requests about call records to our telephony partner, which holds them. Under UK and European data protection law, you get an answer within one month at the latest.

Yes. You must be 18 or over to use Covmod, and the site asks you to confirm your age before you go any further. The women who answer are adults too. If you'd like to keep 09 numbers off a family phone altogether, ask your network to bar premium-rate calls on that line; it takes a few minutes with customer services.

Start with your network. Many UK providers bar 09 numbers by default, particularly on mobiles, pay-as-you-go and work phones, and adult content controls usually have to be lifted with an age check. If that's sorted, make sure you've keyed in the hostess's code correctly and that she's showing as 'Online'. Still stuck? Tell us through the contact form, with the time you rang.

Not reliably. UK 09 numbers are meant to be dialled from within the UK, and most overseas networks won't route them at all. On a UK mobile while roaming, the call may fail, or your network may bill roaming charges on top of the usual price. For a predictable cost, wait until you're home and ring from a UK landline or mobile.

No. Covmod is a conversation service, not counselling and not a helpline. If you're going through a hard time, have felt low for a while or are thinking about harming yourself, please ring Samaritans on 116 123: it's free, open day and night, and the person who answers is there to listen. Your GP can help too.

Start with us. Use the contact form, choose the billing or support option, and give the date and time of the call and the number you rang from. We reply within two working days and aim to put things right, including a refund where a charge was wrong. If you're unhappy with our answer, you can take it to Ofcom, which regulates premium-rate services in the UK.