TalkTalk have been breaking records, but for all the wrong reasons

Ofcom have issued the largest fine that they have ever enforced on a telecoms provider as TalkTalk and its Tiscali UK subsidiary have been fined £3m for incorrectly billing more than 65,000 customers for services they had not received.

The punishment follows an investigation into the two businesses that started in July 2010 as a result of more than 1,000 complaints.  TalkTalk blamed the billing errors on the amalgamation of the Tiscali UK business following their purchase of Tiscali UK in 2009.

In its ruling, Ofcom said, the telcoms company had wrongly issued bills to 62,000 customers, in particular those who had closed accounts, between 1 January and 1 November 2010. In April this year, Ofcom said that TalkTalk was the most complained about telecoms firm for landline and broadband services.

TalkTalk has since paid more than £2.5m in refunds and goodwill payments to affected customers.

Do you feel the punishment fits the crime?

Rip off Britain

You’ve seen all the documentaries about counterfeit designer gear, fake cigarettes and moonshine alcohol, but what about the simple business telephone. The same goes on and over the next few months we’ll tell you about a few we’ve come across recently.

It took a consumer campaign in 1986 just to get British Telecom to itemise their phone bills.

Recently a certain company that shall remain nameless offered their customers free services for a month. What they did not make clear is that you’d be billed for the service after the month. Now Call Diversion and Caller Display only cost £2.34 each per month but this is £4.68 per line you may not need to pay. When you’ve got tens of thousands of customers you’ve just increased your bottom line substantially without anyone noticing. As a customer you first had to spot it and then had to cancel or continue to pay. How can you continue to trust that this company is providing you a service in your best interest?

Next month we’ll tell you the one about the name on the bill.