I PAID THE PRICE FOR DITCHING TALKTALK

THE emails started to arrive at the beginning of September. They were upbeat, positive, breezy, but filled me with dread — because trying to communicate with TalkTalk, which, perversely, is in the communications business, makes one want to live in a cave and never talk to anyone again.

By way of background, I left TalkTalk five years ago and switched to BT, but was allowed to keep my email address at no additional cost. Until now.

The emails told me my old account was to be ‘deactivated’. I replied, but its subsequent correspondence made little sense. And then, suddenly, I was not able to receive my emails on either my laptop or mobile phone.

It was time to speak to someone at TalkTalk directly.

After struggling to find help, I was told that in order to continue using my email I would have to pay £5 a month or £50 a year. So I duly coughed up the £50.

I did start receiving my emails but was unable to send any.

It was only after Money Mail sent an email to TalkTalk on my behalf, that I received a call from the chief executive’s office.

A lady called Rachel explained that the £50 had to be paid to ‘keep the system going for non-customers of TalkTalk’, by which she meant ‘ security features’ and ‘maintenance’.

And there has been one further sting in the tail. When my mobile bill arrived, I noticed that I had been charged £17.49 for a 31-minute call to 0871 222 3311.

All calls and texts are normally free on my tariff. So I dialled the number again to see who on earth I had called for such an exorbitant fee.

‘Hello, there. Welcome to TalkTalk . . .’