It cost me £60...to talk to Sky!

E.S. writes: I contacted Sky TV to amend my contract. I was on hold for over an hour and to my horror, I found I was charged nearly £60. I contacted the phone company O2, who said Sky set the charges. Sky offered me Tesco vouchers, which I refused as I paid in pounds, not Tesco vouchers. We are over 70, on a fixed income, and this amount is a week’s shopping for us.

I SPOKE to O2, which told me you had called 0844 241 4141, an expensive premium rate number operated by Sky. To its credit, O2 even said that if Sky did not repay you, then O2 would. There is some disagreement over who profits from the charges. What is clear is that this is an old number that Sky appears to have kept in use, while at the same time replacing it with a cheaper service. Sky told me: ‘As a gesture of goodwill, we have refunded the charges.’