A Difficult Experience with Landline Services
In April, a drunk driver crashed into the telegraph pole outside my house. This pole was connected to the cables of my home and several of my neighbors. The accident left us without landline phone or internet access. What’s more, the broken telegraph pole ended up hanging across my driveway, nearly hitting my car.
I rely heavily on my landline because I don’t have a mobile phone or internet access. However, my provider, Sky, took 28 days to replace the damaged cables. Meanwhile, my neighbors who used BT had their cables replaced the very next day.
I am 87 years old, and the landline is essential for me to call my doctor. This incident occurred shortly after my birthday, which is usually a time when I receive calls from my few remaining friends. Not getting these calls was what upset me the most.
Despite being without service for the entire month, I was still charged my full phone and TV bill of £84 by Sky, and they refused to refund me.
Harvey Dorset, of This is Money, replies:
I’m sorry to hear about how the reckless actions of another person left you without a landline connection, and with a telegraph pole hanging precariously over your property. I’m glad to hear that your home and car managed to go unscathed, however. Your phone lines, unfortunately, were not so lucky.
Your neighbours had their cable connections promptly repaired, and you were no doubt expecting a similar service from Sky for your own. Not only was this not the case, with you waiting 28 days to see your phone line restored, it also meant that you were unable to contact your doctor or your friends.
With your birthday falling at this time, you were understandably upset by this situation. You fall within a fairly large minority, some seven million people, who don’t have internet access at home. Of course, this means you are all the more reliant on your landline as a means of communication.
Sky did eventually restore your phone line, but to add insult to injury, you were charged your full telephone bill, despite having had no access to the service through the month. I took your case to Sky, and I’m glad to say it promptly paid out compensation for your fully paid bills, confirming that you had received their payment.
In total, Sky paid you £295 to compensate you for the situation, including the £84 of your original bill. The firm said there had been an error processing your initial claim for compensation.
A spokesperson for Sky said: ‘We have since resolved the matter with the customer and closed the case.’
