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Communications regulator Ofcom wants to hear from consumers who have received ‘unexpectedly high’ mobile, landline or internet bills The UK communications regulator Ofcom wants to hear from consumers who have received an unexpectedly high mobile, landline or broadband bill in the past 12 months. Research from the regulator shows that 6% of UK consumers received an unexpectedly high mobile phone bill during the last year, with just under a fifth of those receiving a bill at least £100 more than expected. Regarding landlines, 5% of people received an unexpectedly high bill over the past 12 months, with 9% of those receiving a bill at least £100 more than expected. The average “bill shock” was between £31 and £50 for mobile phone services and between £21 and £30 for landlines. The top five common reasons for unexpectedly high mobile bills were: calls not included in the bundle (19%); calls made to 0845/0870 numbers (16%); customers exceeding their inclusive bundles (15%); international calls (15%); and using mobile phones abroad (6%). The top complaints about unexpectedly high landline bills also included calls to mobiles (11%) and incorrect charges. Existing Ofcom rules state that consumers must be provided with clear and transparent information about their contracts and bills, while European regulations limit charges when making calls or accessing the internet on a mobile phone while in Europe. But Ofcom said consumers are still facing bills for unexpected costs, and it will use consumer feedback to determine whether there is a need for further action either by the regulator or by communications providers. On average, Ofcom receives 450 telecoms complaints a day, and the largest areas of complaint are mis-selling, billing errors, lack of service and customer service problems. Ofcom recently announced that telecoms group TalkTalk was the most complained about provider of landline and broadband services between October 2010 and February 2011. The firm’s landline service had 1.78 complaints for every 1,000 customers, while its broadband offering had 1.27 complaints for every 1,000 customers. Consumers wishing to contact Ofcom should do so by June 14 2011 via its website or by email at unexpectedlyhighbills@ofcom.org.uk . Any consumers who have recently received an unexpectedly high bill can also access Ofcom advice here . Internet, phones & broadband Household bills Consumer affairs Ofcom Internet Mobile phones Telecoms Telecommunications industry Mark King guardian.co.uk