Costly Chatter and Baffling Bills

Telecoms bills are a major source of confusion for UK residents – according to a new report from the Post Office out today.

It revealed that the average household using mobile and landline phones is around GBP 79 out when estimating their bills, meaning the UK public appears to have little idea of the real cost of chatting.

The report showed the best budgeters to be the canny Scots, with a combined annual miscalculation of just GBP 58 per household. Londoners languished at the back of the line, with an average miscalculation of GBP 134 per household.

Experts have blamed this inability to accurately budget for telecoms costs on unclear billing processes and surprise hidden charges, as well as people not thinking about the cost before making a call.

The research also showed that people found it easier to estimate their internet bills than other telecoms costs – with the average home connected to the internet miscalculating bills by only GBP 3 per year.

Work is underway by the Post Office to launch a broadband service in the autumn that will compete head to head with the major players in the market by offering a great value for money deal.