BT - £530 bill dialling talking clock!!!

I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else and what they did about it...

I pay for my calls through Sky but my line rental is still with BT. The usual quarterly bill is around £30. However, I was alarmed to receive a bill for £530. It listed 1,657 calls to the talking clock. Bt have investigated the problem and have written to me stating that the bill is correct and the numbers have been dialed.... every 8 or 9 minutes, for exactly 27 seconds for 1 month. I don't know what else I'm supposed to do as I have no way of arguing against BT.

It seems like this has happened to other people because I found this: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/66/66611_400_riddle_of_calls_to_talking_clock.html

Please, please, please help.
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Comments

  • weegie.geek
    weegie.geek Posts: 3,432 Forumite
    If there's documented evidence of this happening because of the sky box (and there definitely seems to be) then you should scour the internet for more examples of it happening, and get in contact with those people.

    Sky might deny responsibility, but if it's happening that much...

    As an aside, why in the hell do calls to the talking clock cost so much? 17p to be told the time?

    And who uses it? Is there anyone anywhere with no method to tell the time apart from ringing the talking clock?

    Once upon a time it might've been useful for setting your clocks to the right time, but since at least the inception of teletext it seems a bit redundant. Even more so now, with computers and the internet, where we can find out the correct time to within a fraction of a second.
    They say it's genetic, they say he can't help it, they say you can catch it - but sometimes you're born with it
  • irrelevant
    irrelevant Posts: 257
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    It sounds a bit odd for sure..

    Do you have a Sky box, for a start, or anything else connected to the phone line?

    Are you signed up with BT.com to view your bills, and recent calls, online? If not, do so immediately. Are the calls still happening?

    If they are.. Check your bill, then unplug the sky box from the phone line. Leave it out for a day or two. (don't worry about Sky insisting things stay plugged in, they won't care for this amount time.) Watch your bill. If there are still calls coming through, then it's not the sky box, and you need to repeat this for anything else, phones included, that is connected to your line.

    (Some of the newer landline phones with text message capability will dial out automatically to register theselves. This shouldn't be a call you'd notice, but if somehow the service number got altered to 123anything then it would reach the speaking clock and charge you.)

    HTH
    Rob
  • Tallymanjohn
    Tallymanjohn Posts: 1,060 Forumite
    You can unplug your sky box & leave it unplugged - it's only used for interactive TV (you can plug it back in if you need to) but I was originally told the box also 'dials home' with info on what's been watched. Ours hasn't been plugged in for the last 4-5 years since we've had Sky & there's been no issues with it.
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    Forumite
    If you want to leave the line connected to the Sky box (for Box Office ordering or whatever), use your Sky remote control to do this:

    Services
    401
    Select
    3 (TELEPHONE SETTINGS).

    I think you'll find some bright spark has inserted a Dialling Prefix of 123 in there* - delete it or change it to 1470. Don't forget to scroll down to Save New Settings to confirm the new prefix.

    * This would result in the Sky box dialling Time Line (the Speaking Clock) every time it tries to phone home - and it will try repeatedly after it has failed to get through a few times.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • pikkakard
    pikkakard Posts: 6 Forumite
    Heinz wrote: »
    If you want to leave the line connected to the Sky box (for Box Office ordering or whatever), do this:

    Services
    401
    Select
    3 (TELEPHONE SETTINGS).

    I think you'll find some bright spark has inserted a Dialling Prefix of 123 in there - delete it or change it to 1470.

    Just checked and it's already on 1470, so it doesn't look like that's the problem. Thanks
  • pikkakard
    pikkakard Posts: 6 Forumite
    irrelevant wrote: »
    It sounds a bit odd for sure..

    Do you have a Sky box, for a start, or anything else connected to the phone line?

    Are you signed up with BT.com to view your bills, and recent calls, online? If not, do so immediately. Are the calls still happening?

    If they are.. Check your bill, then unplug the sky box from the phone line. Leave it out for a day or two. (don't worry about Sky insisting things stay plugged in, they won't care for this amount time.) Watch your bill. If there are still calls coming through, then it's not the sky box, and you need to repeat this for anything else, phones included, that is connected to your line.

    (Some of the newer landline phones with text message capability will dial out automatically to register theselves. This shouldn't be a call you'd notice, but if somehow the service number got altered to 123anything then it would reach the speaking clock and charge you.)

    HTH
    Rob

    I've got a sky box, but it's not plugged in (actually the dog chewed through the wire about a week after it was installed).

    I think the first suggestion is probably my best bet. Do some more research and find other people in this situation. I guess I could also try Citizens Advice Bureau too.

    One thing's for sure, I am not paying this bill. I'd rather be prosecuted that pay for something I didn't do...

    Thank you all for your advice. Very much appreciated
  • normanmark
    normanmark Posts: 4,156 Forumite
    pikkakard wrote: »
    One thing's for sure, I am not paying this bill. I'd rather be prosecuted that pay for something I didn't do...

    Thank you all for your advice. Very much appreciated

    My advice is don't leave it too long, chase this up & talk to someone at BT tomorrow to get some form of resolution. As there would be nothing worse on your credit rating than an unpaid bill in the long run!
  • meester
    meester Posts: 1,879 Forumite
    pikkakard wrote: »
    I've got a sky box, but it's not plugged in (actually the dog chewed through the wire about a week after it was installed).

    I think the first suggestion is probably my best bet. Do some more research and find other people in this situation. I guess I could also try Citizens Advice Bureau too.

    One thing's for sure, I am not paying this bill. I'd rather be prosecuted that pay for something I didn't do...

    Thank you all for your advice. Very much appreciated

    You should pay the bill, or get Sky to pay it. It is not BT's fault your Sky box is doing something stupid. Why should they lose out because of something that is nothing to do with them? You are liable to pay your phone bill, and Sky are liable for their faulty equipment

    I would insist Sky pay it, and if they refuse, take them to court.
  • deklan99
    deklan99 Posts: 637 Forumite
    Just to clarify something I might have missed, if the OP has CPS with sky talk and just dials 123 that would appear on a BT bill, no need for 1280 bypass? Sorry if appear dim, just off nights.
    “I look like Spiderman at a funeral”~ Karl Pilkington
  • meester wrote: »
    You should pay the bill, or get Sky to pay it. It is not BT's fault your Sky box is doing something stupid. Why should they lose out because of something that is nothing to do with them? You are liable to pay your phone bill, and Sky are liable for their faulty equipment

    I would insist Sky pay it, and if they refuse, take them to court.

    I wish I could afford to take a company as big as BSKYB to court. Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think this would be possible
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