The Judge: AMSTRAD? 'AM pounds 900 POORER.(Features)

FRANK REMINCH ended up with a shock pounds 900 bill when his hi-tech home phone dialled the internet every hour for six months.

Furious Frank, 57, of Salsburgh, Lanarkshire, complained to BT and manufacturers Amstrad but neither firm would take responsibility.

Frank, a part-time recruitment trainer, has been forced to take out a loan to pay the debt.

He said: "BT have cut me off. They don't want to know."

Retired sales rep Gerald McCann also received a pounds 377 bill after problems with his Amstrad emailer phone. Gerald, 75, of Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, said: "I normally pay around pounds 70. I don't know what to do."

I got on to Amstrad, in Brentwood, Essex, and commercial director Simon Sugar said the emailer is set to make one call a day and therefore someone must have changed the settings.

He said: "If you put an electric fan heater on for 24 hours a day, you'd get huge bills."

Frank and Gerald are adamant that they did NOT change the settings on their phones.

Gerald said: "I did not change anything. I will be having my emailer checked out."

Watch this space.

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Shock: Frank