Ofcom gets tough on cell phone cowboys

I wonder why it has taken Ofcom so long to realise that the best scam in town is flogging a mobile phone contract. On Ofcom's website today is the stark message "Mobile service providers and retailers engaging in dishonest, misleading or deceptive conduct could be fined under new Ofcom rules that come into force today." Well, don't hang about, get your lassos out and rein in these cowboys.

This is a business that can sell a service that is never guaranteed to work, where outages are the "responsibility" of the customer and where contracts are "sold" as if it is mere advice. Whilst the mobile phone industry is now vital to the smooth running of modern life, it is also vital to remove the gadflies and gannets that have come to feed off the fortunes.