It’s good to talk, but only after 7 o’clock

First BT, then TalkTalk - and now Sky. The third of the four major phone companies has announced plans to change the times of off-peak calls from 6pm to 7pm. From 1st June, any Sky Talk customer that makes a weekday call between 6pm and 7pm will be charged at the daytime rate, which is being increased by 12%. Only those on the anytime Sky Talk Unlimited package will be unaffected.

Sky's move to shift evening calls back from 6pm to 7pm comes hot on the heels of rivals BT, that changed off-peak hours at the beginning of April, and TalkTalk that intends to do so on 1st June. But a recent uSwitch.com poll suggests that the initiative could well be industry-led rather than consumer-led. According to the survey, 8.2 million consumers (18%) make the majority of their weekday phone calls between 6pm and 7pm. On average these customers make two calls every evening between these times, with each call lasting 13 minutes. Rises to daytime call rates and connection charges could see consumers paying up to £450 a year more if they do not change their calling habits.

Not surprisingly, the majority of phone customers (57%) are unimpressed with the idea of off-peak times shifting back an hour. 30% of phone customers believe that having to wait until 7pm is less convenient and a further 24% would consider changing to a provider whose off-peak hours start at 6pm. Businesses could also be affected - 2% of customers say they would to use their work phone for personal calls if they had to pay before 7pm.

The news gets worse for the lion's share of home phone customers as BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media - the four biggest firms - have announced inflation-busting rises to both call rates and connection fees. BT and Virgin Media led the wave of increases on 1st April. pushing daytime rates up to 5.9p and 6.5p respectively. Now, from 1st June Sky and TalkTalk daytime call rates will rise to 5.9p and 5.8p respectively. Call connection fees are also climbing to record high of 9.9p per non-inclusive call with Virgin Media customers now forking out a stinging 11p per non-inclusive call.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the arrival of fresh deals from new market entrants and lesser known brands. For example, O2 has just launched a home phone service with daytime call rates of 4.5p, connection fees where applicable of 9p and evening calls starting at 6pm. Primus offers even better value with daytime call rates of just 3p per minute and a 4p connection charge. Evening calls start at 6pm and last until 8am.

Steve Weller, communications expert at uSwitch.com, comments: "There's no doubt that this move will hit homes hard. If customers don't change their calling habits they could see hundreds of pounds added to their annual bill. We're holding our breath to see if Virgin Media will follow suit.

"This is a real slap in the face for customers. Those on evening and weekend calling plans will be most affected as, instead of free calls after 6pm, they will have to pay an increased daytime call rate plus an increased call set-up fee for any calls made before 7pm. It's a double whammy.

"Companies are making this move to encourage more people to sign up to the all-you-can-eat ‘Anytime' calling plans, but it's clear to us that the new times will not sit well with the majority of customers. Those who make most of their calls in the early evening may find that switching to a different provider could help them keep their costs down. Customers need to be careful about not breaking the terms of their existing contract though. Anyone unsure about where they stand should contact their phone company to discuss their situation. But, for those not in a contract, it's time to jump ship. Switching home phone is an instant way to dramatically shave household bills."