Have you seen those adverts on telly offering you either a half price Sky+ box or £50 of M & S vouchers for introducing a friend to the media giant?

Well don't bother. When you come round to claim, after the receipt of an e-mail with a reference number and an obligatory 10 minute wait on the phone guess what. You need your own 12 digit a/c number and that your friends (despite having previously supplied the former). They cannot, despite being Sky, find it for you, transfer you to someone who can or in any way release to you the promised booty. No a further batch of phone calls to other people are required followed by another shot at your "free gift".

Unsurprisingly I have got on with the rest of my day instead. So much for 16 years as a customer. Oh and you can't complain on the phone.