You can Yell all you like, but we're not listening

Once upon a time there was the Yellow Pages - the classified section of the telephone directory. If you're old enough to remember the sometimes comically inept listings that were impossible to correct, it means you're at least as old as Andrew.

Then privatisation came, and our beloved yellow doorstop was sold off. Now meet Hibu, in the guise of Yell.com.

So our two intrepid directors decided to apply for a free listing on Yell.com - one entry for Qryztal Computing, and another for Qryztal Consulting. What happened next is no doubt recorded for posterity in Yell's library of call centre phone calls (no doubt known internally as the "hall of shame").

To their everlasting regret, our directors were induced to sign up to contracts totalling not much less than £2,300 for a year's worth of advertising. Yell must surely have been desperate, as the customer reference numbers are literally consecutive - either that, or it was a deliberate ploy to ensnare both of them. Who in their right mind would seriously believe that, in a capital city full of people who like to have a go at fixing computers, the principled and honest enterprise that is Qryztal would stand a chance of being at the top of the list of computer repair services in south London?

According to the contracts, the directors are locked into them under the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Yet at the same time members of Yell staff have advised the directors that the contracts are enforceable against the company.

So, who are the parties to the contracts? If the individual directors, then Qryztal Ltd cannot be held liable. If the company is party to both contracts, then the shareholders of Qryztal would ultimately be liable for any debts, but only up to the value of their shares.

If you're not confused by now, perhaps we should explain: the Consumer Credit Act applies only to individuals, not corporate bodies (limited companies).

To anyone reading this who hasn't signed up for a Yell contract, we say: heed our advice, and stay well clear of Yell.

And to Yell we say: you may wish to express your views as to the legality of this situation in the comments below. (We reserve the right to reply to or to ignore any comments on this blog post - and, indeed, to turn off commenting at any time.)