'I feel sick about signing that phone contract'

"I feel sick every time I think about it," says Paul Toplass.

"I've been in business for over 25 years. We've never experienced anything like this."

Mr Toplass, who runs a pest control firm, says he was misled into signing a business contract for three phones that he is now "powerless" to break free from.

It has left him "being asked to pay over £10,000" for the phones he believes are worth less than £200 each.

Secret filming of a pitch by a representative of Hii Communications Ltd showed them making verbal promises that did not accurately reflect the contract terms and failing to highlight clauses around third-party finance and extra charges.

The Lincoln-based firm, also known as Hii Com, said it worked within "guidelines and rules set out by our funders".

While consumer law gives individuals a cooling-off period after signing a contract, there is no such protection for businesses.

Mr Toplass complained to telecoms regulator Ofcom, only to be told it does not deal with individual cases.

He then turned to the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), but was told he lacked proof such as "photographs of the documents at the time that he signed them".

CISAS concluded that "on the balance of probabilities" he had "agreed to contracts with minimum terms of 84 months".

Mr Toplass said it was unrealistic to expect people to be able to provide the kind of photographic evidence wanted.

"You are on your own," he said.