A FAMILY say mobile phone operator Three will warn people in their village they could be affected by poor signal.
John and Maxine Higgins bought two phones from the network's Hull store but then discovered there was no signal at their home in Keyingham, near Patrington.
They asked to cancel their contracts but say they were told this was not possible because one of the phones had been used to make a call.
The couple said after several calls to Three's customer service phone line and repeated trips to the store, they decided to go to go to the Citizens' Advice Bureau for help.
Mr Higgins, 61, said: "Where we are in Keyingham, the phones won't receive any calls.
"I went back to the store and we were told there was no signal because we were right in between two areas of coverage.
"I would just like Three to sort it out once and for all."
The couple said they are spending £30 a month on contracts including two new Sony Experia phones which they cannot use at home.
They say Three has told them it is company policy not to cancel contracts once a phone call has been made.
Mr Higgins said he has returned the phones to the network but has been advised by the Citizens' Advice Bureau not to cancel his direct debit for them.
Mr Higgins said: "I've spoken to the customer care team four times.
"I've driven four 30-mile round trips.
"I've spent about 100 minutes in phone calls to customer services."
Mr Higgins said staff at the Three store in King Edward Street told him they would warn customers from Keyingham about poor coverage in future before selling them phones.
He hopes others can avoid being affected by the same situation.
He said: "We were told their policy is you can't end a contract if you've used a phone."
Three has an online map showing where is covered and lists Keyingham as receiving signal for indoor and outdoor mobile phone coverage.
The company says its phones can receive signal in about 97 per cent of the UK.
The Mail contacted Three for comment but had not received a response at the time of going to press.
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