Sky Subscriber Services

[lucyec]

Thank you both for your help and advice. I will certainly write to sky and request a breakdown of charges - cheers for the address Big L As you are obviously right Okonski, if it is indeed Sky who are imposing these charges it should be them I should be complaining to. I shall make a concerted effort to stay polite on the phone... even though 'they' don't seem to!

The reason I was unsure as to how they obtained my address and phone number is that I have recently moved house (from South Wales to Cheshire) and never informed Sky or Westcot what my new address is. Admitedly I have always been one for burying my head in the sand when it comes to financial matters, so tend not to address things like this. However I have turned over a new leaf to become a more responsible person and am working really hard to improve my financial situation - digging up all my old debts/charges etc and finally sorting them out once and for all, as only now am I slightly more financially stable and in a position to face the music as it were. Its so frustrating when trying to resolve matters such as this that the big corporations/banks/etc are so keen to slap on extra unreasonable charges, on a whim it appears, in order to make themselves more money. Keep the poor poor and make the rich richer it seems.

Sorry, that was a bit of a personal rant... anyway, I shall get on to writing to Sky and see what they have to say on the matter. Thanks again for your guidance, it is much appreciated

[buzby]

I'm curious also about their knowing about a change of address that you didn't advise them of... especially if you didn't bother to plug in your receive to the telephone line (if you did, then there's your answer).

I wouldn't get too humble about the difficultiers you found yourself in, nobody can expect things to go smoothly all the time, and whilst you may have the best intentions, life does get in the way and you shouldn't have to apologise for it. These firms have put procedures in place to ensure debtors become a bigger revenue stream than a normal customer. Why else all this propaganda over paying by DDM, especially when the customer can find that thie lies that it is quick and easy replaced by, it's expensive when it goes wrong, and pretty much like leaving the keys in the froont door of your bank account.

Incidentally, did you fill in a PO 'I'm Moving?' form? If you look a t the small print, in addition to advising the PO that your mail should be switched to a new address, you also automatically give them permission to inform the TV Licencing people (Capita) and CRA databases. Considering the PO charge you for this service, it is a very bad deal!

[lucyec]

Nope.... I've become a master at running away from problems, hehe. So as usual I just moved and didn't tell anyone official. Didn't even take the Sky box with me. My guess is they may have got the info from my credit report as I started a Next account at my new address (which has an impeccable payment record to date ), so it started a new record linked to my new address.

[denzil69]

when dealing with sky, i used my visa debit card to make payment, and they took money from my account each month using the card details. once i cancelled due to over charging (it breached the contract) they were unable to set up anything on my account as they did not have the DD in the first place. dont think they would mess with visa, as they can bring an action against them.

[buzby]

Originally Posted by denzil69

when dealing with sky, i used my visa debit card to make payment, and they took money from my account each month using the card details. once i cancelled due to over charging (it breached the contract) they were unable to set up anything on my account as they did not have the DD in the first place. dont think they would mess with visa, as they can bring an action against them.

Taking money from a credit or debit card is not the same and should not be confused with a DD. Card operate a different scheme, and is called a 'continuous authority'. With a DDM you can cancel by revoking it at your bank, a recurring card debit can ONLY be cancelled if the company agrees to your request. If there is a dispute, there is nothing to stop them taking the funds until your card is replaced with a new one bearing a different number, issue number or expiry date. It is not often realised that even if you give a card number for a one-off payment, a supplier may keep the number and use it at a subsequent date, if challenged they can say they were given the number willingly by the customer and you raised no objection(s) to your card being used in this way.

The rules were changes several years ago so that you no longer had to give wirtten permission for a recurring or continuous payment mandate.

[pugsley]

I have been thinking about this issue myself recently, I have £4 put on for sky invoice and I think another £4 for 3 mobile bill it all adds up, I don't take on direct debits any more

[buzby]

Check and tell me this - is the paperwork you receive a Sky Statement or an Invoice? The the former, have you EVER received an Invoice from Sky, despite them making an 'Invoice charge'? The last thing you need to remember is an Invoice is not the same as a statement.... so your complaint for incorrect billing is valid, and far easier to challenge than their £4 non-DDM fee.

[pugsley]

yep I only get statements with £4 invoice admin charge

[pugsley]

I think I have paid this charge since 10/04/2004! and have never received an invoice, I do not have a contract with Sky anymore that I know of I can leave at any time. At the moment if you say you are going to leave them they offer you a 50% reduction for three months or 90% off, my friend told me this awhile ago and I got 3 months half price credited.

[buzby]

Well - you've now got the ammunition you need. Write to them noting yoy have been charged £XXX for Invoices that were never received. Explain that as you only received Statements the charge is clearly in error, and you request an immediate credit of the fees charged in this way, along with a compensatory payment of £25 to cover your costs in raising this matter. Ensure you explain that if the credit of £XXX+£25 is not forthcoming within 28 days, you will serve a LBA and seek recovery the Sheriff/County Court.

That should get thing moving a little!

PS: Send it by Recorded Delivery to their Livingston Correspondence Section (Kirkton Campus).

[buzby]

__

[buzby]

Just a slight correction - the correct postal address is;

Correspondence Department
Sky Subscriber Services Ltd
4 Macintosh Road
Kirkton Campus
LIVINGSTON EH54 7BW

[pugsley]

I haven't kept all the statements but will just ask for all the £4's to be credited and they can work it out as I started to pay by direct debit but the amounts kept changing so I cancelled this.

thanks

[pugsley]

This is a bit basic but is it ok?



Correspondence Department
Sky Subscriber Services Ltd
4 Macintosh Road
Kirkton Campus
LIVINGSTON EH54 7BW



Dear Sirs
Re Account no


I have noted that I am being charged £4 per month for Invoices that were never received, I have only received Statements since 10/04/2004 and this charge is clearly in error. I request an immediate credit of the fees charged in this way, along with a compensatory payment of £10 to cover my costs in raising this matter.


If this credit is not forthcoming within 28 days, I will serve a letter before action and seek recovery through the County Court.


Yours faithfully,

[norvernrob]

I have also had problems with Sky, after them trying to charge me £85 a month because my 2nd box wasn't plugged into a telephone line (it wasn't even in use) I rang up to cancel my subscription, fully expecting them to give me a sweetener.

They duly did, 3 months half price and the ridiculous double charges removed. The next month they tried taking the whole subscription amount from my account - result I was charged by the bank as I only left enough in to cover half the subscription. They also charged me 2 months @ £10 a month for a multiroom package I had cancelled 4 months previously!

I gave up ringing them at this point as I was sick of paying them their rip off 0870 rate while I waited 20 minutes on hold. I use the Email service on their website, they are bloody slow to reply (4-6 working days) but at least its free.

I ended up getting the 3 months half price actually applied, the £20 multiroom fee refunded and my bank charge refunded - they wouldn't admit to refunding it me though - they said 'we have also accidentally credited your account with an extra £20, but in lieu of your bank charge we will not reclaim it as a gesture of goodwill' (dont these companies love their 'gestures of goodwill'!

I still have Sky, but they make one more mess of my account and I will cancel it for good.

Incidentally on the subject of them setting up a new DD after it has been cancelled, Carphone warehouse did the same to me - my bank informed me they have 'trusted companies' that they allow to do this. I was disgusted, if I cancel a DD I want it cancelled not set back up!

[pugsley]

mine isn't plugged into the telephone line either, my baby rabbits ate the line lol, they have never bothered me about it though, I only have sky digi box not sky +

[Rich44]

I have Sky+ and it has NEVER been plugged in I am not having Sky selling my viewing data on to people thank you very much, had they started threatening me n all that then I would have plugged it in but have never heard a peep out of them lol