Future Comms issues - joseph Stickler

[Neenaaaaw]

 signed up to this contract around about Jan 2018 - I didn't have a buy out fee from my original provider as I was nearly at the end of my time with Three ( luckily) . 

 

I set up a Direct Debit and noticed quite quickly that the bills were always slightly higher than what was agreed, but only slightly so didn't take much notice as I thought it would be hotspot wifi etc.  And then 12 months into the contract Future Comms rang again offering an early upgrade.  We agreed and with the upgrade they offered two promotional sim cards, we have the voice recording from Future Comms and the promotional sim cards and the new contract was going to cost us £165.00 + VAT with a pay back of £58 a month - and the promotional sims were included in the deal and it would cost an extra £9 a month.  An extra £9 was checked, checked and double checked by us on the call recording and it was confirmed it would only be an extra £9 a month.   This is when it all started to go wrong. 

 

We received the sim cards and bunged them in a drawer and have never used them.   You don't ever receive a copy of your bill, so its kinda pot luck what the DD is going to be.  The last DD I let go out of the bank was for over £400 and I didn't have £400.  We called Future Comms and questioned it and they then sent us two previous bill and our future bill.  The next bill we were due to pay after the £400 bill was for almost £1000.  They hadn't capped the 50gb and in one day we'd managed to rack up £400+ in charges and to this day we've no idea why.  They're saying that we went over the allotted 50gb .  I also noticed on this bill that  the 2 free promotional sim cards were being charged at £99 a month each.  When we questioned Future Comms they said that although it said it on the bill,. it wasn't actually being charged, it was a legal thing,  although when you added it all up - we were being charged????   Future Comms were frquently lying to be at this point to get me off the phone.  

 

The monthly payback payments have been hit and miss.  Up until the upgrade they were as regular as clockwork, when we stopped paying they stopped (quite rightly) and now they're paying £35 a month now I'm in a payment plan.   No idea why its decreased as the payments are still the same.  My bills are still sky high.  

 

We've phoned them countless times since, raised a complaint through their official complaint process with no reasonable answer.  Emails go unanswered.

 

I'm now in a payment plan with O2 because I can't afford the bills.  I'm actually paying less on that than by bills are?!  O2 have been amazing and have promised not to cut us off - as they're aware its a business phone.  

 

Future Comms have finally agreed they've overcharging me and agreed to pay me £470.  They even took my business bank details to pay the money - which to date, I've not received.  They keep changing the goalposts and have since said because I'm in a payment plan they can't pay me back the money.  I refuted this as nonsense as the money is rightfully O2's ( not even mine! ) so have asked them to pay it directly to O2 which they've also said no to.  Apparently now, the terms and conditions I've signed state this.  I've asked them to single out the term that states that if I can't pay the bill and enter into a repayment plan, any money Future Comms owe me will be with held until the payment plan is clear.  They're now ignoring me.

 

I've also been told that I'm not allowed to phone them anymore, as I've upset Faye too much because I used the word "crap" and accuse them of fraudulent activity.    Although I do still phone them, I've emailed Faye and she's not replied.  And that was at the end of last week.  As I'm such an unreasonable customer and our relationship has broken down I've asked them to release me from this contract which they've also refused.

 

This may be a bit jumbled but so much has happened that its hard to remember what happened when.  I now want to take legal action.   

 

[BankFodder]

Hi thanks for your post.

Please will you monitor with straight for a fuller response today or maybe tomorrow. I'm afraid I'm away at the moment.

one thing that puzzles me is that you seem to be saying with you or paying future comms directly. as far as I understand the usual arrangements people normally pay their money directly to O2.

I will probably have to ask you to clarify some issues.

 

 

[Neenaaaaw]

Thats my fault - the DD is set up with Telfonica Ltd, which is O2.   FC never explained we'd be paying O2 directly -but we are paying O2 not FC.   

[BankFodder]

Okay, you have said that the figure seems to be going up and down – but you seem to be fairly clear that they owe you at least £470. Is this correct?

I understand that they are now saying that they cannot pay you this because you are a in an instalment plan with O2 – but they won't tell you where in the contract it says that they are entitled to do this.

I'm extremely sceptical of this because I've looked through their contract albeit briefly and I haven't noticed any kind of relationship between Future comms and O2 that would allow this kind of behaviour. I don't see that Future comms occupies a guardianship role over money that might be owed to 02.

I'm afraid – like everyone else – you are going to be obliged to take legal action against them and that means beginning a small claim in the County Court. It's very easy. It's risk-free – almost. The only problem one concerned with is that if you eventually win – which I'm sure you will, whether it is easy to enforce judgements against future comms. They seem to be behaving with impunity and I wonder if in some way they feel that they can't be touched even in the event of a judgement and bailiffs or even High Court enforcement officers visiting them.

The only other thing to add is that I believe that you are operating as a small business and this means that there is a risk that if you sue Future comms and it goes to a hearing then you will have to visit their local county court to attend the hearing and this could be onerous for you – although on the basis that you win you will also be able to claim your reasonable costs and travel. We would try to help you present circumstances to the court in order to encourage them to transfer the hearing to your local court that one can't be certain that this will work – so this is something you need to be ready for.

I think it's a shocking situation. The – as far as I can tell – hundreds of similar stories that are appearing on trust pilot and elsewhere about Future comms is quite extraordinary and I feel very sorry for the decent small business people who find that their bank balances, the telephone services – and generally speaking their small businesses are at risk. £470 may not sound much but frankly I think it's quite substantial sum – not to mention the stress and disappointment associated with it.

There is a threshold of £600 – and if you were able to bring an action for £600 or more, then you could begin enforcement proceedings by using the High Court enforcement system. These people have very serious teeth and also it's extremely expensive – not for you – but for future comms. If Future comms were to receive a visit from the High Court Enforcement Officers then I'm quite sure that they would pay up immediately or else face losing computer equipment et cetera and they would also be faced with a bill of as much as £2000 simply to pay for the collection. This is a serious weapon. Unfortunately nobody has come to this forum yet with that kind of debt being owned by Future comms.

Can you confirm that the figure is £470 and is it going up every month or what?

[BankFodder]

Please can you copy this into a new thread. It's better if you have your own story running and it's less confusing for people who want to help you https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/87-telecoms-mobile-or-fixed/

 

[Ken123456789]

Future Comms or Future Conns as I call them are a Complete con. Please do not hessitate and contact FCA and Ofcom immediately whom are their regulators. Only by volume of complaints can any action be taken against them. So your single complaint counts for a lot.