Tags: Scams
Phone Spam from Satellite Direct UK
November 23rd, 2006, by Rich.
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I just got another call from Satellite Direct UK telling me that my Sky warranty needs renewing. Oddly enough, nothing has changed since their last call. We are still registered with the TPS so it’s unlawful for them to phone us and we still don’t have a Sky box, so it’s definitely not out of it’s warranty period, which they again suggested. Satellite Direct UK you are not morons: stop ignoring the TPS.
Update: Looks like we’re not the only recipients of their unwanted sales calls: Longrider (also called twice) points out a host of others.
Update: Satellite Direct UK’s business practices have subsequently been successfully challenged in the High Court by BSkyB.
Update 2008/03/10: Satellite Direct UK are investigated by BBC Watchdog (it’s available on iPlayer for 1 week after broadcast).
Update 2008/07/05: The director of Satellite Direct UK appears to have been charged with fraud and money laundering.
December 1st, 2006 at 9:23 am
Could you give the telephone number, please, Elise to see if it was the one we dealt with? I’m beginning to wonder who we actually dealt with when we ‘re-newed’!
December 1st, 2006 at 9:57 am
Satellite Direct have a couple of numbers that I know of. The one on their latest letter is 08702 245 777. In my notes from previous phone calls I’ve written down 08702 402 559 and 08702 437 673.
December 5th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Satellite Direct are con merchants! I took out a contract with them, was assured it applied to the Isle of Man. Rang them with a problem, after hanging on for 20 mins got cut off! re-dialed waited 15 mins and told I would have to get my own engineer. They would only pay £65, thats near enough the cost of call-out
December 6th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Elise’s comments are rather worrying, it takes it to an entirely new ball game if it is correct.
I did a Google for Satellite Direct and ended up here. My mother has been having these calls once a week for the last month and they are persistent to say the least even when told she is not interested. This evening when they called they went into more detail and I had a talk with them. Warranty up after first year free! Well, we’ve had Sky for almost ten years so as far as their info is concerned over us they are talking out of their rear ends. They got my mother very worried and she has been looking through all her bank statements for the last hour to see if they had been deducting anything as they had been implying that she was already with them and it was just a renewal. Have just reported this to TPS.
Further phone numbers they are using:
Tel No. they used to contact us: 01273 771220
Tel Nos. we were told to use to contact them:
08702 402473
08702 245777
December 7th, 2006 at 9:29 am
As far as we are concerned, it would appear that it really was Sky who contacted us.
They sub-contract the work to local people.
We had a major problem (ie no sky at all) the day our contract ran out… but had renewed at their invitation. The engineer arrived on time, fitted new bits to the dish, as water had got in (not surpprising in view of the recent weather in wales) and left us a telephone no to contact in future to get the same engineer out… at no apparent charge.
December 9th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
My home tel no is ex-directory. These toerags could only have got it from Sky. They called from 08702 402 559 on 8 Dec 06. On answering, it was a message, inviting me to call them back on another expensive 0870 no. I am now reporting this to TPS.
December 12th, 2006 at 10:59 am
googled to here as well, just got called by Sat Direct. Not sure how they got my details off of Sky, never had Sky at this address. We are registered with the TPS and MPS, but the feeling I am getting is it is not worth calling them or notifying Sat Direct as they will do little. Am I wrong?
December 12th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Hi James, the number of complaints is a good indicator of how many times people “slip through the net” and can help the regulator when considering if this is an honest mistake or a calculated gamble. Also, if you don’t ask the TPS for help when their list is ignored by companies, you might as well not be registered, so log the incident.
December 13th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
I am puzzled by the statement by John that they only contact people based upon a list they get from SKY when others have already stated that people - like me - keep being pestered and don’t even have SKY. This is simply computer based cold calling and I have again reported them to TPS as they are lible for a £5000,00 fine for each trangression.
December 15th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Just googled the number and got here. I’m on TPS too but not ex-dir. Neither do I have Sky or any satelite/cable service. They’re just dialling every number. They left their number on 1471 - strange. The scam is to get you to call them back. They get a rake off on 0870 numbers, did you know that? That’s why you are always put through tortuous layers of options and then kept holding. Don’t use 0870 numbers, look up their landline on the internet, or better still an 0800 number. They get answered quickly, don’t you know.