Tags: Scams
Phone Spam from Satellite Direct UK
November 23rd, 2006, by Rich.
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).
November 7th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Have found out to-day my mothers credit card transactions(many of them ) ended up in a World Pay(Bank of Scotland) account,and if they have been taken frauduantly they will re-imburse her ,I will let you know the outcome.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
my parents paid satellite customer services of bognor regis £96.00 for 2 yrs warranty in august 06.company called satellite assured rang her in september and “informed”her that her satellite warranty was expiring,my mother thinking that this was the same company as previous paid these £65.00.i have just found out and rang them in furious mood.this company is also from bognor regis which is misleading.they have asked for a letter to cancel policy,i hope to get the £65.00 refunded,will wait and see,anyone had similar experience??
November 9th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
The plot gets thicker. I perhaps need to expand on my previous posts. My client had a phone call out of the blue 10 days ago from collections at Satellite Assured to ask for payment of £99 as the bank had refused the direct debit in August - refer to account holder - pay £99 now or it’s going to a debt collection agency. Client says no knowledge, but SA quote bank account number and an alleged conversation in August 05. Sorry, don’t know of you, please send all details you have relating to the agreement. SA rep very aggressive, but agrees to send out information.
Two days later, a letter arrives that now quotes £297 as owed, not £99, with threat of referral to debt collection agency signed by the same person in the collections agency. No details of the contract set up, but reference to warranty. Ten days later, still no information, so client recalled to be informed that it should have gone out. We don’t know if you haven’t received – but then that would be a bit like the alleged ongoing reminders?
Now where this has become very misty is that the Satellite Assured arguments hinge on a direct debit set up in August 2005 for a payment of £99, which is when and how SA allege the contract was validated, as my client has not signed anything. Clients bank accounts confirm no payments were ever made to Satellite Assured or any other possibly related company – in fact no payments of any kind to anyone for £99 in four months from August. But what he does have is an agreement with Dom and Gen for the Sky Repair Protection Plan which was RENEWED in November 2005 following a previous years introductory offer – so why would he have taken out another policy for the same equipment, and original confusion over who was who and what had been covered when.
The further information, if it arrives, may highlight the origin, but this is becoming more conspiratorial by the day. Where did the bank account details come from, why do they wait two years to take recovery action, is this a scam which may have others more vulnerable than my client actually pay up. We are preparing a full submission to the trading standards of the area, have already notified SA of the total rejection of their claim for any monies. Proof of the original payment in 2005 has been asked for, do they work on an assumption that people don’t check, have no records going back, or respond to bullying.
I will let this blog know how we go on, and also any further relevant information.
November 10th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Seems like I am making this a personal crusade,but I am only trying to stop other people getting conned.There is no doubt that being insured for any eventuality appeals to some people.My personal gripe is the same as many others on this site : Satellite Assured obtain your card/Bank details by clever mis-leading calls and then use them to collect your hard earned cash without permission whenever they like and then it is up to you to try and get it back.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:22 am
I had a phone call last night from Sky asking to speak to my partner as he was the account owner except he isn’t I am and our names are totally different as we are not married so alarm bells started ringing as no way would BSKYB make such an error. I asked what company I was talking too and he replied SKY then promptly spoke over me telling me my warranty had ran out and I needed to chose one of the 3 options of payment and that not paying wasnt an option. He was a bully, rude and demanding. I asked again what company I was speaking to and again he said SKY. I asked if what I pay for my tv,phone and broadband wasnt enough and he said no so I said fine cancel the lot. He stumbled a bit over his words then so I asked to speak to a senior. Before he put me on hold he shouted John, then I was put on hold for a few seconds and a woman came on. I asked who John was but she said its just a name and no-one called John worked there. I demanded what company I was talking to and I was told satellite Direct UK. I asked what connection she they had to sky and she replied None. She was very forceful and rude and abusive telling me I had to chose a payment option. I asked again what connection they had with BSKYB and she said none but if I dont pay I will have to pay £69 to sky for call out and then pay for any repairs and new boxes and dishes. I just replied I bid you good night and P off and hung up.
I then called BSKYB to ask about Satellite Direct UK they advised that it was a scam and not connected to sky at all and like someone else has already said they ONLY people they deal with the Domestic General. I am going to write to Watch Dog as this company is conning people out of a lot of money and being abusive on the phone. They also rang my sister.
The more that report this company and its alias names the better. Please please please write to watch dog. Either email watchdog@bbc.co.uk.
write a letter to
BBC Watchdog, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS
Or ring 020 8535 1000
Thanks
Sam
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Last year satellite assured did the same old con with me, rang to say my cover needed to be renewed and to confirm my bank details with me. Like a prized tit i gave them and ended up £65 worse off with no paperwork and my original monthly payment to the real company still going out. Put it down to experience as had no luck contacting them and forgot about it.
Anyway got a letter from Sat assured a fortnight ago telling me i had to renew (I have moved house so have no idea how they got my new address and phone no.!) My one saving grace is that i have changed my bank so they couldnt get their grubby little paws on my cash this time! Thjis was followed by numerous phonecalls in which i told them everytime I did not want to renew. Tonight i recieved a call from george at their company who informed me if i dont pay they will take me to court. After a long and heated conversation he agreed to cancel contract but informed me that i have to pay them £20 by giving them my debit card details - does this bloke think i was born yesterday or what!
I have just emailled watchdog and will get in contact with sky tomorrow to see if they can offer any support as i have been a customer for 7 years!
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:36 am
I responded to a sat direct tel call and gave my bank details for a £6.00 a month service agreement on my digibox only to change my mind and was assured that no contract would be actioned. i received nothing to suggest i had a contract so imagine my shock when £78.00 was taken from my account 19 MONTHS LATER !!!!putting me overdrawn and incurring bank charges. No letter warning me and I didnt even realise I had a contract. Staff wont put me in touch with management to talk it over and my 4 letters have had insufficient replies. They refuse to refund the money the stole from my account and its an outrage they will not get away with.
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Days after I came out of hospital in June I was phoned by Satellite Direct who said my sky warrenty was due for renewal. I was feeling ill and wanted to get it out of the way so I asked them to prove they were from sky. They then gave me all my details, package everything. Like an idiot i paid with credit card, can’t believe I did it, but I sure would never have paid if I thought they were unconnected with Sky. Paid £99.99 but did’t receive written confirmation until 2 months later. I have now begun the daily ritual of phoning and sending them emails to obtain a refund - huh not likely. My main concern is they have my card details….what do I do? I know that Sky disclosed my details although they gave me some nonsense about their confidentiality policy!! Sky have always misspelt my name although I asked them ages ago to amend it. Funny how Satellite Direct misspell my name exaactly the same as Sky. No-one else, no other company or individual has ever spelt my name like that…so Sky did not protect my details at all. This is a real worry,I have reported this to Watchdog and spoken to Trading Standards but they didn’t seem to be very interested. Who else can I contact?
November 24th, 2007 at 12:02 am
Satellite Direct are a bunch of law-breaking con artists.
Sky sued them a while ago for “passing off”. It is very
unlikely that Sky will be giving them their customer’s
details.
I’m very surprised that they are still doing this -
do contact the Information Commissioner - SD have given assurances that they would no longer phone anyone without prior consent - the directors may be looking
at a jail term.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/jan/06/consumernews.moneysupplement1
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/12566
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/privacy_and_electronic/notices/satcover_undertaking.pdf
http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/privacy_and_electronic/notices/satdirect_undertaking.pdf
http://www.herbertsmith.com/NR/rdonlyres/7D2A9CC2-7B37-40CB-BE2A-E620813CCEB7/2959/SKYnewsflash081206.html
http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=123452&d=122&h=24&f=46
November 26th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I am covered by B sky B.
In September I received a letter from Satellite Direct Uk starting “As the company chosen to look after your digital system”.
As they are not, I checked my bank statement and found that a payment has been made to them by direct debit for a number of months. I have asked for a copy of my authority for such payment but it has not been supplied. I clearly cancelled the direct debit but the firm are clearly of questionablebackground and action should be taken to closwe them down.