Companies conning customers

[kevo]

Come across this increasingly recently... companies deliberately making it difficult for you to cancel your account, etc...

Three examples today:

Mobile phone service - Nothing under 'my account' or anywhere on the website displaying when the current price plan ends/when the contract expires, despite it being the most obvious information people will be looking for. You have to calculate it by adding 70 days to the date when you are allowed to change your payment plan! Obvious ploy to prevent customers moving to a different provider when their contract is up.

Energy provider - tried to go online to set up a direct debit and instead ended up paying a fixed tariff until next year, thinking 'change your tariff' meant how much you would be charged each month for your d/d. The instructions were as clear as mud.

Online subscription service - no clear way to cancel automatic monthly billing, you have a send a message to their customer services team. Nowhere online displaying how much you are actually paying.

Although none of this is illegal, they are all taking the ***** piss - especially with automatic billing, which customers often sign up to thinking it is a one-off payment. They just hope no-one checks their bank statements.... Anyone else any similar experiences?

 

[Justice]

I never pay for anything by direct debit would rather pay the few quid extra for piece of mind.

 

[Hyperion]

Come across this increasingly recently... companies deliberately making it difficult for you to cancel your account, etc...

Three examples today:



Energy provider - tried to go online to set up a direct debit and instead ended up paying a fixed tariff until next year, thinking 'change your tariff' meant how much you would be charged each month for your d/d. The instructions were as clear as mud.

You thought change your tariff meant adding a Direct Debit? That is not an example of being conned. Just Stupidity

 

[kevo]

You thought change your tariff meant adding a Direct Debit? That is not an example of being conned. Just Stupidity

Nah, bit where you signed up to D/D it gave the amount and then 'change tariff' - wasn't clear this would tie you in to a fixed tariff for the next 18 months. They shoulda made it clearer.

 

[Hyperion]

Nah, bit where you signed up to D/D it gave the amount and then 'change tariff' - wasn't clear this would tie you in to a fixed tariff for the next 18 months. They shoulda made it clearer.

The Terms & Conditions were there. That, i believe is a legal requirement. You are mixing being conned in this instance with not reading properly what you were doing

 

[Bill Cassidy's tie up]

Got same type of thing going on at moment, changed telephone and broadband service at my business premises and home to new provider basically because broadband was forever down. Despite being with the old company since 2003 they are demanding over £700 cancellation of contract. To make matters worse a member of staff was cold called by another company and mentioned that the business was looking to change provider and they are claiming that he agreed to a new contract even though I received a call from the company six days later to confirm details when I told them we were not interested and did not require their services.they are claiming over £2000 for cancellation of supposed contract agreed over phone.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

What pisses me off is companies (usually insurance) who take an annual payment and store your card details. Then at the end of the year they automatically take the next years charge. This amount is invariably more and you end up claiming it back.

 

[tycoon0_0]

Come across this increasingly recently... companies deliberately making it difficult for you to cancel your account, etc...

Three examples today:

Mobile phone service - Nothing under 'my account' or anywhere on the website displaying when the current price plan ends/when the contract expires, despite it being the most obvious information people will be looking for. You have to calculate it by adding 70 days to the date when you are allowed to change your payment plan! Obvious ploy to prevent customers moving to a different provider when their contract is up.

Completely incorrect. Your contract automatically rolls over once your minimum contract has been served (12/18/24 months). This isn't a con, as if your contract ended entirely at the end of your contract your phone would no longer work and you'd lose your mobile phone number.

Secondly, It isn't 70 days after your contract has ended. Mobile service providers are only legally allowed to upgrade your contract 45 days early. So, if you want to stay with your provider, you can upgrade one month earlier than your minimum term of your contract.

Thirdly, if you want to leave your current provider and not pay any extra money, during the final month of your contract, contact your provider, request a PAC code and take out your new contract 3/4 days before it is due to end (needs to be week days as PAC codes do not get processed on weekends and needs up to 48 hours to process). This will inform your current provider you have moved providers and will not incur another months charges.

While this might not be common knowledge to the average consumer, all of this information is readily available through your providers customer service, local store and hundreds of blogs online.

Your Ignorance does not equate to companies "conning" you.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Completely incorrect. Your contract automatically rolls over once your minimum contract has been served (12/18/24 months). This isn't a con, as if your contract ended entirely at the end of your contract your phone would no longer work and you'd lose your mobile phone number.

Secondly, It isn't 70 days after your contract has ended. Mobile service providers are only legally allowed to upgrade your contract 45 days early. So, if you want to stay with your provider, you can upgrade one month earlier than your minimum term of your contract.

Thirdly, if you want to leave your current provider and not pay any extra money, during the final month of your contract, contact your provider, request a PAC code and take out your new contract 3/4 days before it is due to end (needs to be week days as PAC codes do not get processed on weekends and needs up to 48 hours to process). This will inform your current provider you have moved providers and will not incur another months charges.

While this might not be common knowledge to the average consumer, all of this information is readily available through your providers customer service, local store and hundreds of blogs online.

Your Ignorance does not equate to companies "conning" you.

Do you work in Carphone Warehouse?

 

[tycoon0_0]

Do you work in Carphone Warehouse?

Not Carphone Warehouse no, why?

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Not Carphone Warehouse no, why?

To have such an extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of mobile contracts you must be affiliated to a phone company or lead a very worrying life style.

 

[kevo]

Completely incorrect. Your contract automatically rolls over once your minimum contract has been served (12/18/24 months). This isn't a con, as if your contract ended entirely at the end of your contract your phone would no longer work and you'd lose your mobile phone number.

Secondly, It isn't 70 days after your contract has ended. Mobile service providers are only legally allowed to upgrade your contract 45 days early. So, if you want to stay with your provider, you can upgrade one month earlier than your minimum term of your contract.

Thirdly, if you want to leave your current provider and not pay any extra money, during the final month of your contract, contact your provider, request a PAC code and take out your new contract 3/4 days before it is due to end (needs to be week days as PAC codes do not get processed on weekends and needs up to 48 hours to process). This will inform your current provider you have moved providers and will not incur another months charges.

While this might not be common knowledge to the average consumer, all of this information is readily available through your providers customer service, local store and hundreds of blogs online.

Your Ignorance does not equate to companies "conning" you.

Simple question: Why do they (Vodafone) choose not to display the date my current contract ends on my account page? Why do they hide this information?

 

[tycoon0_0]

Simple question: Why do they (Vodafone) choose not to display the date my current contract ends on my account page? Why do they hide this information?

Couldn't tell you 100% for Vodafone, but it is readily available. The contract you were given when you initially took out the contract, visit a store or call customer service. As well as that, most companies now send a text informing you that you are now eligible to upgrade. While the online services are good for seeing your bill, usage etc most would prefer to talk to the customer over the phone or in store with regards to an upgrade.

 

[Seasider78]

What amazes me is you can take out and setup a contract online or over the phone but often have to cancel in writing!!!

 

[tycoon0_0]

To have such an extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of mobile contracts you must be affiliated to a phone company or lead a very worrying life style.

Haha, very true. Yeah I do work for one of them though.

 

[Cappers]

Lets see if NSC's think this is, not so much a con, but making it very difficult...
Rang mobile phone provider, got through with minimal holding as usual when I call them. requested a PAC code to move. Got put through to another dept and was made to hold for 26 mins. Finally got through, went through it all, and got sent a PAC code via text. Surprisingly after a couple of days or so, the text message containing my PAC code seemed to self delete. The header was there, but the content of the text was blank. Fortunately, I had kept a separate record of it.
A mate of mind did exact same thing a week later, exactly the same outcome, the wait on hold, the self deleting text....etc
As I say, not a con as such, but making it as difficult as possible to move away

 

[Dunk]

Diamond are wankers. Long(ish) story, but they levied a £120 charge for renewing a contract that my Mrs didn't want, then when she refused to pay (car has been off the road for some time) they passed the debt to a collection agency who collected the money by scaring her elderly parents into paying.

Do not use Diamond. They are not a girl's best friend at all.

 

[tycoon0_0]

Lets see if NSC's think this is, not so much a con, but making it very difficult...
Rang mobile phone provider, got through with minimal holding as usual when I call them. requested a PAC code to move. Got put through to another dept and was made to hold for 26 mins. Finally got through, went through it all, and got sent a PAC code via text. Surprisingly after a couple of days or so, the text message containing my PAC code seemed to self delete. The header was there, but the content of the text was blank. Fortunately, I had kept a separate record of it.
A mate of mind did exact same thing a week later, exactly the same outcome, the wait on hold, the self deleting text....etc
As I say, not a con as such, but making it as difficult as possible to move away

Can you name the provider?

 

[Cappers]

o2 were my provider

 

[Cappers]

Can you name the provider?

o2...