Digital Services (1 Viewer)

[madbluemad]

Hi Folks

Does anyone know of a company called Digital Services UK.

Yesterday SWMBO was having a look at our bank statement and in particular Standing Orders and Direct Debits and saw one Standing Order that she Knew that she had never set up.

It was with a company called Digital Services to the value of £5.99 per month and has been active for a few years. She had assumed that it had been set up by me.

She asked me about it when I got home from work and I didnt have a clue what it was. A web search showed that they were a reputable company that offer warranty's to cover SKY Digital equipment. A further search showed message boards complaining that it was a scam.

This company cold calls to offer this cover. Neither myself or SWMBO can recall ever being contacted by this company and we certainly dont have any paperwork/policy documentation from them to identify the service.

This was the case with a lot of people on the message boards.

It would appear that there may be an element of mis-selling involved here and there may be people who are paying this money and dont actually realise what it is.

SKY have distanced themselves from them and will not carry out warranty work if Digital Services have been involved.

We havent had SKY TV for at least two years but still the money has been taken. I am choosing my words carfully here because Digital Services is a reputable company.

Today SWMBO will cancell the standing order and take advice from the bank as to what we can do about reclaiming this money.

We emailed Digital Services last night to complain and ask for our money back. The next step will be the CAB and the Office of Fair Trading, however, check your bank statements and have a look for this. You may be in the same boat.

Jim

 

[Ralph-Dot]

I get two or three calls a week telling me I need satellite insurance, at one time I think my mother had three on the go as she thought it was SKY phoning telling her she need maintenance insurance (she has none now). A new system costs less than the insurance and practically anyone can fit a dish (especially motorhomers).

They are legitimate but are not from SKY and are totally unnecessary

 

[madbluemad]

I get two or three calls a week telling me I need satellite insurance, at one time I think my mother had three on the go as she thought it was SKY phoning telling her she need maintenance insurance (she has none now). A new system costs less than the insurance and practically anyone can fit a dish (especially motorhomers).

They are legitimate but are not from SKY and are totally unnecessary

Thak You Ralph

Jim
:thumb:

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[gunerdoo]

Direct Debit

How is it possible for a company to set up a Direct Debit or Standing Order from you without one or the other of you agreeing to it ? Also how did they get YOUR BANK DETAILS ?

 

[madbluemad]

How is it possible for a company to set up a Direct Debit from you without one or the other
of you agreeing to it ? ? ?

It isnt , however as said there seems to be an element of mis-selling involved, a lot of the callers say that there from SKY. A lot of peeps are in the same boat as me but the Bank should be able to shed some light on it today.

The other thing is that I have a fruad flag on my account because SWMOB'S Bank Card was stolen and purchases made agains it. Every time a new Satnding Order is set up the bank write too me to verify that it is genuine but not on this occasion.
Jim

 

[hilldweller]

How is it possible for a company to set up a Direct Debit or Standing Order from you without one or the other of you agreeing to it ?

Dead easy. A very persistent salesman once kept on at my wife so long with so many promises of "we will halve your phone bills" she handed out the bank details. Didn't get away with it because she told me and I jumped on them.

They they lie through the teeth, "we just need bank details for a trial offer".

There are many ways,.

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[gunerdoo]

Hi Brian Your wife gave the Bank Details but this other couple say they did Not give their details, so my question is how did they get their Bank details ?

 

[madbluemad]

Hi Brian Your wife gave the Bank Details but this other couple say they did Not give their details, so my question is how did they get their Bank details ?

The suggestion is that they get them from SKY or imply that it is a SKY related product that you must have.
Its very easy to be taken in if your tired and not fully switched on. So, in your mind its not a telephone call that has come from from Digital Services which is why you dont remeber it. This sought of thing isnt something that I would sign up to at anytime.

I cant even be bothered to answer the phone never mind have a conversation with somebody.

Jim

 

[gunerdoo]

The suggestion is that they get them from SKY or imply that it is a SKY related product that you must have.
Its very easy to be taken in if your tired and not fully switched on. So, in your mind its not a telephone call that has come from from Digital Services which is why you dont remeber it. This sought of thing isnt something that I would sign up to at anytime.

I cant even be bothered to answer the phone never mind have a conversation with somebody.

Jim

Well Best of Luck with the Bank and I hope you will let us know the Outcome as it may
come in handy for others ? :thumb:

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[madbluemad]

Well, the SKY mandate was set up in 2001 and was a part of the purchase process with SKY. The bank records are only maintained for six years and so they cant confirm who set the mandate up.

They do confirm that you have to call in to the bank and sign up to a standing order mandate.

Niether of us did that (as far as we can recall). I dont even know where the bank is never mind walk in too one.

SWMBO is adamant that she woudn't have done it , but ???????, its a long time ago. SWMBO aint gonna let this one go , its on too the next step.

Jim

 

[chatter]

digital services tend to ring you up just before the end of the first 12mths as a customer they dont say they are from sky but the conversation leads you to think they are, and for a monthly sum offer an insurance sold like an extended warrenty thing by telling you charges of what it would cost if something went wrong with the box or dish, call out charges etc and that for a small monthly amount you will never have to pay these charges

They were on to my mum not long ago

so the chances are one of you took the call many years ago and accepted without thinking twice so to speak, and because they are not sky when you got rid of the sky they were not notified so the charges have continued to be taken.

 

[madbluemad]

Yep, that just about sums it up. Its a mis - sold product. The thing is that there is no evidence at our bank that the mandate was ever signed, so its going to come down to there word against ours.

Jim

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[dylan]

Other half noticed a dd on his bank statement from a company he had never heard of. Turns out to be a company providing insurance for his mobile phone. He didn't order it or want it and they did give all the money back they had taken.
Pays to check your bank statement thoroughly oh:

 

[Geo]

You may be suprised to learn as I did
When you do sign a legitimat DD mandate and send it to the company concerned, they do not then have to send it to the bank, they mearly call the bank or do it electronicly and tell them they have it, the mandate stays with the company you have the agreement with, the bank never sees it,:Angry:
I learned this when I complained at over 2k being pulled out by an insurance company I hadnt used for over 12 months, they had sold their collecting angency to some other firm who then called the bank and re activated the premiums, claiming over a years back pay for missing payments on a trade policy I didn't even have with themoh:
One phone call and i got it back
Oh sorry about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I was bl**dy fuming, how can they do it ?
Simples I was told, see above for explanation
Geo

 

[robnchris]

6 years tosh

Hi,
We had a disagreement with the bank and they came back with the same statement that they only have to keep records by law for 6 years, in reality you will find that they keep them for a lot longer and if you persist as we did they came up with an answer from a 14year old transaction, funny how they did when they didn`t want to pay out.

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[pappajohn]

shirl had a similar DD/standing order (£4.99 pm) to an american company.....we'd never heard of them, didnt know what it was for, or when it started.

went to her bank and asked....it was a web hosting site

she's never had a website and wouldnt know what to do with one.

as it turned out it had only been running a 2 months so it was stopped and nothing more was heard from them.
£10 in there favour though :Angry: