Companies that fail to resolve valid complaints

[Harry Bloomfield]

TVL are in a bit of a pickle at the moment with their email system.

That might explain why I received no emails at all from them, except the ones responding to my complaint, though in responding - they never mentioned any email issues at all, but then they never evan attempted to explain why they had helped themselves to payments again.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

It's possible that this wasn't a direct debit at all, and that you made what you thought was a one-off payment on your debit card but unwittingly agreed to a recurring charge every year.

This is like a direct debit but isn't.

You need to check your bank account - if it's a direct debit then it will be listed as such and can be cancelled. If it's a recurring debit card charge then you need to ask them to cancel it. Either way, you can report it as an unauthorised transaction and have it refunded but it's much more likely that you did sign up to something, possibly without realising at the time. E.g. a tick box saying that you want to pay it automatically in future.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Either way, you can report it as an unauthorised transaction and have it refunded but it's much more likely that you did sign up to something, possibly without realising at the time.

No point to cancelling it, to only have to then pay it. There is no dispute over whether I should pay it, only in the manner of taking it.

 

[motorbiking]

It’s only iplayer. Everything else is available pretty much on demand.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I haven't paid TV licencing a penny for over two years. We watch loads of TV on our big tellies, totally legally.

The beeb used to make some decent programmes. The last time I watched anything of theirs it was all brainless celebrity game shows, interspersed with brainwashing disguised as news.

 

[noseall]

unauthorised

He's been notified, but has missed it somehow.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

He's been notified, but has missed it somehow.

No, I haven't missed it, could not possibly have missed it, because I check my email regularly. My email system downloads all that is available every 10 minutes, and flags up any new ones anyway. Besides which - I ran a search for all emails sent to me by them, which flagged up many reminders from them for recent years, but absolutely nothing for 2023..

Next criticism?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You don't automatically get notified of direct debits.

I've just signed up for one for breakdown cover, they told me that if the price remains the same next year they'll just take the money. If it increases they'll inform me in advance so I have chance to cancel.

So if you're getting excited just because they didn't give you notice, the correct answer is that they didn't, because they don't have to and this is what you agreed to.

You'll have to find something else to get all "I don't believe it" about, it appears that this is all completely normal and only your reaction is unusual.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I've just signed up for one for breakdown cover, they told me that if the price remains the same next year they'll just take the money. If it increases they'll inform me in advance so I have chance to cancel.

So if you're getting excited just because they didn't give you notice, the correct answer is that they didn't, because they don't have to and this is what you agreed to.

Well, I guess if you don't mind companies just dipping into your bank accounts, to help themselves, without you objecting - then carry on.

 

[SirGalahad]

If you truly hate somone like an ex in a bitter divorce get them to sign up to Shell Energy.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Well, I guess if you don't mind companies just dipping into your bank accounts, to help themselves, without you objecting - then carry on.

Have you really only just worked out how direct debits work?

What were you expecting - a hand-written letter, personally delivered? DD is decades old, it was around long before email or text messages, so if your new rule for how you've decided the world should work was actually real then they'd have had to post you a letter or phone you on your landline back in the good old days.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

What were you expecting - a hand-written letter, personally delivered? DD is decades old, it was around long before email or text messages, so if your new rule for how you've decided the world should work was actually real then they'd have had to post you a letter or phone you on your landline back in the good old days.

You seem to missing the basic point, that I did not authorise them to auto-renew.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You seem to missing the basic point, that I did not authorise them to auto-renew.

Have you asked them? I'd assume that you did, but either didn't realise it or have forgotten about it.

As I've already attempted to point out, it may have been a recurring debit card charge, not a DD. But you haven't said whether it was or not.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Until such times as we're all dealing with extremely advanced AI customer service desks that offer consistent advice, we just have to accept the fact companies will give out erroneous and/or mixed information. It's down to who you're speaking with, how good they are at their job and how invested they are in giving good customer service.

I can't remember the company, however I phoned up about something once and the person said 'no sorry we can't do that for you.' I pondered this and phoned back later that day, speaking to another person. 'yes of course we can do that for you sir, the previous person you spoke to must have been misinformed.'

Yeah, 'misinformed' perhaps, or maybe just couldn't be bothered

Welcome to the human race ...

 

[big-all]

I do need a TV Licence, but I'm miffed that they took the payment out of my account, without my permission, without any pre-warning, and without letting me know they have taken it.

Basically, the account they took it from is an account set up to meet the regular monthly bills, regularly topped up to meet those bills. I don't keep much slack in the account, I don't need to. Whilst I do pay the annual bills out of the account, I do so manually and know to transfer more funds into the account to meet those extras. They, just helping themselves, could have easily caused my monthly bills to bounce.

i pay mines monthly
from memory you have to start with six months in credit then its monthly from then but such a long time i could be wrong with the six months in advance