Digital Maintenance Ltd - Sky box insurance scam

[BevvyB]

It's pretty hard to tell if a call is a scam or not when they've got your details and call themselves Sky.

Anyway, I was caught off-guard and they got me for a month. But you should all be aware that there's a company called Digital Maintenance LTD who are cold calling and pretending to be SKY and their spiel is basically 'If your Sky box goes wrong it will cost you 200 quid take our our insurance for 80 a year'.

Only realised something was amiss when the letter came and it wasn't from SKY at all, was from this Digital Maintenance LTD place and was just one printed A4 sheet. I can even tell that their printer is nearly out of ink from the print out.

Also their pretty hilarious website at www.dml.uk.com will tell you enough about them to make you never touch them with a barge pole.

I've cancelled my direct debit, informed my bank and hope they don't start trying to create new debits.

Bah. But it just goes to show it's a numbers game for them. If you're busy and take your eye of the ball just once you'll get caught with one of these things once in a while. Doh.

[macman]

Most of the details are simply obtained from public records which anyone can access. They normally describe themselves as Sky 'partners', which is meaningless. They don't even know that you have a Sky sub.
Even if you thought they were Sky, why would you take this insurance anyway at £80pa, when a service call is £65? If you threaten to leave, they will normally do a free service call anyway.

[penrhyn]

The only official Sky maintenance contracts are run by Domestic and General.

[Kurtis_Blue]

That settles it, once DSO is finished I am starting up a company selling these warranty's.

One of these company made £10m profit in 2010, money for old rope.

[McKneff]

Have you actually tried cancelling with the company.

You have signed up for probably a 12 month contract.

Simply cancelling the DD isnt enough.

They will chase you for the money and because you signed a contract you are still liable to pay it.

So watch out for the demands, then the debt collector demands.
Deal with it or your credit will be trashed.

[Kurtis_Blue]

Originally Posted by McKneff

Have you actually tried cancelling with the company.

You have signed up for probably a 12 month contract.

Simply cancelling the DD isnt enough.

They will chase you for the money and because you signed a contract you are still liable to pay it.

So watch out for the demands, then the debt collector demands.
Deal with it or your credit will be trashed.

This company doesn't have any chance of affecting the credit file they wont be allowed access, nor are they registered with the FSA to provide insurance as they are legally obliged to be, not a hope of going any further.

[macman]

Originally Posted by Kurtis_Blue

That settles it, once DSO is finished I am starting up a company selling these warranty's.

One of these company made £10m profit in 2010, money for old rope.

The difference being that if you paid £80pa for old rope, it might actually be of some use...

[patd1967]

These jokers rang me 2 weeks ago teling me that my sky box was out of warranty,actually agreed with them,they then told me thats £80 for the year.I said no its not as im with freesat,they didnt kike that

[BevvyB]

I 'cancelled' via email and got a similarly hilarious email back from them:

'Thank you for your email, I can confirm the agreement has been cancelled down.

Any inquire call the number below or email myself back.'

Cancelled down? That interesting. Any inquire? And how the heck can I email them myself back?

LOL

Ah well, that's the end of that little fiasco. I keep checking my Direct Debits and if they reinstate it my banks fraud squad have said they'll come down on them.

[Kurtis_Blue]

Its ok to mock them if it makes you feel better but remember they got you to give them all your bank details, and who are you going to get the "fraud squad" onto? if they really wanted to clear you out they wouldn't be giving you any real details to pass on and would be loooong gone......as it is the only real traceable details are their accountants who set up the ltd co, and as they have never filed returns to company's house you can bet the accountants don't hold legitimate contact details.

[Moneymaker]

You really don't need insurance because Sky will come out and replace all faulty parts for a fixed price (still £65 I think).

[brewerdave]

Just had a call from this mob - she told me who they were (didn't pretend to be Sky -that's something!!!) and said that my warranty was about to expire.
I just told her that I don't take out maintenance contracts and rang off - wondered why they had phoned at this time - then I realised that my box is exactly 3 years old , so they must have contacts within Sky or the Sky fitters.