Buy as you view companies - Massive problems

Vixtaa

RAS wrote: »

Thanks

So you can buy one of these laptops on Amazon for about £250 or pay £700 to pay per view? Like brighthouse on steriods?

They have a consumer credit licence number 0016513 [removed, cant quote links as a newbie]

OP, they have to prove that your MIL owes this money, not the other way round.

So you need that SAR letter.

I suggest that she isn out tomorrow when they turn up.

Does she obtain that from the bayv company or elsewhere?

Edit, question already answered, thank you.

Vixtaa

The £10 that needs to be put in the SAR letters, would this be a postal order or cash? MIL does not have a bank account so cheque is not possible.

Peter999_2

Sorry, bit OT but they are selling a PS43D450 Samung TV for £1650 when you can buy it in Amazon for £392. Daylight robbery!

If you saved the £10.58 for 9 months, you'd have enough money for the TV instead of the 36 months they charge for it.

FireWyrm

Stick to your guns. They must prove her debt, if they obstruct a legitimate request like this, then they are in breach of guidelines. RAS will be able to tell you more, but my understanding is that judges take a dim view of usury and this is most definitely unfair terms. Not to mention the theft of money by their representative. They are responsible for making this right, not your MIL. However, this is going to get ugly and you have to be there for your MIL. Get your MIL to put you on the account as a named person so you can get around the DPA (data protection) or they will stick to their script and try to bully your MIL. You can contact your MP usually at a constituency surgery, but their address should be public information. Start by calling the local council and work your way through departments until you have your answer. If you start this, you must be prepared to finish it. Alternatively, pay off your MILs account and never do it again....however, if it were me, I'd fight them all the way. It really makes my blood boil, this should be made very very public and the only way to shut these people down is to fight it out in court.

Vixtaa

I have been searching for other peoples complaints on this company, and noticed some advice(thanks by 16 users) stating

If you have paid the first year - they must obtain a court order to repossess, if you have paid a year cut the box off and send it to them, they will try to get you to agree to return the goods - DONT! (If you dont send box back they can do you with theft as you signed a coinmeter payment agreement form which states the box belongs to them at all times) - Bear in mind they WILL NOT TAKE YOU TO COURT - they charge high APR as the law wont back them up as they will give credit to anyone regardless of circumstances - ie undischarged bankrupts etc

----

Is this good advice? I was under the impression that removing the box was a criminal offence? But on the same note I do not want my MIL getting charged with theft for NOT following this advice

FireWyrm

I think part of that advice is true, the court will not back them up, however, without knowing more about these coin meters, I would be wary of opening myself up to a charge of criminal damage. The box may belong to them, but the goods belong to you. If there is some way to separate the two without damaging their property, I might be inclined to investigate...let us know more.

Vixtaa

FireWyrm wrote: »

I think part of that advice is true, the court will not back them up, however, without knowing more about these coin meters, I would be wary of opening myself up to a charge of criminal damage. The box may belong to them, but the goods belong to you. If there is some way to separate the two without damaging their property, I might be inclined to investigate...let us know more.

I will not need to open the coin meter. As far as I am aware I could just cut a small cable. It would damage the wire I guess though, which they might make a big song and dance about, but the meter itself would not be damaged, or opened, and it has her most recent payments still inside, so it would be sent WITH the current payment also.

Edit. I misread your post:o thought you said you would be wary of opening the meter

FireWyrm

How integral is this wire to the structure of the box? Will cutting this wire cause irreparable damage to the box, or is the wire apparently easily replaceable? Don't put any more money in the bloody thing either. Tell us more about the workings of this box...does it control the tv for instance, or is it merely attached to the side? Can you get the money out of the box...like you used to do with your piggy bank as a child?

Vixtaa

FireWyrm wrote: »

How integral is this wire to the structure of the box? Will cutting this wire cause irreparable damage to the box, or is the wire apparently easily replaceable? Don't put any more money in the bloody thing either. Tell us more about the workings of this box...does it control the tv for instance, or is it merely attached to the side? Can you get the money out of the box...like you used to do with your piggy bank as a child?

Cutting the wire wont affect the box, it would only sever the wire, which i would imagine would be very easily replaces.

It does control the TV in a way, when the cash in it runs out, the TV will not come on, so on second thoughts Im thinking there must be part of it inside the TV too or something blocking the electrics to the TV or something like that :S

You cannot take money out of it without a key, unless you break the box.

FireWyrm

Hmmm....sounds like a switch of some sort. I have no idea what the consequences of cutting this wire might be. It might render the TV useless, but if that were the case, how did the company intend to remove the device once the TV was paid for and the contract satisfied? Any ideas on that? Is there a lock of some sort? Does this wire appear to be like a flexible bike lock, or does the wire extend inside the chassis?

Ok, you have a number of choices here and you're going to have to make the decision.

1) cut the wire and send back the box. The Tv might be unusable or it might be fine.
2) pay off the contract, have the box removed legally by the company and forget this ever happened.
3) hold out for a legal resolution but without the use of the Tv since you won't be putting any more money in it.

The question is...what do you think? I'm just a voice in the ether, it's you who has to live with the consequences. Personally, I'm a bit of a militant, so I might take the risk, but you are going to have to support your MIL through this and and resulting problems, so its your call.

I think this company have acted reprehensibly, but the problem is, the law is an !!!. It doesn't always come down on the side of common sense and I have no idea what the legal implications of cutting the wire might be. Perhaps you need professional advice? I certainly wouldn't let their representative into the house, and you don't have to. Impress this on your MIL that she is in charge here and as long as she inhabits that property, they require a court order to enter. They cannot just push their way in and any attempt to do so for the purposes of removing goods from the property is theft and she should call the police. Do not allow them to enter the house, not to take a leak, not even if they claim to be dying of thirst. If it were me, I would probably write a stiff letter demanding a statement of account and the additional information RAS has advised and if I didn't get any satisfaction, I might be tempted to cut the wire with the clear understanding that this might destroy the TV. I certainly wouldn't pay them any more, but when it comes to vulnerable members of society, it is sometimes kinder to just deal with it regardless of the legality or fairness. I think you should have a frank conversation with your MIL and see how she feels before you start this.