Sky - Appauling customer service

Graham_Devon

Just wondering if I'm the only one who's been on the end of their disgusting customer service??

Long one beware:

About 3 months ago they took £160 from my account. I phoned them the day they took it. They told me they hadn't, to ring my bank. I rang my bank, very helpful and gave me the details down to the time it was taken and even the device number they took it, stating customer not present and it was Sky Broadband's part of the company that took it.

I do not have sky broadband!

I rang about 6 times, each time getting someone new, sometimes foreign, sometimes english. Every single one stated they would put a note on the system under my number...every single one stated 'theres nothing on the system, we also have not taken it'.

Asked to speak to a manager on two different occasions, respsonses were after being on hold for 10 mins roughly both times:

- I'm too busy, tell him we have not taken the money, end of (I'm not kidding)
- I am not willing to discuss anything with someone who will not take no for an answer, please tell him not to ring again.

If I had been abusive I would understand, but abuse dont get you anywhere so I had been polite all the way through.

In the end rang my bank who started the procedure of trying to reverse the charge. Stopped my card so I couldnt get any cash out etc etc

6 days later had a phone call from HSBC's fraud department. Sky were unwilling to give the money back, the matter will be passed on to the police, I had to sign documentry evidence to state the card had been used without my consent which got handed to the police.

My old card was still with me, there were NO other fraudulent transactions. I can't believe that someone would clone my card to pay a sky bill. It's the same card that sky have on their systems to debit my sky digital payments. Strange eh.

Police got in touch, they had succesfully reversed the charge.

Get a letter from Sky stating that I am in £180 arrears. Ring up again, this time actually get to talk to a manager who states as the money had been reversed I now owe them. For broadband, which I do not have, not with them anyway. He then said ok, he will credit my account and he put me through to sales where they stated they would send me out my pack and subscription details....I then had to go through all of it again.

Sky then stopped my TV service stating they could not take their monthly subscription charge (wonder why, card ceases to exist now!....so ring up, change that, try to slap a £10 admin charge on to me).

By this point I was pee'd right off.

£160 had been credited back to my account, police and HSBC were excellent.

Got in touch with the top bloke at Sky via e-mail, murdoch's son. Never got anything from him, but customer services rang me stating tht my card was used fraudulently, nothing they could do. I told them it can't have been used fraudulently from THEIR terminal. They denied their terminal took it (I have evidence from HSBC). As I had 'instructed' the police instead of working with them they were not willing to co-operate further. So they could see they had £160 paid back to me ad that I had re-claimed it, but still insisted they did not take it!!)

Wrote a letter to complaints department and a place which supervise their complaints demanding money for my time, phone calls (the phone calls to sky alone cost em £18.98 and to rub salt into wounds, they MAKE money out of yoru phone calls!). Took a while day sorting it out, it was THEIR mistake, not fraud, complained about trying to be sold broadband amongst it all and the service going down). Told them letter had also been sent to governing body. Put all evidence together, stated I wanted a response within 28 days.

Got this letter this morning:

Waffle waffle...

I am sorry to learn that your debit card was used without your knowledge nor authority. However, it may help if I explain that whilst your debit card was used fraudulently the fraud has also been committed against Sky as your bank has reclaimed your money.

We encourage all of our customers who have had their card used without their knowledge to work closely with us. Our systems show a lack of communication in thsi matter before your bank reclaimed your money.

Waffle...

Due to your bank reclaiming the money, regrettably, I cannot re-imburse any loss of interest, time, or phone calls and I would advise you to pursue this matter with your bank.

Whilst i realise you may be dissapointed with my reply I trust I have clarified Sky's position on this matter. Sky is NOT willing to co-operate any further on this matter and I hereby strongly state Sky's position on this matter.

----

Any advice people!? It's not a matter of the money, it's now just a matter of their sheer rudeness.

The money I was trying to get back was 4 hours time, the phone calls, the overdraft charges.

This is quite simply the worst customer service I have come across, one minute they insist they have not taken it, the next, they admit it by stating 'you owe us the money as it's been reversed' the next 'no, we have not taken it.

I never owed them £160. This was for broadband, I do not have broadband with them, never have and now, never will! My monthly charge for Sky Digital comes under a different name.

Any ideas? Is there any point persuing it further just out of disgust?

Epiphone

You have all the evidence from HSBC but Sky seem to be putting their heads in the sand. I'd write (proper letter) to James Murdoch asking for his personal comments, not his staff. It'll still get passed down the chain but hopefully to someone who doesn't speak "script-ese"