Signed up for free Sky broadband, get charged for broadband!

MattL80

I signed up for the MSE Sky Broadband deal - Free for 12 months, plus £100 M&S voucher. Received letter from Sky detailing my deal, sure enough the broadband was free.
Then a couple of days later (after the deal had ended) I got a call from Sky saying there was an issue with my address details (basically, the existing phone line was for the house number, so I used this without including my flat number. As the supply address and billing address didn't quite match the phoned up to amend the supply address). Anyway, the result of that was that they closed and reopened my account. Of course now the deal had expired, even though I was assured all details would remain the same.


Now, on receiving my first bill, sure enough I'm being charged for the broadband, which wasn't the deal I signed up for. I spoke to Sky via Live Chat, they said all I can do is speak to MSE, get them to speak to Sky, and sort out the deal.


But how, other than on here, do I contact MSE? There are no proper contact details anywhere for that sort of enquiry on the contacts page.

JohnDinton

I fully sympathise with you about the problem of contacting MSE. If what I read in the press is correct, MSE is now a multi-million pound business. It helps people complain to other organisations and even supplies template letters for them to send. I have not found any effective means of complaining to or about MSE itself.

I have been trying for some weeks to ask MSE to consider whether it may be committing criminal offences under section 20 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987. Its UK Callchecker has given and is giving misleading price indications to consumers about the price of calling 03 numbers and where those price indications have become misleading it has failed to take reasonable steps to prevent consumers relying on those indications. I have been unable to get any response from MSE.

As for your own complaint, you have a contract with Sky. You should follow Sky's own complaints procedure. You should point out that what Sky has done may be a breach of contract.

canterswest

Send customer complaints in writing to:
Moneysavingexpert.com Ltd

Shepherds Studios
Charecroft Way
London
W14 0EH


Fortunately for consumers, the Advertising Standards Authority makes MSE's postal address available when it publishes adjudications on the company's advertising


http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/4/Moneysavingexpertcom-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_258544.aspx#.VD_SlVJATcs


MSE claims it does not publish advertisements (in fact it says it does not allow advertisements on the website). The ASA disagrees. It treats MSE's offers intended by MSE to make money as advertisements. This gives consumers who take out MSE's deals rights that MSE does not make clear. MSE's view of its deals and your rights (you don't have any) is in a blog post. Safe to say, the ASA's view is more credible, ie that it is advertising and you have consumer rights, otherwise MSE would do more than blog to defend its claims


http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2014/09/09/the-asa-claims-our-broadband-deals-misleading-we-disagree/


There are numerous threads of similar complaints on the forum:
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JohnDinton

canterswest wrote: »

Send customer complaints in writing to:
Moneysavingexpert.com Ltd

Shepherds Studios
Charecroft Way
London
W14 0EH
　
　

If you follow the Contacts link on MSE's website it very helpfully says,

To write to MoneySavingExpert.com

Again please note we do not have the resource to reply to MoneySaving questions and thus destroy any private correspondence for your identity protection.

However, if you do need to write to the website for any reason the postal address is MoneySavingExpert.com, 19-22 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1HY.

canterswest

JohnDinton wrote: »

If you follow the Contacts link on MSE's website it very helpfully says,

Why has MSE given the ASA a different address?

The address where MSE trades from is from W14. I would recommend writing to MSE where it retails from and if a satisfactory reply is not received take your complaint to Trading Standards, Camden office.

JohnDinton

The address given on the Contacts page is the registered office of the company.

What I thought was more significant was the statement that any post would be destroyed.

canterswest

I am not familiar with Call Checker.

Having looked at it, it includes affiliate links so is a commercial service I.e the intention is to make money.

I would suggest that you make a complaint to the ASA as Call Checker may come within its CAP Code for advertising. It is worth reading the CAP Code and whether there is anything that you think might need to be investigated.

If your complaint is upheld, MSE will make the changes that the ASA requires.

With broadband deals for example, it was told not to include 'phone' and a graphic of a phone when a deal does not include calls. It has complied with both instructions and now uses 'line rental' and appropriate graphics so it has a good track record of compliance.

Trading Standards, Camden office, is the legal back stop for the ASA. The CAP Code covers the same issues as the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations, but the ASA is self regulation.