Setanta Sports - Writing a complaint help please

ceejay025

I signed up in August wanting to watch a football match. They assured me I would have a picture within 30 mins. It is now the end of September and I still dont have a picture! I have called on 5 occasions and have been led through various procedures which dont work. Eventually they told me it must be a signal problem and that I would need to call out a Sky engineer to fix it. Obviously this would cost me.

I am paying them for a service that they cannot provide. If they are relying on Sky to provide the signal they need to make sure that signal is strong enough BEFORE they let people sign up - or else warn people that there maybe additional costs. Unsurpisingly they wouldn't let me cancel either until I had been with them for 30 days. I have just managed to cancel over the phone today so I ended up paying them £29.98 over 2 months and could not watch one second of any their channels!

They are clearly raking in money from their 0871 number and long hold times as well. Their ethics are vomit inducing.

thehayfield

I had sky fitted 29th sept and on sun 30th contacted Setanta to subscribe to the sports package. After many hours of absolutely NO Service and numerous calls to them, performing checks etc I then contacted sky who have told me that my signal is too low. I went back to Setanta to cancel as I have had and probably will have no service to be told that I cannot cancel. Surely they are in breach of contract having not fulfilled the obligation of providing a service! I was not allowed to escalate my complaint to any other person. I apparently cannot even attempt to cancel until the 31st Oct!. I have contacted my credit card company who will take it up as a dispute after the account is debited. Can anyone offer any advice?

Even if I was given a free lifetime gift of Setanta I would not accept it, after the dreadful customer service experience that this company run.

gorcol

Sounds like I am going down the same road as thehayfield.Subscribed to setanta yesterday and have not been able to receive Racing UK,the reason I subscribed.After spending all day waiting, retuning and rebooting I have got no signal.Setanta say it is a sky problem.Sky says it is a Setanta problem.So I said if I can't get the service I will cancel.Setanta says I cannot within 30 days.I used my credit card too so will get in touch with them.
Please keep me informed as to developments hayfield.

sima3069

mleonard79 wrote: »

Did you send both by recorded delivery? If not you're bound not to receieve a response as they can just ignore your letters and pretend they never received them. At least if you send it recorded you then have the proof that they've received it if you need to take things further.

knowing this company, they could just say there was nothing in envelope you sent and what proof do you have what was in it.

DJM_4

Room for one more?

October 6, 2006 - Signed up for Setanta. Minimum 12 month contract, £15 a month.

September 30, 2007 - NRL season ended today. Not content at paying £15 a month whilst new customers pay £9.99 either so I thought I'll cancel until just before the State of Origin series starts in 2008. Phoned Setanta the same day and was told that it was not possible to cancel my contract today and that I had to ring back on the last day of my contract in order to cancel.

October 5, 2007 - After several calls to their customer services line I finally get through to cancellations. I am told I must give 30 days notice (so I'm really locked in for 13 months, not 12).

November 5, 2007 - This should be my last viewing day.
November 6, 2007 - My credit card should not be debited today….we shall wait and see what happens.

It's a real shame. The NRL coverage was the live feed from Channel 9, much better than when it was on Sky. Plus you got the magazine programs and the Footy Show (NRL). There's also some great boxing coming up this weekend and throughout November. The stuff they put together for the Hatton/Castillo fight was good. I'm sure fans of the Magners league and the other footy (soccer) fans would agree that all in all they put together a great package to rival Sky, which is healthy.

If their customer service wasn't so poor and they'd offered to cut me a deal (like Sky do from time to time) I'd be staying. Sadly I don't think I'll be returning in the new year, and looking more and more towards the internet to get my sport fix.

Good luck all.

quacker1964

My story is slightly different. I joined for the start of the footy season. I was aware it was £19.99 but a special offer at the time was to waive the £10 connection fee - as I was informed at the time.

When the first payment cleared from my d/d it was £19.99 instead of £9.99 - I phoned them - they denied there was any record of the initial call - I said so there is no record of anyone opening the account? - after requesting to speak with a manager, I was popped on hold, then with what I believe was an apology (of sorts) I was told it was free connection and my next payment would't be taken the following month.

Needless to say, my text alert, well, alerted me to another payment being taken. This resulted in a call to customerr service and ages on the phone being passed around - costing a fortune, but it was principal time now - to hell with the cost.

I was then (predictably) told they would not take payment the next month, to which I replied that I didn't believe that line this time. The told me apparently they canont refund d/d payment by phone (hmm!) they also added there was nothing they could or would do. I contacted First Direct (my bank) and asked their opinion. They reversed the payment immediately as it wasn't the end of the banking day - I cancelled the d/d while I was on. I tried giving requisite notice but was told cancellation, refunds etc. were only available if requested in writing. I made requests for both cancellation and refund via email and phone.

Meanwhile I had arrange to switch from Sky to Virgin media - Setanta was free with the package I had chosen. As a previous poster said Setanta were in touch as soon as they realised I had cancelled. I also said it is a waste of time and I had paid £19.99 on July 27th so had already paid for 2 months and would be happy to close Septenber 27 (8 days after I joined Virgin). I got a letter advising my supply is now suspended and have exchanged mails, calls & letters and they are useless! hopefully it doesn't affect my credit history:mad: .

Setanta Customer Service make Virgin Media Customer Service look competent! that's saying something.***

This hassle is all because they never kept the promise to waive connection fee, then after that never kept their promise to not take my d/d payment after they realised they had taken £10 too much.

They've stopped emails and letters now after telling me it was switched off. Hopefully that is the end of it.

Please note my beef is with Customer Service at both companies, not the service themselves which are/were fine.


PS I'm a newly registered person and this is my first post - in case anyone was in any doubt, I don't work for Setanta ;-)

sandymc_2

Hi there DJM and Quacker and others

I refer to my earlier post re Setanta's lack of communication.

I have now recieved a letter from Setanta, unsigned one at that, stating quite emphatically that I would not recieve a refund as I had not given the required month's notice to cancel my annual contract !

Remember I have been a customer for the last three years. Also they sent me a letter offering me the full package for £9.99 per month on 3rd August 07 then on the 6th August 07 took £180 out of my credit card account.

Well MasterCard has been more than helpful. I sent them the required correspondence. Thay have now refunded me my £180 and it will now be up to Setanta to prove to MasterCard that I had given them the power to claim that fee.

I suspect that Setanta is looking at all these posts. I beseech them to talk to their customers civilly. They are offering a wonderful package which I wish to continue to recieve and pay for at the current rate.

Oh and I still am recieving their broadcasts.. This inefficient company does not seem to realise that I have not been paying for their service for the last two months. When will someone in that company's hierarchy contact me regarding this?

Sandymc

fedupconsumer

Just an update on my cancellation request

Cancelled by phone , then cancelled my direct debit and sent them a letter too. They keep harrasing me for payment details. Which might add is illegal too do so under the protection from harassment act 1997. Sent a strongly worded e-mail to them stating if they did not stop harassing me for my details and refund me the monies owed to me i would contact trading standards and prosecute them for harassment under the act. Plus is was setanta who could not provide a service to me so they broke the terms of the contract.
tut tut

tightasaduck's

Shower of imcompetent wasters. Got a letter to say my annual payment by credit card would be £156. Phoned them to cancel if I couldn't get the same £9.99 deal available to new subscribers. Agreed to give me that deal and said they would take £120 instead of £156 from my. c.c. Yep! They took £156. Phoned them in August, said they would refund me the £36. 6 phone calls at a rip-off 0870 number later and still no refund. 'You have to allow up to 28 days' - It's been more than that now. Sent them a letter - wasn't even acknowledged, let alone replied to. E-mailed them - automatic generated response said that I would get a reply within 5 working days...........Zilch, nada. During one phone call, I told them to remove my c.c details - couldn't do that without me giving them an alternative means of payment.........'in breach of contract' blah, blah, blah, and they would disconnect me. EHHHH? I've paid upfront for 12 months! Apparently that doesn't matter. So, I'm going to cancel that c.c. as it's the only way I can ensure that no further payments will be taken................well, as soon as I get my £36 refund which, I omitted to say was supposedly 'actioned on 12 September'. Advice on my next step would be appreciated, Guys.

Grimzz

Has anyone actually received a refund from Setanta,

As a Scottish subscriber to Setanta I have been a customer since day dot!

June 2007 this year they have increased my yearly sub to £180 from £140 in the previous year.

I did pay yearly in adavance.

Like the other posters I complined by, email, recorded letter and Phone.

Was insulted by telephone operators From Fife who give us Scots a bad name.

Finally I reported them to my Credit Card company for taking an unagreed sum from my card. The credit card company upheld this claim and refunded me the difference.

On pursuing the £40 the credit Card company "back charged" Setanta, Who promptly turned me off as a result.

As I had paid a year in advance They now have approximately £100 of my money and I have no service.

My complaints have started in June this year, to date I have not had a response.

I have requested a refund of monies outstanding , but still no sign.

I dont know where to turn, other than report them to Watchdog.

Any Ideas?

Much appreciated

Grimzz