Lovefilm Cancellation Problems

Moonbeam

Looking for some advice on this one as not getting very far dealing with the company directly. I cancelled our free trail over the telephone with LOVEFILM (e-mail was out of action for a while thanks to wannadoo) - and have returned all the films they sent to us. They are now demanding payment of £14.99 and say that they have no record of my phone call - they say that if I do not pay they will send it to a debt recoverer. I have a good credit record and would not like any blemish on it, but have not kept a note of the phone call (I know, I know - I should always write down the date of the call and the name of the person I spoke to, but was going through a blonde phase at the time) - Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get them to stop hounding me - or do I just have to pay up and take the (small, but annoying) hit!!!


Help......

soolin

You are not alone with having problems with Lovefilm, there was a recent thread on the warnings (or vent?) board recently with lots of similair complaints.

The answer appears to be to keep on at them, don't give in.

Maybe the BG could move this over to the warning board and bump the thread.

Soo

scml

1. I would write a polite and firm letter advising lovefilm that you dispute the charge , reiterate the date you telephoned and returned the last film and advise them that you accept no responsibility for their internal administration procedures. Finish letter by saying you insist all future correspondence is in writing via snail mail as you are crediting a record of evidence.
2. Contact your bank/credit card to cancel any direct debit/standing order so they can not collect monies.
3. If they phone or email you to 'hassle/bulldoze' you into paying again insist on written correspondence and make a note of call (names and times ) on a sheet filed with written correspondence.
4. Should they then pass account to finance company, send them copies of all correspondence saying you dispute any monies owed.
5. If the worst does happen and you do get a negative mark on your credit file, you can write to them and ask that you be allowed to add a comment against the entry to defend your position.
6. Seek advice from CAB or at least say you will seek their advice in your letters to debtors if you think things are getting too rough.
Good luck

Doppleganger

I'm in the same boat as you. I cancelled last year and they say I didn't even though I never had any films off them. They have now taken legal action against me to recover £85. I have spoke to both the debt recovery company and lovefilm and neither are interested in resolving the issue in a polite manner.

All I can say is bring it on.

- Dop


EDIT: See this thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com...ad.html?t=35118

Reaper

Doppleganger wrote:

EDIT: See this thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com...ad.html?t=35118

Your link doesn't work. But this should take you there.

sneekymum

Write at once to Trading Standards - there may well be a file on these people already. Do send them a copy of your trading standards letter. If you're rich enough send them a solicitors letter too - I mean right away before anything else happens

Go in all guns blazing and they'll realise you're a bigger nutter than they are. I've had great sucess with this technique. Are they a member of anything? Even if they say they are and turn out not to be you can still complain to the trade association or whatever.

As for a record of you phone call - don't you get an itemised phone bill - ~I thought everyone did.

csingleton

PAY IT! I cancelled my lovefilm account back in 2003. Then in 2005 they sent me a debt recovery letter from C.A.R.S (there debt recovery agents) asking for over £200! After weeks and weeks of phoning and pleading with both LoveFilm and C.A.R.S I finally got them to only charge me £14.99. I was happy to pay that even though they were in the wrong, but I have no evidence of cancelling the account because I was only contacted 2 years after cancelling it! Consider yourself lucky that it's only £14.99.

Moonbeam

Sorry csingleton, but this just goes to show what you know - I have had the amount refunded in full - mainly because I kept badgering away at them (sent them 5 e-mails in 5 hours) and included details of the cancellation. They have decided it's not worth the hassle and cancelled my account. I also had to threaten them with reporting them to trading standards and have already reported them to BBC watchdog. I just hope more of us gang up against them to stop this unfair charging that seems to be the norm for them. If you have had a bad experience with them please go to the bbc webside and log it with the watchdog programme so hopefully their terrible behaviour can be exposed.

Hope you follow through with this and together we can hopefully prevent this happening to others....

Doppleganger

Well done Moonbeam - a good result. :j

These big company's like to think that they can just blackmail the man in the street. :mad:

- Dop