Satellite Insurance Scams

A question about : Satellite Insurance Scams

On Friday I received a phonecall from someone who told me my first year of sky warranty was up with the exact date and a LOT of my personal information who then proceeded to sell me a warranty for 2 years.

The person I was speaking to knew I thought he was sky as when he asked for payment details I told him he already had it for my regular subscription but he told me he needed to set up a seperate payment.

I thought it was a bit fishy, then realised it was a total scam when the emailed policy document had nothing to do with sky on it at all. So I've been deliberately misled into thinking the person calling was from sky.

I would like to know how this company got so many of my personal details in the first place as that is what made it so plausible for them to be sky. How could they possibly know my installation date?!

I'm now going to have to try and cancel this which I'm sure they'll make extremely difficult!

So just to warn others - if anyone rings you about sky warranty beware there's a good chance they're a scam despite them having all your details.

I do apologise if this is already covered on the forum on a different topic...

Best answers:

• There have been a few threads about similar companies like this - but no harm in pointing it out again.
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=sky+warranty
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=sky+warranty
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=sky+warranty
• Hi
  My partner has just had a phone call regarding the Sky Protection Plan ( we were forced to get it, to get sky out around a year ago). Would we be interested in renewing for another year.
  We were undecided and then decided to renew as the sky has been unreliable as of late so then they wanted bank details? My partner then explained that the sky and protection plan is paid via my acct, they then wanted to confirm that and spoke to me.
  I advised them that what they were told is correct, they then asked for my bank details, to which I responded that you should have these details as this is the acct that we were paying with. They tried to then get my partners acct instead the excuse I got was that they only keep the details for a year so they dont have them anymore. I then asked for a number to call them back but they refused as its is an 'outbound' centre only and will call tomorrow. It appears that they have the reference details and everything. We have never recieved any letters or anything.
  It just leaves a sour taste in both our mouths... is it just a guy wanting comission ( new claim paid by new acct? or renewal bonus) or sommat more sinister?
  What should I do? Any advice?
• Is it the same company that you took the initial plan out with? We get at least five calls a week from various companies. They all initially insinuate that they ARE Sky.....but none of them really are. Might want to check and make sure tht you're not now signed up with two different companies!
• Also consider that a Sky service call is Ј65 and that covers replacing anything thats needed including the box and all work covered by 3 month warrenty. Is your insurance less then this per year? I doubt it, so unless you have two call out a year, which I would consider unlucky, you may not really need insurance at all.
• Hi, a different company to what we were covered with tried to do this to us at renewal - I caught them out by asking who the underwriters were as the real sky protect plan is Domestic & General - here is a section of an e-mail that I received - Hope this helps :-
  It's come to our attention that a number of extended warranty providers are contacting our customers claiming to be connected with Sky.
  The only extended warranty plan officially approved and endorsed by Sky is Sky Protect. It's provided and administered on our behalf by Domestic & General, our chosen partner, one of the UK's leading appliance repair specialists.
  Any other companies are not approved or endorsed by Sky and we cannot ensure the validity of any extended warranty plan taken out with them. Of course you're free to take out a warranty with anyone you choose, but we advise you read their terms and conditions carefully before making payment.
  Find out more
  Checking your plan
  If you have an extended warranty plan for your Sky equipment and you are concerned about whether it's a genuine Sky Protect plan, you can e-mail us using our online contact form.
  What to look out for
  If anyone contacts you offering service contracts, protection plans or warranty cover for your Sky equipment -
  Ask for the name of their company
  (if they are not from Domestic & General they are not officially approved or endorsed by Sky)
  Ask the name of the plan they offer
  (if it is not Sky Protect, it is not officially approved or endorsed by Sky)
  Ask them to confirm your Sky account number, your box type and when you first subscribed to Sky (only Sky Protect will have these details)
  More FAQs
  Please use the links below to view our terms and conditions and/or privacy policy.
  Site Terms & Conditions | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Feedback
  BSkyB Limited 2008. British Sky Broadcasting Limited (registered in England & Wales as company no. 02906991) has its registered office at Grant Way, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 5QD. Sky Protect is provided and administered by Domestic & General Services Ltd, Swan Court, 11 Worple Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 4JS. Registered in England and Wales No.1970780.
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• Thanks everyone
  re. whether it is worth it we have had the same sky box for 4 yrs now and had to get the 'protect' to get them to come out and look at it
  I'll def. ask if he calls again ( nothing as of yet)
• My elderly Mum received an unsolicited phone call today from 'Sky' saying that her maintenance contract for her Sky HD box was due for renewal and that she needed to pay Ј300 for a 3 year warranty. Unfortunately she believed what she was told, and paid Ј300 on her Barclaycard to them. She took their phone number down (0845 467 9895) and reference for the payment.
  Of course it turns out that the company concerned is not SKY but a company called Satellite4u. There seems to be lots of complaints on the internet concerning their miss-selling.
  My Mum phoned Barclaycard to cancel the payment but they say that a payment has been presented yet and that it was really up to her to sort out a cancellation with Satellite4u.
  Can anyone provide some advice on how to proceed with this? My mum is registered with the TPS and I have already raised a complaint with them.
• If you genuinely believe it is fraud and misrepresentation then call the police.
  Otherwise you are covered by law for contracts entered into from cold callers, request in writing by recorded post that this contract is cancelled and refunded, do it now using this address https://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/f9...d1/compdetails and repeat the process on the day the paperwork comes through.
  Keep a record of everything sent and dates.
• i had the same problem last year with a company pretending to be from sky called satlite ltd/ satlite ensured signed up for Ј6 a month ,,gave my bank details and passed on to someone else only to find out before end of call it was Ј80 they would & had already taken out my bank
  phoned my bank straighway .. i had to cancel my bank card ...but bank also told me it wasnt their problem as i had voluntarily gave my details over the phone
  ...i told the company on the phone i was mislead and wanted to cancel immediately and money was refunded a few days later but others werent so lucky
  ..when i phoned sky to find out wher they got my details from they also said nothing to do with them
  ..i also phoned trading standards
• After quite a few calls of this nature over the past 18 months I now deny having a Sky set up at all. Reactions vary from a polite apology thru' incredulity to downright rudenesss!
  They have obviously got my details from Sky or their installers/fitters.
• The above are,I believe, just the most recent names this company has been trading under.
  I would urge anyone who is having problems with them after being cold called, to google and to read the reviews posted - in particular, "Who calls me....", a long ongoing saga with a sad and predictable route for most of their victims.
  My elderly Mum called in May 2010, she's a little deaf, quite disabled and at the time recently widowed. Believing they were from Sky, she initially agreed and paid Ј6 on her debit card, mainly just to get the fast-talking asian man off the phone.
  When she told me a couple of days later what had happened I immediately thought it was a phishing scam and called Sky.
  They had heard of the company and told me they would never call anyone for insurance and it did indeed sound like a scam.
  She cancelled her debit card with the bank and we thought she was safe. A very unprofessional looking "contract" arrived about a week later and she sent it back with a letter to say she wanted nothing to do with it and to leave her alone.
  We thought that was the end of it......oh how wrong were we!
  It seems that their, modus operandi is to leave you alone to let the payments 'rack up', not contact or remind you about outstanding payments and to then sell the debt on to Capital Credit Management, aka Capital Corporations UK Ltd. This has now happened to my Mum who received a demand for payment yesterday, advising her that she had until next Tuesday, 21st Sept, to pay in full or the charges would rack up.
  As you can imagine, both companies were difficult and arrogant to deal with and I then spent hours on the phone looking for advice via the Consumer Credit Council, Consumer Direct (Trading Standards), Action Fraud and lastly The National Debtline, who were unbelievably helpful.
• So sorry, the above was posted before I'd finished by mistake - new poster, new laptop!!
  We'll be submitting a subject access request, demanding the phone transcript and a copy of the contract (as per usual, they deny any knowledge of Mum's cancellation letter), but the sad thing is, the easiest thing to do will be to pay it as Mum can't face the long slog of court action, the costs involved, which will probably shoot in to the thousands, and the debt collection company racking up further charges.
  Action Fraud advised that as they seem to be a legal company, what they're doing is morally wrong, but they can't pass this to the Police until the phone transcripts arrive and we have further evidence.
  Those of you who think you have cancelled your contract, PLEASE investigate this. All mail to the company should be sent by recorded or special delivery - please follow this up - look up those reviews and posts on google, it seems to me that from April onwards, those of us who though we had cancelled are now hit with this nightmare and you will be too. You will most likely receive a letter from the debt collectors who will give you no warning and leave you no time to dispute.
  I really wish someone like Martin, or Watchdog would do an investigation on this company - legal though they may be - are their selling methods? I will be pursuing this, as I have a horrible feeling that even if we pay, it won't be left there.
• I don't believe it would go to court - it is usually a case of who blinks first. I know of folk who treated them with the contempt they deserved and ignored them, and like private parking contractors, not worth worry about. They only win when the threat gels into a court date, but if you turn up to defend, they back out. I always say never buy anytihng over the phone, when they call YOU. It often ends in tears.
• I think it's easy for those of us who are younger to say we wouldn't be taken in - Mum is a little deaf and this cold caller was fast, insistent and implied he was from Sky.
  After speaking to them and finding out how arrogant and hard headed they are (that's life I know), I am determined to chase them, they have caused worry and stress to many people and perhaps it's about time we stopped ignoring them and putting up with this sort of treatment in the hope that they will go away.
  I want their behaviour changed and stopped and if anyone else agrees with me perhaps we could join forces and do it and prevent other elderly, not so elderly and vulnerable people a lot of worry and suffering.
  I've approached Watchdog and my local radio station, although I'll be very surprised if I hear from them!! In the meantime I will slap a subject access request their way and if they go one day over the time limit, or anything we receive looks suspicious I will contact Action Fraud and let the Police deal with them.
  The longer we ignore them I'm sure the worse they will get - one of the best ways to go will be for everyone to send in a SAR, and they will be so tied up with them they won't have time to drag in new unsuspecting customers! - Here's hoping!
• If anyone here needs further help and assistance, there is more info on the Who Calls Me website.
  I've been having problems posting links but if you google whocallsme and then input 08442490999 on their search it will take you to the thread - believe me, you are not alone!
• I understand that, my post was intended as a start-point for help for people who are being chased by companies who use this type of selling technique, I probably didn't make that clear.
  We've posted help numbers for Action Fraud, National Debtline, Consumer Advice etc., and how to go about submitting a Subject Access Request.
  There is a lot of information out there, thankfully.