What can I do to help?
So you’ve done all you can to sort out your own case, but feel a sense of burning injustice about the ease with which scam companies can help themselves to consumers money. What else can you do?
Reviews of Companies
These companies are supposedly ‘trusted partners’ of the mobile networks. A read of their reviews on Trustpilot and on Facebook will tell you that these companies are anything other than trustworthy. Adding to these negative reviews can help reinforce this impression. No need to write an essay (unless you want to), just a one star review and a comment that says they tried to took your money without consent.
Reviews of the Regulator
If the regulator has failed to properly investigate your case, has come to a perverse decision or has just been generally obstrutive or unhelpful, you can add to their reviews on Facebook. The regulator seems to believe it is doing a good job. It plainly isn’t.
Formal Complaints about the Regulator
The regulator enjoys a rather too cosy relationship with many of the companies it is supposed to be regulating. You can’t complain just because you don’t like the outcome of their investigation. You can complain if you don’t believe they have investigated properly, or if after their investigation they come to a conclusion which couldn’t be justified on the basis of the evidence. If they have found that ‘on the balance of probabilities’ the service provider has done nothing wrong, then they are saying ‘on the balance of probablities’ you are a liar. Make them justify this view!
Details of the complaints mechanism are here. https://psauthority.org.uk/about-us/complaints-about-us
Complain to your MP
MP’s have so far not shown much interest in this issue, but if there are sufficient complaints they may do so.
Respond to Public Consultations
The regulator regularly consults on it’s priorities and to changes to its Code of Practice. It rarely gets any responses other than those from the ‘industry’. In December 2017 PSA launched a consultation on its priorities for the next financial year and I submitted a response. I believe that it is partly as a result of this response that the are now going to review the rules for subscription services.
It is likely that these changes will go out for public consultation. It would be good for them to receive a large number of public responses demanding radical reform, including making ‘Payforit’ opt-in rather that opt-out. I’ll put an outline response on the website when the consultation is announced.
Help with this website
Running payforitsucks.co.uk is time consuming. Picking up consumer complaints on the forums of the networks and on Twitter and providing responses pointing to relevant help is time consuming, and I have to take holidays sometimes. We could always use additional content on the site. I’m happy to provide access to the site to consumers who wish to contribute their own unique perspective on ‘Payforit’. Please help build public awareness of ‘Payforit’ scams, as this is the best tool we have to get reform.
Legal Action
Tom (mailto:tom@payforitsucks.co.uk ) is keen to see legal action taken to force a judicial review of the law governing ‘Payforit’. Aspects of ‘Payforit’ are clearly dubious, but challenging the legality in court is an expensive and complex process. Decisions made in the Small Claims court do not set a legal precedent, so it is necessary to go to a higher court, where, no doubt, the other side will field a team of skillful barristers to ensure that the current gravy train continues.
I am setting up an online petition called ‘Ban the scam’, on Change.org; it was originally going to be entitled ‘hang the bastards with piano wire’, but may have attracted the wrong people. I am aiming the petition at the major phone companies.
My Media games, Taptronic and Fit Guru are three parasites who ripped me off. I have been deluging My Media Games with emails, getting the same old reply about the time stamp, blah blah blah. But if it winds them up I am happy. I had my O2 account barred from all third party charges.
Good luck with your campaign.
Dear All,
My petition is aimed at the main phone players. I have put in email addresses I could find for the big players but it has been difficult to find them and I don’t know if they will get the message to the right people. If any of you guys & gals have good email addresses of these people (O2, EE, 3,etc) please pass them on to me and will add them if I don’t have them already. If anyone has addresses of the ‘authorities’ who should be stamping on these parasite (but are not) please pass them on to me to add to the list.
Please support this petition, I have a handful of names but need loads more.
By the way, this website is great, so I have included a link to it on my petition.
You can read more and sign the petition here:
https://chn.ge/2M6Iawi
In the meantime thanks to website and the supporters who are bashing these nasty people. Lets make these scammers extinct.
Excellent work . Bodyin8 is trading fraudulently as its Director is an undischarged bankrupt.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2978474
I have contacted PSA, Companies House and Ofcom
I successfully got a full refund plus costs from Bounce / PM Connect. I have since provided copies of the letters I used and the small claims court papers to around 100 people and most of these have successfully received refunds too. From my experience, they only react and pay when served small claims court papers. So you need to send 2 letters by registered post. First requesting repayment of all charges. Second giving them 7 days to repay you. Finally you need to file a small claims case online. It is actually very simple and the companies repay including the small claims court fees and interest. You must be persistent!
I agree 100% The best way to stop these scams is to make them less profitable. That means people have to insist on a FULL refund. Legally, the so called “evidence” of consent to charge won’t stand scrutiny (especially after BBC Watchdog’s clickjacking demonstration).
There is a problem with companies based outside the UK where the UK Small Claims procedure can’t be used. Have you had any experience pursuing the Level 1 companies like Tap2Bill and mGage in these circumstances?
Hi, I’ve seen your conversations on a few threads, would it be possible to get the letter examples from you, these people have £695 taken off my 75 year old mother
I’m sorry, I missed this post. The payforitsucks website is being phased out. If you need help, please contact us at https://psconsumers.org.uk/contact
Dear Paul, we have been targeted by this Mobiplanet company and Im trying to fight them, any advice you can give will be appreciated
Plenty of advice on the website. Mobiplanet will refund if you pursue them through the Small Claims procedure. Send a letter before action asking for proof of your consent to a contract, or a FULL refund.