Sky Debt that isn't mine, service terminated.

[kingofkings]

My services with Sky were recently cancelled by Sky themselves due to an alleged debt that I owe them. I’ve had Sky since 2007 and it is only now that I’m hearing of this debt at my address for Sky. I gave them a call and they told me there were multiple accounts at my address, this I is correct as I had a previous account that I cancelled. I have recently gone back to Sky with a new account number I said I didn’t need any boxes but they sent them out regardless.

 

But anyway, the account number of the Sky account with the alleged debt of £X,XXX.XX is not mine and the account number starts 200x so it seems it’s a very early account as my two accounts which have been paid in full each month since 2007 start with 621x.

 

I will quote the letter in a 2nd post, but the reason I am posting is that I'm looking I’m looking for any help in what I can forward to Sky as it now seems they have assigned the £X,XXX.XX to my name at my address.

 

The tenancy documents I will not be able to provide them with, since I am back living with my parents as I suffer from a bad case of Psoriasis / Psoriatic Arthritis so my parents are in fact my carers since 2007 and they never had Sky before I moved back in with them so any tenancy documents would be in their name and not mine.

 

I don’t know who owns the account with the account number starting 200x, but now I’m concerned because for Sky to be switched back on at my address, I need to prove I, myself don't owe the debt and that whoever owns it does not live at my address.

 

So any help would be great, as I said I’ve paid for Sky since 2007 and have never missed a payment, so they have been happy to take my money and now suddenly this has come out of nowhere.

 

I've removed the account numbers for security as well as the debt, but is notified how much by the number of digits.

[kingofkings]

The Letter:

Mr kingofkings

ADDRESS

ADDRESS

ADDRESS

 

XXth January 2013

 

Dear kingofkings

 

Customer Account Numbers: 200x, 621x, 621x2

 

I am writing to you to regarding the above numbered accounts which have been identified as belonging to the same person and/or household we have also identified that there is a substantial amount of monies outstanding. As a result of this your accounts have now been transferred to our Priority Customer Team.

 

It has recently been identified that accounts were set up and activated at the above address. We have identified and linked accounts with a combined outstanding balance of £X,XXX.XX. Therefore In accordance with section 11(b) of the contract booklet, all accounts at this property have been terminated with immediate affect.

 

It is with regret that we have to take such actions and whilst we have terminated your new account this does not mean that we will no longer accept you as a Sky customer. Should you wish to receive Sky services you can do this by paying the combined outstanding balance of £X,XXX.XX, this is made up of £X,XXX.XXdr on 200x along with £XX.XXdr on 621x2, after which we will be happy to reinstate your services. Account number, 621x2 will not be reinstated and any new account set up at this address will be terminated without prior notification. In cases whereby there is a new occupant at the property we will request personal identification and proof of tenancy prior to proceeding.

 

If you feel that there has been an error in your case we would ask that you contact us to discuss this further. In cases whereby there is a new occupant we would require legal documentation confirming the new occupants name and the date in which they took residence.

Documents that would be acceptable are;

 

Examples of ID Documents:- (please supply a copy of at least one)

• Passport

• Driving Licence

• Payslip

• Bank Statement

• Utility Bill

 

Examples of tenancy Documents:- (please supply a copy of at least one)

• A copy of the tenancy agreement on letter headed paper, signed and dated by new tenant and local authority.

• In cases whereby it is not local authority housing we would accept a copy of the title deeds confirming the date of purchase and date of entry to the property.

• Whilst copies of such legal documentation will be accepted this must be a direct coloured copy and must be on letter headed paper and appropriately notarised.

• All documentation must show the Sky account holders name along with the date of entry to the property.

 

Please note, we reserve the right to verify the validity of any such documentation received as proof of identity and occupancy and should any fraudulent activities be suspected we will engage our security & compliance team along with your local authority.

 

On receipt of this documentation we will consider our position in relation to this however our position may remain unchanged and we reserve the right to reject any new customer request.

I realise that you may be disappointed in the decision made in your case however would like to thank you for your co operation and understanding in this matter. If you would like to appeal or discuss our decision you can do this by contacting the Priority Customer team on 08442 411250 or by email at prioritycustomers@bskyb.com and we will be happy to assist.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Name Removed

Service Excellence Consultant

Priority Customer Management

Executive Support Team

BSkyB - Customer Operations

Email: prioritycustomers@bskyb.com

Tel: 08442 411250

 

[IdaInFife]

All they are asking for is proof from you that you reside at the address from the date after the other accounts were terminated to ensure that you have no links to the previous accounts and or persons.

 

If you cannot provide the 2 doc's they require you may then have to consider another supplier.

 

One of the reasons behind these that a person opens account then runs up a massive bill and does not pay it. The this person opens an account in a similar name or girlfriends name etc but provides the same card or bank details as the previous account, this means these account become linked financially so sky will stop both accounts.

 

If as you say you have no links to the previous accounts and resided at the address after the previous accounts were terminated and provide the docs required to prove this then they will switch you back on.

[kingofkings]

I've had a response from Sky after telling them that the account number start 200 is not mine and I've only had Sky accounts beginning 621 etc. Here is there response and it seems they have decided I'm now liable for the 200 account number even though it is not mine and if so, why did they let me sign up for Sky in 2007 and let me continue pay them until December of last year when my services were cancelled and when I rang up to find out I was told there were previous accounts at my address that remained unpaid, but now they say they have now personally linked them to me so by there wording it now does not matter if the account wasn't mine for some reason their system has now linked it to me and I have to pay it.

 

Thank you for response, firstly I would like to explain part of the terms of any new Sky account, in that only one Sky account is permitted per household and not per person therefore the name of the account holder is not of any relevance. In regards to the £1700.88 outstanding this is outstanding due to an indemnity claim from the bank which is normally as a result of the bank being advised that these payments were fraudulent therefore it is highlighted in our fraud database. All of these accounts have been irrefutably been linked to you personally as well as the address, therefore we will not be in a position to reinstate or permit any further accounts at this property, irrespective of the name used, until such time as full payment is received for the above and any other outstanding amounts.

 

I understand that you have advised that this is not your debt, however as explained above it has been linked to yourself and your property therefore our position relating to this will remain unchanged.

I hope that I have clarified matters for you and look forward to receiving payment, should you require any additional information or would like to discuss this further please contact me by return alternatively you can call me on 08442 411250

[IdaInFife]

Time for a new provider me thinks

[kingofkings]

Yes, me too. Already with TalkTalk YouView now so it's nothing major I will just miss out on some of the Box Office Sporting Events which of course I have to view via other means but since Sky have forced me to do this I have no choice.

 

Although I do have a Solicitor firm looking at it for me, since I do their website they said they will take a quick look through it for me since they find it weird themselves that Sky have put the debt it seems on a household rather than a person.

[BazzaS]

Yes, me too. Already with TalkTalk YouView now so it's nothing major I will just miss out on some of the Box Office Sporting Events which of course I have to view via other means but since Sky have forced me to do this I have no choice.

 

Although I do have a Solicitor firm looking at it for me, since I do their website they said they will take a quick look through it for me since they find it weird themselves that Sky have put the debt it seems on a household rather than a person.

 

If Sky are expecting you to pay it, are they providing the name on the "200xxx" account that has sums owing?.

If they aren't providing the details of who opened that account they can't really expect you to pay the outstanding sums (though they may still refuse to provide service to "the household").

 

Worth checking your CRA files for any adverse info, too.

[kingofkings]

Nope they won't provide me with a name I emailed a reply to that letter I had stating that it is not myself who owns the 200 account but I confirmed any other account 631x and 631x2 were mine that's when I got the letter back saying that only one Sky account is permitted per household and not per person therefore the name of the account holder is not of any relevance and that all of the accounts have been irrefutably been linked to me personally as well as the address.

 

There isn't anything on my Credit Reports as I've checked all 3 and nothing relating to Sky or the amount is there.

 

There is only one person that could of held the 200 account if it's being linked to me and that would be my Grandmother who is no longer with us but when I spoke to CS with Sky when my services were first terminated they told me of the other account but couldn't tell me the name under the Data Protection act, all they could say was it wasn't my name, so if it is in fact my Grandmothers account who used to live here but is then lived in Sheltered Housing or whatever they call those building's that are blocks of flats where generally older persons live provided by the Local Council, so if that's why they have 'personally linked' it to me I'm not sure where to turn next, hence I got the Solicitors to look through it for me just in case it is as I have told them that the only person to live where I do now was my Grandmother previously, then my parents, who I don't believe had Sky only the box without subscription then I moved in and took out a subscription in my name.

[stu007]

Hi

 

What I find strange here is that sky have basically without saying so saying you committed fraud by their respone in your post#4 and to do with banck account - now are they actually refering to your bank details?

 

Now they say bank account fraudulent so why are they refusing to assume that the hole account is fraudulent and exactley what investigation have they carried out and are the Police involved if this is as they have stated fraud.

 

I wonder if its actually worth your reporting this to Action Fraud yourself this is the link: www.actionfraud.police.uk/

 

Something to consider is as they are chasing you for this debt have you checked your Credit File to make sure they aint put any markers on it.

[kingofkings]

As far as I'm aware there is no fraud with any of my bank accounts and there nothing on my credit files with any markers or searches from Sky.

 

The only thing I can think of, is when my Grandmother was in sheltered housing we she had social services or someone to that effect handling all her finances for her as she was forgetting things etc so we all decided for her own benefit to have her moved into her own flat so to speak with a housing association that houses older people for her own benefit, then my parents took over the tenancy etc but that I don't think is of any relevance here I then moved back in with my parents due to my health.

 

So I'm wondering if Sky were asking her for something at her new address, maybe a unpaid last payment, I do no know and my parents say as far as they were aware the account was cancelled when they moved in as they had no interest in Sky, and maybe the people that were sorting out her finances asked her if she had Sky or whatever and she said no and they must of got the bank involved and mistakenly said that she has not had Sky so possibly made the bank refund any payments, but as I say she was very forgetful to the end of her life so again I'm wondering if she denied ever having Sky so wondering if the debt if it is one is my grandmothers through no fault of her own and social services and the end result is after 5 / 6 years Sky are asking for this amount back and since I now live at my grandmothers former home they are personally linking it to me.

 

My grandmother moved out in March 2007 and I moved in in July 2007 and signed up with Sky and heard nothing from them regarding any arrears until December 2012 when my services were cancelled and when I phoned up to ask why, they said there were several accounts at my address, one from 2007 of course which was mine, I cancelled Sky in June 2012 and re-signed up again in July 2012 as a friend had a 50% off 12 months off offer which he gave me a code for so I re-signed up to Sky with it and everything was ok then and would seem fine with Sky until December 2012 and when I phoned up was told there was 3 accounts at my address, obviously the 2 I have and the 3rd which they couldn't tell me of and actually couldn't get any information for me as I couldn't confirm the account number of the 3rd account which obviously I couldn't anyway as I have only ever had 2 accounts with Sky.

 

And then I got the letter in the first post with the 200x account number which if Sky's account numbers are in ascending order then 200 and 631 is way off and would confirm it was an old Sky account which would of course bring my grandmother into this as she had Sky since early 1990's back in the Analogue days.

[BazzaS]

As far as I'm aware there is no fraud with any of my bank accounts and there nothing on my credit files with any markers or searches from Sky.

 

The only thing I can think of, is when my Grandmother was in sheltered housing we she had social services or someone to that effect handling all her finances for her as she was forgetting things etc so we all decided for her own benefit to have her moved into her own flat so to speak with a housing association that houses older people for her own benefit, then my parents took over the tenancy etc but that I don't think is of any relevance here I then moved back in with my parents due to my health.

 

So I'm wondering if Sky were asking her for something at her new address, maybe a unpaid last payment, I do no know and my parents say as far as they were aware the account was cancelled when they moved in as they had no interest in Sky, and maybe the people that were sorting out her finances asked her if she had Sky or whatever and she said no and they must of got the bank involved and mistakenly said that she has not had Sky so possibly made the bank refund any payments, but as I say she was very forgetful to the end of her life so again I'm wondering if she denied ever having Sky so wondering if the debt if it is one is my grandmothers through no fault of her own and social services and the end result is after 5 / 6 years Sky are asking for this amount back and since I now live at my grandmothers former home they are personally linking it to me.

 

My grandmother moved out in March 2007 and I moved in in July 2007 and signed up with Sky and heard nothing from them regarding any arrears until December 2012 when my services were cancelled and when I phoned up to ask why, they said there were several accounts at my address, one from 2007 of course which was mine, I cancelled Sky in June 2012 and re-signed up again in July 2012 as a friend had a 50% off 12 months off offer which he gave me a code for so I re-signed up to Sky with it and everything was ok then and would seem fine with Sky until December 2012 and when I phoned up was told there was 3 accounts at my address, obviously the 2 I have and the 3rd which they couldn't tell me of and actually couldn't get any information for me as I couldn't confirm the account number of the 3rd account which obviously I couldn't anyway as I have only ever had 2 accounts with Sky.

 

And then I got the letter in the first post with the 200x account number which if Sky's account numbers are in ascending order then 200 and 631 is way off and would confirm it was an old Sky account which would of course bring my grandmother into this as she had Sky since early 1990's back in the Analogue days.

 

If they won't supply you with the name, there seems little more you can do to get services beyond using another supplier (you can't force them to supply you).

 

At least they haven't trashed your CRA files, and if they won't supply you with the name, they aren't likely to be coming after you for the "debt" that isn't yours.

 

Had you considered SAR'ing them ?. It may not tell you more than you already know, but might be worth a try?.

[IdaInFife]

a Sar won't have any details of the other account.

 

A solicitor is of no use to you.

 

Sky can decide whether to provide you with their services or not.

[kingofkings]

Fair enough, case closed then I guess.