Supanet final payment

[sturose]

Hi all. My daughter signed up with supanet 18 months ago on a 2 year contract. Something I was horrified to hear because they are the only company I know that are promoting 2 year contracts!! It's obvious why though as they can't keep customers any other way.

 

Anyway, she is moving house and has taken my advise to cancel and just pay the fee but supanet have told her that the only way to pay is via a text message link that has been sent to her for something called go2pay.

 

Now me being the suspicious character I am I wanted her to pay by a traceable means. Neither I or anyone I know has ever heard of go2pay and I don't trust it or supanet for that matter. I've read plenty of horror stories about people being chased for fictitious unpaid bills with this company.

 

Anyone advise where she stands with this? Is she entitled to demand a different payment method?

 

Thanks

[Andyorch]

https://www.asus.com/zentalk/thread-229291-1-1.html

 

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/02/6-years-on-uk-isp-supanet-chase-former-customers-for-unpaid-bills.html

 

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/supanet-cancellation.34754/

[sturose]

Thanks for the links. I've already read 2 of them from ispreview. Quite frankly it's shocking that this company still exists.

 

That link about go2pay is quite worrying and further reinforces my opinion that my daughter should not use it.

[Andyorch]

Can  payment not be made online or by phone ?

 

Are they charging an early exit fee for not completing the 2 years ?

[sturose]

They have offered no alternative payment method, just this go2pay link.

 

They are charging an early termination charge and a cease fee.

[Andyorch]

Does she have a online account and can payment be made through the portal ?

 

https://myaccount.supanet.com/login

 

 

12.9 If notice is given to terminate the Contract before the end of any relevant Contract Minimum Period (except where notice is given by Supanet in accordance with condition 12.5 or 12.6 or by you in accordance with condition 12.3) then you are required to pay us compensation for ending your Contract early. The amount of compensation you must pay (referred to as an Early Termination Charge) will not be more than the Charges you would have paid for the Service(s) during the remainder of the Contract Minimum Period (assuming you would have used the Service(s) to the minimum extent contractually possible during this period) less any costs that we are able to save as a result of the early termination, including any cost savings made as a result of us not having to provide the Service(s). Full details of how this charge is calculated is in the Price List, which can be found at www.supanet.com/info. 12.10 You may, in addition to the Early Termination Charge, be required to pay a Cease Charge in respect of any broadband service, details of which are set out in the broadband Service Terms.

 

 

https://www.supanet.co.uk/documents/supanet-residential-terms-and-conditions.pdf

[sturose]

TBH I'm not sure. I've told her to sign up here so she can jump in if needed. She will reply when she can.

[Luna1992]

Hi I'm the daughter of sturose, as you can see there are no other payment options, just the option to resets the payment link 

[Andyorch]

Thanks Luna and Welcome to the Forum.

 

So it looks like your limited on payment options ....Im sure if you spoke customer services and requested an alternative payment option they wouldn't refuse your payment.

I take it this is for Broadband services at your current address and your happy to pay the penalty fee to exit early from the contract ?

 

Andy

[sturose]

Hey @Andyorch

Thanks for helping. @Luna1992 has asked about alternative payment options, she initially requested a bill sent to her because obviously she now has no internet at home. They have refused this.

[Luna1992]

We have already asked for other payment methods but they say that that is the only way they do things, we more than happy to pay the penalty fee to exit early just dont want to do it over this pay2go as it is not a reliable method 

[Andyorch]

Mmmmmm wonder how their customers with no internet or mobile app go on with regards to payments ?

 

Have you got it in writing that they refused ?

 

Point 7.4 of their T&Cs....

 

7.4 You agree to pay the Charges by Direct Debit or by debit/credit card. For payments made other than by Direct Debit additional charges may apply. These charges are set out in our Price List.

[Luna1992]

It was over telephone and whilst I was speaking in telephone my partner recorded all the conversation 

[sturose]

1 minute ago, Andyorch said:

Mmmmmm wonder how their customers with no internet or mobile app go on with regards to payments ?

My thoughts exactly. I know most people have internet these days but it's a dangerous game to assume that everybody does!

[Andyorch]

Point 7.4 of their T&Cs....

 

7.4 You agree to pay the Charges by Direct Debit or by debit/credit card. For payments made other than by Direct Debit additional charges may apply. These charges are set out in our Price List.

[sturose]

1 minute ago, Andyorch said:

For payments made other than by Direct Debit additional charges may apply. These charges are set out in our Price List.

Isn't this just stating that they can accept other payment methods though but there may be additional charges?

 

We're not concerned with paying via debit card, just the method they are use to collect and process the payment with no alternative options

[Andyorch]

I appreciate that I was just making the point as per their T&Cs and no mention of go2pay...so it must be possible

[sturose]

Maybe we should contact them again and point out their own T&Cs!

[sturose]

update on the whole supanet saga,

we have been emailing back and forth to attempt to resolve this situation and find a suitable payment method

 

this weekend I found that supanet had just taken a larger sum of money from my daughters bank account, even though the direct debit had been cancelled.

 

I advised her to go to the bank and request the money is returned to her under the direct debit guarantee as the amount was disputed and they had taken £197.98 instead of £162.50.

 

The bank have informed her that it wasn't taken by direct debit, it was a card transaction from a card that was used for a one off payment some time ago!!!

 

The bank have given her a number to ring to resolve this. I

have told her to report the transaction as fraudulent as supanet have clearly held card details without authorization and used them!

 

I am assuming the next logical step would be a complaint to ombudsman services and to report supanet for fraudulently charging a card without authorization.

 

Thoughts?

[Andyorch]

CCP ...continuous card payments.....did you cancel this ?

 

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/continuous-payment-authorities-it-your-right-cancel

[sturose]

Thanks for replying, it wasn't a continuous card payment it was a one off as all bills were paid via direct debit.

 

There was never an agreement for continuous card payments to be set up so supanet should not have had any authority to take an additional card payment.

 

My daughter has just messaged me saying that the card payment is going to be reversed by the bank and they'll have the payment back by tomorrow by 6pm. They have also been advised to take the matter to the ombudsman and make a complaint to trading standards.

[Andyorch]

[sturose]

So I've just tried to complain via the ombudsman service but apparently we either need a deadlock letter which supanet have already tried to suggest they do not issue, or it needs to be 8 weeks from the original complaint and it's only been 3.

 

Looks like I can't escalate the complaint yet but I am sure trading standards will be happy to hear about supanets abuse and misuse of debit card details.

 

I used to enjoy this complaining lark, I'm starting to get that buzz all over again!!

[ericsbrother]

supanet has failed to mitigate the debt and as they have refused other payment methods then the debt is no longer due.

This means your daughter should be in no hurry to settle this as they are starting from a position where nothing is owed to them, thanks to their own T&C's ( and consumer law)

The fact they refuse to send a deadlock letter whislt also refusing to engage will go against them. She might want to inform the Ombudsman (and OFCOM)of this refusal to engage

[sturose]

OK thanks for that information. I am not up to date with consumer laws as many things seem to change rapidly these days but that is certainly good news.

Based on that though surely them helping themselves to money from a bank card they have no rights to use is just plain theft and fraud??

 

Hopefully TS will shed more light on this when they speak to them.