Where to go to get money back from UPC

a_l_a_n

Hi,

I'm looking for advice on where to turn next with a billing dispute with UPC.

In short

• On 24th March I signed up for a €39.74 internet service
• On 07th April €56.86 and €40.01 was charged to my credit card
• On 07th May €79.22 was deducted from my credit card
• On 07th June €71.75 was deducted from my credit card

I have emailed them three times about this issue asking them to explain and then address this. I have received two email replies and a voicemail. In all three the explanation was that I was charged twice one occassion and that €32 had been credited to my account as redress!

I have stated the case as clearly as I have above to them. They have overcharged by a total of €127.99 but they are simply refusing to acknowledge the problem.

The question is where to should I best go from here? Comreg? National Consumer Agency? Solicitor??

Thanks.

Uriel.

Why not try actually having an oral conversation with them and/or one of their managers to discuss the account history?

a_l_a_n

Uriel. wrote: »

Why not try actually having an oral conversation with them and/or one of their managers to discuss the account history?

Well I just prefer to have these things in writing. I mean it's one thing for me to claim they are refusing to admit the overcharging despite being presented with the figures, but it's another thing entirely for me to be able to produce the correspondence which repeatedly proves it.

As an addendum, this constitutes a breakage of the contract right? I don't want to use them any more after this, but the same contract that states I will pay them €39.74 only per month also includes a hefty early termination fee which I don't think I should have to pay now.

dudara

Emails just aren't formal enough. Write a registered letter.

tallaghtoutlaws

On 07th April €56.86 and €40.01 was charged to my credit card

As you signed up on the 24th of March it seems they charged you for the remaining days up until the 7th of April. Their Billing date is the 7th every month so that would explain the €56.86. As for the €40.01 that is most likely their installation fee. Which is explained in their terms and conditions.

So it seems if I am right with the above they owe you 60 odd euro.

a_l_a_n

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

As you signed up on the 24th of March it seems they charged you for the remaining days up until the 7th of April. Their Billing date is the 7th every month so that would explain the €56.86. As for the €40.01 that is most likely their installation fee. Which is explained in their terms and conditions.

So it seems if I am right with the above they owe you 60 odd euro.

There was no installation fee for the 15Mb package that I was made aware of (see http://www.upc.ie/broadband/fifteen/) (also, they never visited my home). And I'm afraid I would have to dispute a charge of 56.86 for 13 days of a service which costs 39.74 a month!

dudara

Do they bill a month in advance like the telcos do?

tallaghtoutlaws

a_l_a_n wrote: »

There was no installation fee for the 15Mb package that I was made aware of (see http://www.upc.ie/broadband/fifteen/) (also, they never visited my home). And I'm afraid I would have to dispute a charge of 56.86 for 13 days of a service which costs 39.74 a month!

I was thinking maybe it was 39.74 + 13 days = 56.86 and then for some reason they charged you the installation fee. Which they charge on the packages below the 15mb package. Either way the whole thing is mad the figures they charged you don't add up at all. Definitely send a registered letter to them as well as phone them and email them. Keep badgering them for sure.

a_l_a_n

dudara wrote: »

Do they bill a month in advance like the telcos do?

I hadn't considered that before tallaght's post but I guess it's a possibility. In fact that seems to just about add up. But still, I'm right though aren't I??

I just can't believe they won't admit that they have overcharged when the bank statements are there in front of them.

tallaghtoutlaws

a_l_a_n wrote: »

I hadn't considered that before tallaght's post but I guess it's a possibility. In fact that seems to just about add up. But still, I'm right though aren't I??

I just can't believe they won't admit that they have overcharged when the bank statements are there in front of them.

Just checked the Parents first bill from last year:

INTERNET
UPC Broadband Standalone Charge 1 09/09/09−20/09/09 1.91 21.5% 2.32
UPC Broadband Ultra 1 09/09/09−20/09/09 13.38 21.5% 16.26
UPC Broadband Standalone Charge 1 21/09/09−20/10/09 4.94 21.5% 6.00
UPC Broadband Ultra 1 21/09/09−20/10/09 34.57 21.5% 42.00
Total for Internet 54.80 66.58


As you can see no month in advance but they did charge for the 11 days before the billing date.

chris85

a_l_a_n wrote: »

I hadn't considered that before tallaght's post but I guess it's a possibility. In fact that seems to just about add up. But still, I'm right though aren't I??

I just can't believe they won't admit that they have overcharged when the bank statements are there in front of them.

just ring them and get it sorted. Letters are very easy to get miscommunication and hard to get your point accross. use letters if in a complaint stage but it generally draws things out otherwise.

If they are charged in advance obviously they are not in the wrong and wont admit to this.

a_l_a_n

chris85 wrote: »

just ring them and get it sorted. Letters are very easy to get miscommunication and hard to get your point accross. use letters if in a complaint stage but it generally draws things out otherwise.

If they are charged in advance obviously they are not in the wrong and wont admit to this.

They are still very much in the wrong even if payment is in advance of service (which incidentally became disconnected immediately after each o my emails). Look at the numbers in the OP.

This is precisely the problem I am having with them. I am stating the figures in the clearest possible terms but they are refusing to acknowledge that I am being over-charged.

tallaghtoutlaws

a_l_a_n wrote: »

They are still very much in the wrong even if payment is in advance of service (which incidentally became disconnected immediately after each o my emails). Look at the numbers in the OP.

This is precisely the problem I am having with them. I am stating the figures in the clearest possible terms but they are refusing to acknowledge that I am being over-charged.

Matter of interest have you signed into the UPC website to check your online bill to see what exactly they are charging you for at those costs? You should be getting itemised bills from them.

IrishTonyO

UPC do charge a month in advance

a_l_a_n

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Matter of interest have you signed into the UPC website to check your online bill to see what exactly they are charging you for at those costs? You should be getting itemised bills from them.

Yeah. When I realised the amounts being charged were so bizarre I sent them an initial email to ask for invoices. They directed me to the website but the records there show nothing more than the date, invoice number, and price.

In every communication I have asked for an explanation of the prices but all that has been forthcoming is

Please be advised that I have credited your account with €32.00 as you were incorrectly charged and also I would like to inform you that your monthly charge will be €39.74.

They just keep reiterating the same with an increasingly indignant tone.

IrishTonyO

There are 2 pages per bill on line 1st is summary 2nd detailed, also free installation only applies to online orders as far as I am aware.

Ian Beale

UPC do charge in advance, http://service.upc.ie/service/?aid=147

Just call them on 1908 on a landline - it's free. If there is a mistake they will see it in the account history and will get it sorted right away if there is no mistake then they can tell you the breakdown of the charges.

Edit: Did a few calculations and I think you may have been charged twice again, as it's off by around ~ €37.01
You really need to call them to get all of this sorted out, trying to explaining everything over the phone would be clearer and faster, no one here can be certain how UPC applied the charges, I tried different ways to calculate it, sometimes I worked it out as either €32 or €37 overcharged.