Overcharged by Three Mobile

SHS100

Hi all,

I am reaching out to anyone that may have had a similar exerience. I will just give a quick background and get straight to the issue that I have then.

I have been using 'Three' as my mobile network for years now and aside from them I have only been with one other network, Vodafone.
I always purchase my mobile phones in Carphonewarehouse and it is there that I sign up to a contract with the network provider. Since the days of having smartphones these contracts have been 24mth durations.

My current phone is a Samsung S6 which I purchased from Carphonewarehouse under a 24mth contract with Three, I am out of the 24mth contract now but am still using Three. At the time when I signed upto this contract I was with Vodafone , I was not locked into a contract with Vodafone so there was no issue. At the time of purchase I selected the Samsung S6 and advised the shop rep of the Three package that I wanted and also that I wanted to maintain my mobile number, nothing different to anytime before when I purchased a phone from them. I signed up the relevant documents as per usual, contract and a/c details for DD payment.

I am extremely happy with the Three package and the signal cover that they have. Anyway time went by and I will fast forward to when I noticed there were two payments going from my account to Three. Now the package that I signed up for was €45 p/m , and sometimes this would be higher obviously depending on usage. The second payment was normally around €32 p/m, and this was not something I was aware of until now and certainly had not agreed to this at the time of purchasing the phone. To be honest I dont go through my bank statements with any attention to detail, I do keep an eye for any substantial amounts withdrawn only. Anyway I was puzzled by this second payment to Three each month. I called my bank as I felt it was surely a mistake on their behalf. They advised me that the issue was not at their end and that they have no control over setting up direct debits. Making a long story short I then went to the Carphonewarehouse branch where I purchased the phone and between coming and going I was going around in circles between Carphonewarehouse and the Three mobile shop. Neither were taking any responsibility or willing to sort this out for me, though they were pleasant. I was told that this was another mobile number that I have??? that it was purchased at the time of purchasing the phone. Now I have always kept the same mobile number, for obvious reasons and I stated this clearly in the shop. I also dont have any documents around signing any contracts or DD mandates for this new/other number. The only advice that I have been given to date is to submit a complaint to COMREG.IE.

I really apprepciate you taking the time to read through this and would be grateful if you could advise me what channels to follow in resolving this.

my3cents

Any chance you were signed up for insurance and didn't realise. Something like its was free for the first month then they used your DD details which they already had for the payments?

If you are making a complaint to three you make an official complaint to three first. You can do that via their website and the contact form iirc there is a drop down box and you can select complaint.

Make a copy of this complaint then when three do nothing to help wait 10 working days then pass the complaint on to comreg.

Del2005

Ask 3 to provide you with the contract that you signed for the 2nd number. If they cannot provide it then you should get your money back, if they do then you should have checked your bank more often.

Xterminator

+1 to the above.

If they took money from your account they need to have authorisation to do so.

right now you can claim bavk up to 13 months of direct bebits, under sepa rules. but if they have no authorisation id say you will get the entire amount back.

https://www.bpfi.ie/customer-assist/personal-customers/directdebit/

SEPA Consumer (Debtor) Rights
Under the SEPA Direct Debit Core Scheme Rules and SEPA Regulation 260-2012 consumers can:

Request a refund for any SEPA Direct Debit within eight weeks from the date on which the SEPA Direct Debit was debited from their account. Within the eight week period their bank must refund on a ‘no-questions asked’ basis
Request a refund for any unauthorised SEPA Direct Debit after 8 weeks and within 13 months from the date on which the SEPA Direct Debit was debited from their account.

dvin59

Hi there.
On my experience the Three mobile is the worst mob. provider in the World I had ever seen. That is the scamming company. They regulary steale money from customer's accounts/ balance's. If you use internet you are under high risk missing your money for nothing and what is more important you will ever never proof them they are wrong. I so surprised this company still is on Irish market because they are breaking law regulary.
Sorry but just there is no law & justice in this Country. That is my only meaning and experience.

weldoninhio

<SNIP>

Once you prove that they are in the wrong, they'll try to fob you off and tell you that they'll pay you back in credit, as if they are doing you a favour. I'd get a lawyer and take them to the cleaners, they've basically been taking money without your consent.

theteal

weldoninhio wrote: »

Once you prove that they are in the wrong, they'll try to fob you off and tell you that they'll pay you back in credit, as if they are doing you a favour.

Yeah, they'll try that, I'd be insisting on a cheque.

Now if my memory serves (from a past life in the biz) those bill phones come with a sim/number assigned and they port your existing number over from the other provider onto this sim - disabling the number that came with it. What are the chances that this port didn't go through fully and the temp msisdn (number, I still remember some of the lingo!) was never disabled? Either way, it should be easily resolvable, ask them to produce your contract for this unknown number.

Nice little savings pot there OP.

Cabaal

theteal wrote: »

Yeah, they'll try that, I'd be insisting on a cheque.

Now if my memory serves (from a past life in the biz) those bill phones come with a sim/number assigned and they port your existing number over from the other provider onto this sim - disabling the number that came with it. What are the chances that this port didn't go through fully and the temp msisdn (number, I still remember some of the lingo!) was never disabled? Either way, it should be easily resolvable, ask them to produce your contract for this unknown number.

Its exactly what I was thinking as well,
Had the exact same happen to me with emobile years back

Gooser14

Have you tried calling the second number? Do this from a phone other than your own.