The Unitel Direct Group review: Not in a contract with them but they set up payments with my bank.

On 16th October after being cold-called by someone representing 118.com I was then put onto a sales person for UNITEL DIRECT. She told me about getting higher ratings on web searches. She explained this would involve setting up referall URL's which would switch through to my existing site. After maybe 45 minutes of 'pitch' I said I needed to talk this through with my partner and she said she totally understood my misgivings with going into a year long contract with them at £179 a month and when asked to give me time to make a decision said she would do so i.e. 28 days. She asked that I pay a £20 deposit to secure the two URL’s that we'd discussed whilst I:

1. discussed this possibility with my partner;

2. made enquiries regarded the company and decide if it's someone that I wish to go into business with.

This seemed reasonable. I paid that by Credit Card. She took my banking details to save time when I made my decision and as a token of faith (it turns out that was a big mistake). Unitel then sent me a link wanting me to electronically sign a contract (which when viewed on a Mac only allows you to see the upper portion of the contract - so I would not sign anyway without seeing the whole contract). They implied that I am already subject to a verbal contract - that is simply not true. Unitel then said that if I cancel the Direct Debit (which I didn’t give them authority to set up in the first place) they will take the money from the credit card that I’d given details of (to pay the £20 deposit). Subsequently I cancelled the Direct Debit and when they took the money from my credit card (unauthorised) I got a cash back.

I have not entered into a Business to Business contract with them. I am a sole trader with a trading name of The Drone Detective. I have a tiny turnover and no wishes to expand greatly so I do not require any of their services. I gave them details of a personal account as I have no business account, thus I believe that B2B does not apply and, in any case, we have no contract. I told them this in writing two days after the phone pitch.

Frankly, within two days I decided NOT to go into business with UNITEL. I emailed them to say so. They have misled me, set up a direct debit with no permission, asked me to sign a blind contract and lied about giving me time to make a decision. When I was called by a Customer Service manager on 18th October he tried to tell me that I was going back on my decision. I made it clear to him that I never made a decision - thats the point! He then told me he would reduce the monthly cost to £119.99 plus VAT and then tried to tie me into another ’spoken contract’. It’s not on. Their methods are questionable, at least. Another reason for not wishing to work with them is their past history (not least on this webiste - 'The Complaints Board'). Despite the managers assurance I place more value on Trustpilot reviews than he does and to see that UNITEL are referred to as a ’scam’ is concerning. To read their five star reviews is also concerning when you note how few are verified and how many are ’sound bites’.

Having said this to three different members of their staff, all went quiet (for a month). I hoped that meant that someone had finally listened to the original phone call. Then, on 29th November I received a demand from UNITEL DIRECT accounts department saying I have an invoice outsandling on 'my account'. They say I am in a 12 month contract. Obviously I am NOT!

As advised by Citizens Advice Bureau I have now asked for a copy of the 'verbal contract'. If the pestering continues I'll escalate this to to a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act, but I really don't see why I have to do all this. If it was a real company, providing real services and not the scam I suspect, then they would listen to the original call and leave me to get on with my business.

Then yesterday, this is priceless, I got a call from a fellow Drone Photographer who tells me that I was put forward by UNITEL's sales team as a reference! He tells me that both 'referral websites' are live and had I noticed an increase in enquiries (I haven't had one). You couldn't make it up.