Companies You Will Never Use Again General Chat

[Ray Gin]

There are probably a few I won't ever give another penny to but BT tops the list.

I got sick if paying 2020 prices for pre-2000 internet speeds. I wouldn't use them again even if it was free.

Which companies do you refuse to use?

 

[David76]

Wetherspoons - Tim Martin is a twat, how he treats his staff is unacceptable and his reaction to covid was a disgrace.

 

[Cherub]

Lloyds Bank.

Early 2000s I went through about 6 months where things were super tight and I didn't have 2 pennies to rub together. I budgeted super strictly - but went into an unauthorised overdraft by about £8. Next month I got hit with a £30 unauthorised overdraft charge, which put me into unauthorised overdraft again - but this time 2 DDs were also bounced because of it - so I got hit with the £30 and then 2 x penalties for the DDs bouncing. This repeated for about 4 months until I got back onto my feet and I had paid hundreds directly because of that original £8.

Had talked to them all the way through and they "couldn't do anything".

I had the last laugh though - turned out their charges were illegal and years later I got it all refunded plus a compound interest rate of about 8%.

 

[Jess]

NPower for me.

Had a few problems across the 18 months I was with them with predicted bills being a bit all over the place and never getting an answer from them. Bills weren't too bad so didn't think much of it.

When I switched, after numerous calls between them and the new supplier it became apparent that they'd never recorded an opening reading on my gas or electric account.

Caused chaos. Ended up going to the Ombudsman and eventually got it sorted and something like £50 from NPower as an apology.

 

[Tom]

NPower for me.

Also, EDF and Scottish Power. In fact, I'd be wary of any of the big 6 energy suppliers.

 

[Deleted member 26]

Virgin Media - Dodgy sales tactics, difficulty cancelling contract, speeds vastly overestimated

Lenovo - Refused to refund an order that went missing with courier, challenged the chargeback I made through my bank

 

[Welshy]

Theres a few more companies I avoid unless things are massively in my favour, Currys for example, will only buy something from there if it's substantially cheaper than elsewhere.

Barclays - not good with people who need help although got my own back with a PPI cheque for over 8 grand !!!

Try not to spend in Sports Direct

Sunlife Insurance - Accused me of fraud when I took out a policy because I had used a hotukdeals link to an advertised deals.

 

[Deleted member 63]

I avoid Bell Canada like the plague anymore. They are hard to avoid in Canada since they had a telecommunications monopoly up until early in the 1990s. Regulatory changes and the advent of Internet telephony broke the monopoly, but their infrastructure is still the most widespread so some parts of the country still don't really have an alternative for wired telephone and Internet service other than maybe going entirely wireless (though Bell is one of the biggest, most widespread mobility providers, too). Fortunately, I am in an urban area with plenty of options.

And, to be honest, the biggest alternative is Rogers, formerly a cable TV company but now a full-service telco offering TV, voice, Internet, and mobility. They were also a monopoly for a while in the cable market.

The problem with both is that while their monopolies have been broken, they still have the monopoly attitude, treating customers like shit as if they had no other place to go.