A company called 'Complete Savings' are stealing money from my bank account

[Scoot75]

Has anybody heard of this company? I have never signed up to them but they've got my bank details somehow. They are taking money out of my bank account and I don't know what to do.

Their Customer Service said there is nothing they can do to help. I cannot afford this money. They have literally left me with £1.26 in my account this month until I get paid on the 17th.

Can anyone advise me please? Thanks.

@Brainwave89

I have come across a number of these schemes, in respectable places you would not expect. One was on my train company's site (Greater Anglia). It had a very small box at the end of the sales process saying click here to continue (and then in much smaller letters to join this payment scheme). I complained and got my money back, but its still on their site. Takes out #15 a month. Someone elderly or vulnerable might not notice.

So did Greater Anglia pass on your payment details?

I’ve just come across a complete savings cash back after completing an Asda shop. It covered most of the screen (mobile) after I completed checkout and said if you click on it you sign up for £15 a month. I didn’t want to try to close it in case it registered me so I had to close the screen completely and log back into asda to see the total amount of my shop.

Shouldn’t be allowed. Hope you get your money back op.

So many people have been scammed. Here's some on Trust Pilot: www.trustpilot.com/review/www.completesavings.co.uk?stars=1

A lot of them were signed up through Iceland and Asda. So they're targeting the poor with their cruel scam. WH Smith are another company affiliated with these crooks. As well as Moonpig and Debenhams, who don't even exist anymore. They have even scammed elderly people and children.

They need to be stopped.

Keep the company names coming. I am going to mystery shopper some of this and get screen shots. Their responses on trust pilot claim bank account details were displayed on screen. Let's see...

Moonpig are a Guernsey company I think (certainly where they mail from) so you could try reporting them to their equivalent of the ICO - suggest you reply to the person telling you it was nothing to with Moonpig and explain that as Moonpig must have shared your details it is a GPDR breach and that you will be reporting them

www.odpa.gg/for-individuals/make-a-complaint/

I have tried Asda, and presuming no subscription was set up it was pretty explicit.

True fact, the Guernsey ICO is Jim Bergerac's daughter.

@MostNamesAreTaken

I have tried Asda, and presuming no subscription was set up it was pretty explicit.

@MostNamesAreTaken - I commented above to say I knowingly signed up for an account. Your screenshot is what it was like for me - it was explicitly clear what the deal was, and how much it would cost.

I'm very happy with my account with Complete Savings as I've had a good chunk of money back and there was no automated sign up. It was crystal clear what I was signing up to. As per your screen shot the details were very clearly spelt out. I'm a bit mystified by people saying otherwise tbh.

@SpidersAreShitheads (yes they are) - I noted a lot of people across multiple sites complaining about not recalling signing up so maybe under some circumstances those details are not displayed or are auto populated, I'm now going to click on the link whenever I see it and record what happens!

I very much doubt there is a mechanism for Moonpig to share card details cross-platform like this. Looking at those screenshots, I think it's more likely that you mistakenly thought the cashback website process was part of the same transaction and entered your details or your browser used the autofill feature and you didn't notice.

www.which.co.uk/news/2017/10/beware-costly-online-cashback-schemes/

''Customers cannot join Complete Savings by simply clicking on our banner advertisement, they would always have to manually complete our sign-up page and submit it in order to become a member.’ After completing an online purchase with one of its partner companies, you have to click through to a separate Complete Savings sign-up page, where you must manually complete all the fields. ‘We send all members regular email communications, including five in the first 30 days of their membership to confirm their member details, remind them about billing and encourage them to make the most of their membership benefits.’

Have you checked emails? Spam folder?

I'm intrigued by the screenshots - in those examples, yes, it's really clear. However, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, CS started deducting money from my account solely on the back of my making a purchase with La Redoute. I absolutely did not see any 3rd party messages, or knowingly tick any boxes, or participate in any discount schemes. I did the usual select item, go to basket, enter delivery/billing address, card details, paid and then logged out. So somehow, by my purchasing an item with La Redoute, my bank details were obtained by Complete Savings and they took it upon themselves to start deducting money. I am unable to buy with La Redoute again, as I'm so concerned it might happen again, and I'm really wary with any new online retailer now.
The most frustrating part is the company itself saying you completed a form and ticked a box. I genuinely think, at best, they are creating a pop up that appears in the middle of payment details being completed which is going to confuse consumers. But even if that was what happened to me, in no way shape or form was the company name, terms, or subscription fee presented to me.

This recent review on Trustpilot looks promising though:

'I've edited this review to reflect the positive response I recieved from Complete Savings customer services. This is not quite a scam but operates a little... unusually and potentially problematical. Complete savings or their partners operate by looking like part of the process of a purchase within their partner companies' online check out. This is actually separate to whatever you're purchasing and will incur a €15 per month fee. In my case I was duped when making a purchase from MyProtein.ie. and somehow signed up thinking it was a requirement to make the purchase. Or to be more precise my child was duped. Turns out, Complete Savings have taken hundreds of euros from me since without my knowledge or true consent. And all emails about signup went to spam which is how I was unaware for years until noticing some oddities on my bank statement recently. However, I contacted their customer service and explained the situation, and to my pleasant surprise they have refunded me everything. Can't really ask for more than that.'

@Hugasauras I did not manually enter all my details and no, they did not 'remind' me about billing. They are liars. I don't understand how they're getting away with it and getting other supposedly reputable companies to front their scam.

Do people not reconcile their bank accounts any more?

I have come across a number of these schemes, in respectable places you would not expect. One was on my train company's site (Greater Anglia). It had a very small box at the end of the sales process saying click here to continue (and then in much smaller letters to join this payment scheme). I complained and got my money back, but its still on their site. Takes out #15 a month. Someone elderly or vulnerable might not notice.

DS did something similar a few years ago when he was at uni. I think it was through Trainline. It went on for about 2-3 years before he started wondering what the monthly payment was for 🙄🙄🙄. But they gave him all the money back when he challenged it.

My experience is the same as @Spidersareshitheads.

I have an account with Complete Savings and use it to get at least 10% off my online shopping. It's far more generous for cashback than TopCashBack or QuidCo etc.

When I signed up it was obvious what I was signing up for and I had to enter my bank account details from which they take the monthly fee - which you claim back when you make an online purchase.

I don't believe MoonPig etc are able to pass customers bank details to a third party.

@JamMakingWannaBe I believe you must work for Complete Savings or one of their affiliates. No-one else I have spoken to was required to enter their bank details. And Moonpig, etc. absolutely DO pass on card details.

If you contact your bank they can put a stop to the continuous payment. The stop applies for 13 months. Gives you time to cancel with the subscription company.

If you think it isn't you that's signed up you can speak to the fraud team. They will be able to check what payment the continuous payment relates to.

If the original payment (eg moon pig) was made by yourself then there's no way of getting the money back but the bank can stop future payments.

That's imaginative thinking! I certainly do not work for Complete Savings - my job couldn't be further apart in business sectors.

I'm sorry for the experience you are having with them but it does not reflect my or a PP experience.

I wish you a speedy recovery of the money you've lost.

This is worrying! I have used Moonpig fairly regularly. I will check my bank accounts for this. I won't be using Moonpig again! Thanks for alerting us OP.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2020/jan/13/trainline-online-ticket-cashback-complete-savings

This is what happened to my ds. As I mentioned below he let the payments run for a couple of years without realising what they were for. When he contacted Complete Savings they just refunded his money (over £300 if I remember right). So hopefully they may do the same for you op?

I used to use Trainline myself a lot and remember seeing the message about savings post transaction. I think it just required you to click on the link so presumably if you did then Trainline would just pass on your bank details.

Dreadful adds I won’t go near them with a barge pole, get onto your bank, the cheeky devils need to be shopped and stopped.

Same as loads of people have said, contact your banks fraud department and they will sort it x Good luck

I don't think it's fraud. Underhand and immoral yes. Not sure what people are expecting the op's bank to do. She needs to take it up with Complete Savings if she hasn't already done so. And of course cancel any further payments.