PPL PRS Ltd Anmeldelser 501

Truly awful. PPL PRS are suing me for an alleged outstanding balance of over £1100 for a 6 month period. That would equate to nearly £200 per month for a music license??!!! They have sent no correspondence or a breakdown of the figure they say i owe, just a letter from their solicitors Pannone Corporate issuing a claim against my business.

PPL PRS, how have you calculated this figure and why have you failed to provide any detailed breakdown or documentation as to how you have arrived at the specific amount claimed??

Without such evidence, it is impossible for me to verify the accuracy or validity of your assertion.

If I could give less stars I would, biggest scammers sent me a letter saying we contacted you 4 times they had not they then sent in a employee who took pictures of my TV that has my menu I told them send me the video they sent me 2 pictures and a separate audio file of some club music which I'd never heard of this will be the start of something big they even sent me a invoice which I didn't request I have advised them before there is a lawsuit back down because you will lose I have cctv in my store to prove your investigator or whatever you want to call them has lied trying to fraudulently take my money.

It's a scam they repeatedly cold call and make a nuisance of themsleves to businesses who are on the business mailing preference service and couldn't possibly need a music licence and when you call them back to try to stop the calls they don't answer

Harrassed by these people who used underhand methods to try and convince me I needed a licence whne I didn't, pity you can't gove 0 stars as my review is 0 stars rather than 1 star.

We have had around 8 calls in the last week from PPL PRS Ltd to ask the same thing.

No! We do not play music! How many times do you need told!

Now they have started ringing us asking for different company names!

Biggest scum and scam in the UK. Cannot believe they're still active. Shutting companies down all across the country with scam bills!! The government needs to investigate this scumbag firm!! Threatening bullies desperate for results!! Reviews speak for themselves!! Report, report, report!!! Avoid, avoid, avoid!!!

Even one star is to high.
Complete scam.
Been paying the fee via standing order as don’t like direct debits.
And as a result have been fined and have additional costs added.
They want you to set up a direct debit so they can take any amount they want and then you have to fight to get your money back.
I have passed all correspondence to trading standards, I suggest you do the same.

Absolutely awful and disrespectful company, I have no idea how they got hold of my name from within my company, I don't even deal with maintenance and upkeep of the facilities! Luckily I do know a bit about PRS licenses and we do NOT play music to our employees or the general public. Despite my explanation to Alesha over the phone, she spoke over me, told me I had been recorded and they were going to seek for money historically and that she would send me an email so I could read her jargon and then she would ring me back to go ahead with the licensing procedure. Then followed over half a dozen phone calls and emails with continued threatening behaviour and interruption to business. We had to issue a legal letter to PPL PRS to cease and desist from the constant aggravation and interruption to our business and for now they have gone quiet, but I have a feeling of dread that this isn't the last we have heard of them. I just wish that someone would put as much energy in to doing something good for a change rather than hounding people unnecessarily. Imagine what good all that energy could do if it was channelled into something for the betterment of society!?

All I can do is add to the constant string of '1 star' reviews. 0 would be more appropriate. A year ago, we were harassed constantly, and threatened by this disgraceful company. They don't care for anyone, and I can't believe they are allowed to exist. We were forced into paying for a licence. 6 months into our licence, we no longer play music in the office, and upon receiving the renewal (despite me asking for it not to renew ages ago), I ring to confirm it shouldn't renew as we no longer use music. Because I was 'past the 1 month notice' (conveniently the renewal comes at the point where its beyond a month), they now want me to pay another £200+) for a weeks licence... for something we aren't even using.
They are nothing short of thieves... how they sleep at night is beyond me. Avoid at all costs.

Worst company ever lie to yo saying by law yo have to have there licence but yo don’t there is other options available

Today we received the 3rd call about our business,
As a financial company, our eyes & ears are on stock & share's monitors and monitors for presentations with just figures for clients & teams.
The PRS agent called again & lied to another colleague about what I said, lying with the intention of gaining a sale.
We have a Business TV license which we abide by.
Our work atmosphere consists of focused viewing on our PCs or Monitors.
No radio, No music & No social use of any music.
I am annoyed that the PRS salesperson (I know his name if it should go further) into a formal complaint.
We have the recording and I'm sure PRS has their recording too.

Wouldn’t even give these absolute cowboys a star if I could get away with it. How they are a government appointed agency is beyond me. No pricing transparency anywhere in the public domain which for an agency that you can’t shop around on must be some sort of breach of competition laws, terrible communication and their field team is clearly commissioned based on sign ups which should be disclosed in my view, it’s wrong, law unto themselves, and not held to account for their dismal performance.

rip off.

2 companies doing the same thing and both want paid for the same thing?? its just a money making scheme for record companies and the sales men who work for these guys. why cant i see my invoices ? why don't they want to know who i listen to ? they just make it up and send money to record companies.

Do these people never give up?

For years we have received cold calls to our office from both PPL and PRS separately then they set up a separate company combining the two to sign people up and chase money. You would think that having just one company instead of constantly badgering you would be better but Jesus these people are rottweilers, they never let go.

How many ways are there to tell people you never play music in your business? What is difficult to understand? This has gone on now for 20 years or more and they are getting worse, there attempts to trick you are becoming nasty, I don't normally swear but I make an exception when these hounds ring but it makes no difference, the cold callers must be very desperate or have the heavy hand of the board on their backs, absolute dog of a company. If I wanted to play music I wouldn't just to spite them. I look forward to the day one of them turns up at our door.

I have put today's date at the date of my experience as it isn't possible to put a date range on but it is ongoing, relentless and pain in the butt.

I have had a resolution to my problem. Much appreciated and thank you.

Every year we pay for this licence and I have absolutely no objection to artists receiving their fees. What I do object to is that EVERY year PPL/PRS try to slap additional charges such as late payment penalties on us by claiming they have sent invoices which we have ignored. They do this as a matter of policy and they know damn well that NO invoices have been sent. They then get a firm of debt collectors to hound us for the penalty fee in the hope that we will simply cough up. I won't give in to scumbag business practices such as this and, if I were a musician, I would be hugely embarrassed that this organisation was working on my behalf. PPL/PRS are a complete bunch of crooks in my opinion and should be removed from operating this scheme.

I didn't realise there were so many people with the same issues as me with this dreadful company, I was bullied into taking out a licence by a guy who constantly rang me, putting words in my mouth and before I knew it I had agreed to a licence I did not need.

I cancelled within the legal cooling off period but this lot don't care about the law they just want money even when they use underhand methods to sign you up and told me the cooling off period didn't apply to them, so the law doesn't apply to them. It's virtually impossible to contact anyone, they don't answer the phone, when they do they then deny speaking to you and emails bounce back even when you send them to the email address they state.

I was recently made aware of how many businesses are in the same situation as me, so I now am receiving assistance with taking legal action to get my money back.

A rat of company and the people who ring you are as low as the people who take your money. I was also made aware that the collection team at the company who are the ones who hound you for payment even when you don't owe them money won an award for achieving 110% of their collections target, they only care about money and targets despite what distress it brings to small businesses such as me, I am a sole trader, working in my own home office and have no businesses visitors yet the rat of a cold caller told me I still needed a licence, they are the pits.

If they cold call you, tell them where to go in no uncertain terms, don't spare their feelings, tell it as it is.

What an unscrupulous company. Avoid this lot like the plague, I had a licence for several years, I have no problem with paying for a licence, the problem is the way this company operate.

My subscription renews every January, in July last year I closed my business and emailed them, every email I sent bounced back so I rang them, they said they had marked my account to not renew but said I had to cancel in writing too. There was no credit even thought I was closed and playing no music from July to December. The person I spoke to who was quite confrontational and very unhelpful (they obviously don't like cancellations) gave me an email address to use that didn't bounce back, I sent the email but did not get a response, as I didn't get a response and I got a bad feeling when speaking to them, I then sent a special delivery letter in the post and that was received and signed for in August.

Surprise, surprise, in Janaury this year I received a renewal invoice, I rang to say I had cancelled last July only to be told they had no record of me telephoning, nor emails from me and no letter that they signed for. Luckily I have the name of the person who signed for the letter on the proof of delivery. I was then told that as I had not cancelled 28 days prior to the new invoice and I had to pay for the coming year 2024.

What a sham of a company to issue invoices 2 weeks prior when you have to cancel 28 days prior and why would I need to cancel a service I already cancelled last summer.

Then I read all the reviews on here and see why, what a company, I don't know how they are allowed to operate in such an unscrupulous way. As I have the email I sent with the open and read receipt and the proof of signature delivery letter I am not worried and I won't pay and will just issue a County Court Summons for a credit note, no way am I paying this new invoice.

To add to this, despite me having a licence for several years I still used to get the annoying, very regular phone calls from pushy cold call staff telling me I needed a music licence. What a shower they are.

My advice is always to send mail recorded with signature required, never deal with them over the phone, they will just deny ever speaking to you and always send emails with receive and read receipts enabled. However, better than that I would advise just not using them, just use one the many copyright free music providers, I would have if I had realised what this lot are like.

I am guessing that they use these tactics in the hope that a number of people will feel they have to pay up rather than challenge them. Because of their behaviour, even if they credit my invoice (which looking at other reviews they probably won't until I take legal action) I will still be complaining to the ombudsman, as it is totally unacceptable behaviour, underhand tactics and totally smug in their attitude. They think they are above the law and better than everyone they deal with, very sad.

Like everyone else I have the same issues as others with this set of charlatans, same issue as other reviews, they claim telephone calls didn't take place, they claim physical post never arrived and do not respond to emails (that's if your email gets through as most are bounced back saying email address no longer exists) It's best to email directors of the company directly.

They are dishonest and issue invoices less than 1 month before they are due then say you have to cancel 1 month before and as you can't due to late invoicing they then make you pay a full year even though you have been closed but as I cancelled March 2023 shouldn't be an issue but as they are greedy and dishonest they just do it anyway. Their methods are very underhand, they are despicable people.

They claimed to offer refunds for periods of covid shut downs but then refused saying they would do a future discount but didn't. The use bullying tactics to get money from small businesses and do not distribute to artists fairly.

They boast about invoicing businesses for £318 million in 2022 and collecting £316 million of that money. This, is at a time when many businesses were closing is unbelievable and they put their success rate of extorting that money down to their ‘legal and enforcement processes’. They hound and harass business owners with court action and bailiffs for money that was never owed.

Luckily we have had a lot of assistance, both legal and from other similar businesses coming together and we are able to make these parasites accountable.

Their staff complain about the high targets they are set to sign people up and it being difficult to cope with businesses seeking assistance and none being available as once they have their money it's impossible to get through to anyone. It's sad that the top level management are willing to leave everyday staff to deal with all the issues they have caused. Their staff also complain about the poor skills of senior management who are obsessed with revenue and don't care about staff or customers PPL PRS describe the MD as being 'is passionate about employee wellbeing, diversity and company culture – and the vital role music plays in supporting these. She supports workplace initiatives and equipping managers. Pity she cares nothing about anyone outside the company.

PPL PRS basically treat their staff and customers appallingly, the greed shown to acheive financial targets is dismal.

Anyway I am more than looking forward to our group and the MP's we have on board 'outing' these thieves and making them squirm in court and in the public domain. The company has granted an indemnity to some directors but we can still call them to court as witnesses as they have acted negligently, I am really looking forward to getting to the bottom of their activities, there are so many witness statements plus all of the online reviews, exciting times ahead.

Let's hope that when the accounts for year end 31 December 2023 are published it doesn't show the greedy B's paying themselves bonuses and dividends.

If anyone would to join the group taking action, receive any documents about PPL PRS, such as full accounts etc. if you need best email addresses to use to contact key personnel at PPL PRS or just to compare notes with others in the same situation, or to add your testimonial add your business name to your review and we will be in touch or go through your local chamber of trade as we are working with local chambers of trade too.

...and let's just wait for the automated same reply here that they post for everyone!

Golly - I thought I was the only one to get an aggressive call from the 'outreach team'.

Laughable coercive language used by them trying to get you to implicate yourself into needing a license. My careful followup investigation of their own licensing conditions reveal I never needed one anyway - but the outreach caller said they made their own interpretation of their own rules. Give them the shortest of short shrift.

They seriously need a change of leadership and customer focus if they are to progress beyond their current perception as scammers interpreting some loose government regulation.