PPL PRS Ltd Reviews 500

Literally the worst company ever. Demanding for payment without even provide me an invoice!! I called multiple times, they will promise to email me the invoice but nothing received and no one called me back! They have the audacity to charge me late payment fee because of their own incompetence!

If I could give them 0 I would. They don't get back to repeated requests for quotes. Then out of nowhere a random invoice arrives and they give you 7 days to pay it before passing it onto a debt collector. No discussion.

so far a 9 day delay in payment. No faith that anybody really understands what is going on. The lack of information and communication feels like a cover up. Get your act together!

Awful company to deal with ! Took out a license they made it sound great, that i could pay it monthly then slapped me with the whole amount due. I couldn't pay that amount in full, they took it to court. Ive had sherriff officers at my store, counting up assests even though I keep offering a payment plan amount. They say "they will consider all payment plan offers" absolute no sense! Straight away they rejected it, saying i had to pay this certain amount that just wasn't possible. Months this has gone on and in meantime I pay what I can when I can because im not having them say im making no payments. Be very wary as they are not helpful in trying to help you !! They dont even deserve one star !

I contacted this company proactively to understand whether I required a music licence for my business. Following this, a licence and invoice were issued, which I later disputed due to lack of clear advice and communication at the outset.

What followed was a very prolonged and frustrating process. Communication was inconsistent, I was passed between multiple advisers, and my account was escalated to collections while my concerns were still unresolved.

Despite repeatedly asking for clear information, I was continually referred to website links rather than being provided with straightforward answers. Even when the matter was close to resolution, I had to request multiple times for a basic breakdown of how charges had been calculated.

To be fair, the original invoice (over £3,000) was eventually reduced significantly to reflect actual usage. However, this only came after considerable time, effort, and persistence on my part.

The overall experience felt unnecessarily difficult and, at times, pressured. A clearer, more transparent and customer-focused approach from the outset would have avoided most of this.

My advice to other businesses:
   •   Fully understand the licensing requirements before agreeing to anything
   •   Consider royalty-free music options early
   •   Keep all communication in writing

The final outcome was reasonable, but the journey to get there was not. It is no surprise that this company and their parent company PRS for Music have well over 93% 1 star reviews and is a true reflection on how they run their businesses. Whoever is at the top of these companies should carry out a major review of the Extremely Poor Customer Experience. Anyone thinking of contacting them beware. Do like I did produce your own royalty free music, it's easy, great quality, you get what you want and best of all it is FREE!
Updated response
The response from this company is a bit of an April Fool joke ! If they took reviews/complaints seriously they wouldn't have so many 1 star reviews, I have never came across any business with over 95% 1 star reviews apart from their Parent company who has a similar number of poor reviews, clearly those at the top just take their exuberant salaries and probably over the top bonuses.
They clearly don't care about the customer experience. Out of date run company who needs to move along with the times, currently it's vintage and they staff have a couldn't care less attitude.

I stage an annual concert to raise funds for charity, and have been very grateful to PPL PRS for consistently supporting this endeavour by offering a 100% discount on the necessary license. Without this, we would make no profit at all, so the discount directly benefits the charity we are supporting. Thanks PPL PRS.

I have just renewed the PPL/PRS for our village hall and will admit to previously being in the ‘outraged’ camp on having to pay it. Not any more, I have had a lovely exchange of emails with Piotr who was so incredibly helpful and patient with my navigation of the rules and my amendments of amendments. I now feel that I understand the system and to be honest, it is fair to the original writers and musicians.

I am currently being pursued for a license for december 25 - Dec 26 when I ceased trading in November 25.

I contacted PPL in October 25 to inform them I was selling the pub, they subsequently issued an invoice which I notified was issued in error as I had disposed of the business.

They set their debt collection agency on me in January.
I told them I didn't owe anything as I'd sold the business. I also asked them for a copy invoice - no reply received.
Now in March the bill has nearly doubled and they now claim I have to give written notice of cancellation - EVEN if I do not own the premises anymore.

1 star because it does not allow me to put 0 stars.

This company has been harassing my Mother at a holistic healing store for some time now. Persistent, rude phone calls, angry, bullying tones - despite requesting that they cease as she does not and has never played licensed music - only unlicensed iChill tunes.

PPL PRS are calling several times a day to the point where she is now too frightened to answer her phone as their tone is threatening. Invoices sent go up with surcharges each time - DESPITE telling them via phone, website contact page and email, that no licensed music is played, so there is no amount to pay.

There is no visible COMPLAINTS procedure on their website, not even found using their own search field - we need to complete this elusive procedure in order to complete our involvement of the Ombudsman.

My conclusion is representatives calling from PPL PRS Ltd are obviously paid commission for each licence they 'sell', hence the forceful, angry, threatening tone and persistence, despite their conclusions being totally wrong and the need for a licence is NOT necessary. They are playing on the vulnerable and should be stopped for continuing this pressure.

If anyone wants to leave a message for me if they have had similar experiences with PPL PRS please do so, I have the time and the fortitude to take this to the media, it needs exposing and stopping.

Lack of Transparency and Confusing Billing

Quite simply, the whole process does not appear to be transparent. The billing categories are confusing and unclear, and they require much better explanation.

When you query anything, the responses feel scripted and generic. Rather than properly addressing concerns, it often seems like descriptions are rewritten or repeated instead of clarified.

I’m also confused as to why PPL is collecting fees for PRS when, if asked, they state they are completely separate organisations. That contradiction raises further questions about transparency.

Publicans regularly complain about these issues in social media chatrooms, so this does not appear to be an isolated experience.

This is a most
harassing company, never take No for an answer.
Most disgusting company in the world. The opportunists leeching an excuse for protecting the artists? Yet their disgusting behaviour that harming the public.Pounding us with phone calls, letters and email, looking for easy money. Even after informing
them that we have contacted the ombudsman. It was confirming that we do not need to pay their so call music licence if we do not have music played in the public places.
I have ask them for if they have "communication licence" in order to contact anybody by phones, emails or letters. They asked what. My answer is exactly what they are asking people to pay the "music licence". Not as if one has to buy a "sitting licence" after buying a chair?These licience can go on and on for all walk of life. We have 2 lots of TV licences in place for our small guesthouse!
We all hope the Government can do somethings about these opportunists. They should be brought down by Harrassment Act 1997.
May be these guys should learn how to be kind and lead a normal life by earning their own living. Otherwise they have to buy themselve a loo licience for using it!
Worst of all, they play god, insisting our LTD co is trading but actually is staying dormant since 2022. I contacted the Company House and request to display our company as Dormant. Unfortunately, it can either show active even is dormant or disolve. Their answer is simply just to ignore these guys.

02/03/26 to PPL PRS
Hello, Thanks for your response.
Yes, we have visited the Gov. uk. Website many times:
It clearly stated: Business requires the Music licence to play live or recorded music in public. In another word Not require if no music play in public.

We are small guest house without live music or background music.
Your staff had phoned and wrote to us about “The Licence”. None of them want to understand we do not have the music play in public places. Their only language or monologue is to pay “the Music Licence”!

Our guests are here to enjoy the city. The cost in transport, accommodation and efforts would explain to you very clearly that nobody is interested to hang around in the guesthouse listening to music. While they can to do so at the comfort of their own home and with their choice of entertainments. Therefore there is no need to provide such service in our guesthouse.

For you guys’ information, we used to enjoy listen to music while driving or traveling, now we don’t. As you guys put us totally off music. Congratulation you guys have destroy people interest in music. There are lots of our friends or people we known saying just that.

Why there is a need for you guys to bully small business like us for paying licences when there is NO music or live music plays in the public place. If you guys are interested about the welfares for the artists or musicians what about us and many others? Is it no best to lobby the government to pass the right to issue licence like BBC television licence to the public? Or request the well known musicians or artists taking turn to organise concerts and donate to their young talents? Their money will be well spent or invested.

Please do not harass us also by targeting our dormant LTD Co, which has stay dormant since 2022. Don’t try to sell Music Licence to a non functioning company. Just like selling music licence to the DEAF

I therefore formally request that you update your records immediately and cease further contact regarding licensing for us. Continue to send letters or email after receipt of this notice may constitute as unwarranted harassment.
Please confirm this matter is now closed.

We applied for the discount on PPL/PRS charges as we were collecting during a Tuneless Choir Flash Mob. We were very happy that a 100% discount on those charges. We didn't actually receive this information until 2 days after the Flash Mob, which obvioulsy left us dangling somewhat, hence 4 rather than 5 stars.

***REVIEW ON FEEFO***

I have been escalated twice because I cancelled my licences (proven with emails and via their representative) but they "forgot" to actually cancel it there end. So because I didn't remind them AGAIN that I'd closed my business and bank account, IT'S MY FAULT! They assume a simple "well, we sorted it quickly when you highlighted it again" is sufficient....even after falsely sending debt collectors after me! They made over £300 million last year and think financially compensating us, the people who make that figure for them, when they mess up is inappropriate or not good use of funds. Supporting the theory they think it is OK to get it wrong and have zero consequences. It is genuinely like dealing with a toddler who say sorry then go on to make the same mistake over and over again!

They have hidden behind Feefo reviews (a score of 4.1/5) saying these are 'verified reviews'. Now strangely....I have never been invited to leave a review - but as long as you can prove you were a customer you CAN leave one without an invitation. So go on guys.....get reviewing on FEEFO as well!

I have started my complaint to the ombudsman, even if to just highlight the serious faults in this company and make them stand up and address the bullying and harassment then have as a baseline company standard. I'd advise anyone else do the same.

Waiting for the generic....we're sorry our service didn't live up to our high standards blah blah blah....

SIDE NOTE, you can leave a review EVERY TIME you have correspondence with them. So if you have 10 emails, you can leave 10 reviews ;-)

We had a query which was amicably and professionally resolved by Loren. It's a shame that we had to escalate it a few times before reaching this point.

What a joke these clowns are. Their website is obscure to the point of idiocy. They email you when you complain and say: 'Hey, give us a call'. After half and hour of them never answering their phone (my best guess is that they only own one bakelite telephone between them!) and listening to their annoying playlist you literally lose the will to live. They collected over £300 million in 2025 but can't afford to build a decent website or employ any meaningful numbers of staff. Actually, I'm wrong. I admit it. PPL are not a joke. They are a disgrace.

I have had a horrible experience like many others. Paid for a music licence in 2023 (at the time not knowing it was needed til I received an underhanded call from them. That expired and I ceased playing music in the shop. 2 years later I receive communication saying I owe for 2 years as I did not notify of cancellation. £1200 for a small business in crippling times!!?? Many many calls/emails etc, them adding surcharges and debt collector letters, I write to the ombudsmen and infom PPL PRS of this. Eventually get to speak to a manager and they have finally written it off after 3 months of fighting it because they did not send a reminder invoice in 2024. They use bully tactics and underhand methods to try and catch you out, do not respond to emails and online contact forms until you take it further.

Was approached via email and telephone on a fishing expedition with a scripted bunch of presumptuous questions. I thought the aim of the conversation was to get a quote to play music and be compliant. It turns out the quote came with a bill for 2025 plus 2026. I have tried by email and telephone to resolve this situation. However the call handler Gemma will not help and has told me if I do not pay 2025 and 2026 Quote/retrospective Bill they will start proceeding against me. I am so upset and beside myself. Even when I said I can’t afford a licence for 2026 so please don’t bill me as I’m NOT playing music. She responded the bill is for 12 months and this stands. My business can not afford this.
** Update Thanks for your below response but this proves my point! How can I have an account with you? I’m not playing music to the public**
*** Update Reference Tai from Customer Services has arranged a call. Hopefully this review will be reversed ***

Truly the most disgusting company I have ever seen, I will never understand how you can still exist and government is not doing anything to dissolve you. I guess money talks! And no, I will not contact via email to discuss the issues because for what? Tried many times! and you don't care. I will try to sort out your nonsense through ombudsman.

Oscar was absolutely amazing, probably the best customer service call I have ever had. He took time to thoroughly explain to me what I did not understand and was happy to repeat himself if necessary. He had so much patience and passion for his job role it was so lovely to experience. Especially after some call handlers not giving you time of day or patience to help you, Oscar was a breath of fresh air and made me feel very comfortable and heard. He couldn’t have done enough for me. I wanted to write this review to praise Oscar as he deserves the recognition of being such a lovely person :)

Wish I could give them 0 star. When starting my business I made it clear I wanted a quote but I felt like they tricked me into a contract. I explained my business didn't start for another 2 months but they wanted their payment there and then. I explained this is a misunderstanding but still no sympathy to working with me. I asked for the recordings of our phone call they said they would send it. I asked 3 times and still nothing.

Just a money grabbing business.