Chess telecom

I have seen so many complaints about Chess Telecom and time after time they do NOTHING about it. Its time to take action. I am planning on collating a number of complaints and sending them to BBC WATCHDOG.. PLEASE send any problems you have had about Chess telecome to vicky@koastradio.co.uk. Please see below the review I have posted on Trustpilot

My latest review on Trustpilot for Chess Telecom

We have been with Chess for just over a year. It all started so well. I had read bad reviews and was worried, however, we had no problems.... UNTIL..... we moved premises in the summer of 2013. In our new premises we had 2 lines in because the broadband speed was very slow instead of the 1 line in on the previous premises. No problem they said, we will terminate the broadband/telephone line on your old premises when you are settled in, just let us know. So thats what we did. We informed Chess when we were settled and to turn the old broadband off.. THEY DIDNT. We have been charged since the summer for a telephone line/broadband we cancelled. We have called numerous times each time someone says t hey will sort it and we will stop being charged. Each month I receive an invoice with this STILL ON!!

Earlier this month, we discovered fibre was available in our area ( we were not told about this - otherwise we could have had only 1 line into the new premises) so upgraded. We were informed the engineer would come on 17th Janaury. Noone came. I called numerous times that day to try and establish a time of arrival, it got late in the afternoon, but still they would not check to ensure someone was coming. We are a not for profit organisation, people had to take time off work to sit in for an engineer who didnt turn up. (We waited from 8am-6.45pm). Of course after 5pm there was noone at Chess to call.

I called on Monday, not even an apology. They said they would log it with openreach to see why noone called and someone would call me back. Noone EVER calls you back from Chess,... EVER (unless they are trying to sell you something). So I called back Tuesday, again, no apology, noone had even logged anything with BT from the following day. Again I was promised this would be looked into, and someone would call me back. Guess what.... Noone called me back. So we are now today (Wednesday), I have lost patience. I called again (2pm), and again no apology ( I get the feeling I am a pain to them) and told there is still another 38 mins before anything will be chased up with Openreach and rest assured they are looking into it ( where can I get confidence that it is being looked at?) and someone will call me back after that time... its now 4.30 and guess what... NOONE HAS CALLED ME BACK.

I also asked what was happening with my official complaint lodged re the billing.... the response of the call handler... is it not on the email your were send? My response, no, I received a holding email saying they had received it. He couldnt answer my question, is "assumes" its "probably" 5 working days. He obviously had no clue about their own complaints procedure. Lets be honest, I cant imagine they dont receive any

The customer service at Chess is an absolute disgrace. I work for a telecommunications company (sadly we dont offer broadband) and if our staff handled customers the way I had been handled, it would be disiplinary proceedings.

So where do I go from here?? I call back again tomorrow and hope its gone to the "escalation" team ( for which he didnt really know what happened once it got to there other than management get involved.

My suggestion.... please email me vicky@koastradio.co.uk ( this is the name of the community radio station we have the broadband with chess) and I collate ALL t he complaints and send them off to BBC watchdog. Please feel free to cut and copy this post and send me your stories and hopefully we can get all your problems sorted once and for all.
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Comments

  • Trace-T
    Trace-T Posts: 44
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    I'm also in a similar dispute with Chess Telecom regarding continuous charges after cancellation.

    From searching online this seems it may be a common theme with Chess...

    See details of my experiences here:
    forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4879812
  • Trace-T
    Trace-T Posts: 44
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    Hello Vicky

    Just like to ask, have you reported it to Ofcom
    If they get enough complaints they will monitor the company.
    consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/billing
  • I contacted Oftcom about Chess Telecom basically they said yes we no about them so i sent them a copy of my complaint and a video i made showing a further 30 complaints by other customers of Chess Telecom. Oftcom just moved me on to someone else basically i asked them whats the point of having you as a regulator if you do nothing..

    Hopefully Ann Robinson will also get on to this company.

    You can see my video on YouTube.

    Chess Telecom | Chess Telecom Reviews | Chess Telecoms
  • I don't want to derail this thread, but I want to make a key important point here. This doesn't excuse not getting the service you are paying for regardless of its cost but my advice is clear.

    BUSINESSES: Do not cheap out on your Broadband or telecoms. You really do get what you pay for

    To add some content to this, I've had a number of my clients (we provide IT Solutions) burned by Chess Telecom. I'll direct them to this thread!
    If my post helped you in anyway, please hit the "Thanks" button! Please note any advice I give is followed at your own risk!
  • Trace-T
    Trace-T Posts: 44
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    @Trinitrotoluene

    I am residential not business and my services were "acquired" by Chess Telecom I did not choose them as my provider where do your comments leave customers like me!

    I wrote a polite formal letter of complaint to Chess with the full intention of taking it to CISAS. Chess eventually contacted me with Credit notes for the incorrectly billed months. At least one member of their team seems to be doing the right thing to resolve my complaint and as of today it appears it may be getting resolved [here's hoping].
  • I have had a massive problem with Chess telecom. They are a joke. We are a small business less than 10 staff.

    I am so glad that you are thinking of doing something about them as they are immoral and unethical. The craziest thing about it all that I have discovered is how little Offcom can do, they are allowed to do as they may.

    Well my first complaint was about the worse service, customer care and billing system I have ever come across. They never turned the phone on in time, took money out of my account for no reason, and then spoke to me like I lived on the sole of their shoe.

    So I tried to leave and they tried to charge me £350 to leave so I stuck till the end of my contract and then tried to get my mac code which they never sent. Then they took £105 out of my account for an administration charge for leaving. I have complained to the max about this, as if they can charge me £105 to leave due to the worse service I have ever received. This is all in there terms and conditions they have stated. The thing is we signed up to Geezer telecom and they were bought out by Chess. They have offered me £50 back, but thats not good enough for me, I want to bring the publics attention to their 'Administration charge' for leaving. What a joke

    I could chat all day about them....

    Please let me know of your progress they have given me 7 days to reply about my £50 refund.
  • I've terrible dealing with this company. I feel people needs to be made aware of this company and their terrible and expensive tactics to keep you. So avoid if you don't heartache when you have found a better company and want to leave. They charge £99 for "admin fee" for leaving. And worse didn't even sign up to them in the first place as they bought over the company I was with. Below is my review on Trustpilot. I need to do this in as many places as possible.


    Chess Telecom-awful company avoid if you don't' want to be penalised for leaving

    I decided to leave Chess after being with them for a number of of years. I didn't choose them in the first place but they bought over the company we were with. The first time I tried to leave I was told there was an termination fee of £495 as I was not able to give appropriate notice. This message was very abrupt. So I stayed to wait to give notice. 10 months later I wrote and gave noticed. This was followed by the noticed period when I received very nice calls trying to persuade me to stay. When I mentioned about the terrible treatment when I tried to terminate first time they were very sympathetic. Now to my surprise I found that £130 was deducted of our bank account. Now we normally receive paper bills but did not receive anything about this final bill of £130. When I telephoned to ask about this, I was put through to Ian Whitehead who told me that the "admin fee" for termination was £99!! And it was not his job to send out bills, and that I needed to contact customer services. I told him it was customer services I contacted and they put me through to him. He took my email address to send me the final bill but as yet no bill have been received. I believe this was the same abrupt man the first time round. This is a very nice company when you're with them, service is not fantastic but OK. And if you find a better deal they will penalise you for leaving so you have NO escape. So I would avoid unless you want to be tied to this company forever even if you can find a better company!!!
  • Well some good news:j here on my fight with Chess Telecom on charges for a broadband fault ... They charged me in August 2013 for an openreach engineers visit .in May 2013 even though the engineer said my master socket was at fault , (it did help that I had worked at BT 20 years earlier so couldn't have the wool pulled over my eyes !)
    after ringing up Customer services nothing was done , £145 was debited to my bank account despite being under dispute . 2 further external faults handled well by chess engineers , loads of correspondence ,eventually passed it to Directors office as a high level complaint , no real timescales met on keeping me up to date , so passed the complaint to CICAS , ofcoms arbitration service ,after being told that Chess has a good legal department!
    Success :j the arbitrator agrees with me !
    His report follows :-
    In the light of my observations above, concerning the faults in the broadband service, the company did all that it reasonably could to rectify those faults, and in that regard I consider that it has complied with the terms and conditions of the contract.
    On the other hand, the company failed to deal as proficiently with the customer’s complaint about the £145.00 charge, and compounded this by failing to provide the customer with a copy of its complaints process and failing to keep him informed of progress. It has also failed to
    confirm precisely what Line Assurance covers, and to inform him about the details of his current contract. Overall, therefore, I consider that the company should pay the customer £100.00 in respect of the inconvenienced caused by its failure to handle the complaint efficiently; £50.00 in respect of the cumulative loss of broadband service; and £145.00 in respect of the engineer’s charges; making a total of £295.00.
    Conclusion
    . My conclusion on the main issues is that:
    a. The company has failed in its duty of care to the customer.
    b. The reasons given by the customer are sufficient to justify £295.00 in compensation.
    . Therefore, my decision is for the company to pay the customer the sum of £295.00.

    Then they have a cheek to send me a credit note . which I've told them i'm not accepting . I want the money back .

    So if in doubt keep all correspondence & complain to CICAS! ., I've also cancelled the so called Line Assurance because they couldn't tell me what it covered .!
  • mr_upset
    mr_upset Posts: 3 Newbie
    edited 16 November 2014 at 7:58PM
    Chess took over my Select Calls arrangement, now they want £1,300 !!! to cancel .... the building is being demolished .... twice swiped the full £1.3k out without prior notice .... thank goodness Barclays legal people got it back for me.. DDR payments offer protection it seems.

    I had no idea I was liable to such stinging penalties, I was an ultra light user, never needed to ring anyone !!!

    The building is being demolished so the landowner can make money, and its cost me massive amounts of effort to move my workshop .... seems I am shafted at both ends ....

    So its OFCOM and the Ombudsman and potentially some newspaper coverage .... how i hate and detest having to waste my time on such crap, I just cut off ... neither is mail being re-directed as all i got was junk ... just as when Chess started all i got was junk phone calls ... I work on machines that can chew fingers !!!!

    I also have a serious anger problem, I keep apart from people that i cannot relate to on my own terms, self diagnosed asperger syndrome..... i hope no-one calls to this house as its likely I'll attack them and end in prison. This really should be taken out of my hands .... it is 'beyond me' so to speak.

    HELP !!!

    £1,300 effin quid !!!! for a man that is practically a part-time worker !!!!
  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181
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    Forumite
    mr_upset wrote: »
    Chess took over my Select Calls arrangement, now they want £1,300 !!! to cancel .... the building is being demolished .... twice swiped the full £1.3k out without prior notice .... thank goodness Barclays legal people got it back for me.. DDR payments offer protection it seems.

    I had no idea I was liable to such stinging penalties, I was an ultra light user, never needed to ring anyone !!!

    The building is being demolished so the landowner can make money, and its cost me massive amounts of effort to move my workshop .... seems I am shafted at both ends ....

    So its OFCOM and the Ombudsman and potentially some newspaper coverage .... how i hate and detest having to waste my time on such crap, I just cut off ... neither is mail being re-directed as all i got was junk ... just as when Chess started all i got was junk phone calls ... I work on machines that can chew fingers !!!!

    I also have a serious anger problem, I keep apart from people, self diagnosed asperger ..... i hope no-one calls to this house as its likely I'll attack them and end in prison.

    HELP !!!

    £1,300 effin quid !!!! for a man that is practically a part-time worker !!!!
    Are you wishing to terminate your contract early?
    Perhaps 'wishing' is the wrong word, but if you need to terminate your contract early then you will need to understand what the costs of doing that are.

    This to me sounds like a business to business arrangement... is that right Mr Upset?

    If so, then there is no consumer rights legislation that will help you.

    Might be an idea to ask any questions you may have on the Small Business board.
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