Homecall Broadband (merged)

hollydays

a part of it wont submit-ill try again
http://money.guardian.co.uk/howtocomplain/story/0,11609,668226,00.html

hollydays

someone else more technically advanced might like to try.however the search i mentioned will bring it up

hollydays

Update-Homecall featured on Watchdog-now sold to pipex.
see https://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/services/services_20060404.shtml

Skiduck

we had the exact same experience as the Rachel Webb, referred to in the BBC article, we are still waiting for a refund and most of all an appology.

bunking_off

Bit misleading title to this thread, in my humble opinion.

Homecall definitely has had customer service issues. However, I'm not aware of Pipex having such issues....I've signed multiple people up with them, all problem free. Similarly, Pipex own Nildram, who have one of the best customer service records in the business (take a look at the comparisons on ADSL guide if you doubt this).

Someone looking at this thread could surmise that Pipex are an unreliable provider and have customer service issues...the reality is that they've taken over a company with customer service issues, and according to Watchdog are starting to make inroads to resolve them.

Jarlawuk

hollydays wrote:

If considering going to homecall, first do a google search- guardian cash clinic caudwell..The previous company Singlepoint was "the worst company in the uk" according to the website British companies uk,which received so many complaints about the firm that it no longer logs them on its website. mr caudwell who owns homecall is the 26th richest man.In a tv programme about his methods a prospective employee is asked "would you sell something you dont believe in? " and "what is the biggest lie you have ever told".

Just to clarify things - singlepoint and homecall are completely seperate entities. Singlepoint got sold to vodafone a couple of years ago, and was responsible for vodafone/o2 billing. Homecall has been sold recently to pipex and is the landline call arm of the business (well it was)

hollydays

Have taken the point and amended my heading-but Singlepoint was owned by the same person who owned Homecall,and they had used the same business tactics with both companies-its well documented about Singlepoint here and America.If Singlepoint is still in existance I could not comment on the Companies activities now.Hopefully Pipex will right the wrongs-but who can say?

I have spoken to them since the changeover and havent seen any marked change in how they finally handled the catalogue of errors that occurred with Homecall-

and arent Pipex still using an 0870 number,how does that make for good customer service?Pipex may own Nildram, but in fact only bought that company in March so their reputation was built by Nildram themselves,but do Nildram use 0870 numbers too?Amendment-just checked,nildram use 0870 for support,customer service-but not for sales.

Bunking_off ..I have re-read the watchdog reports-it said they had resolved 3 issues. Yet Pipex are directly contacting people via review sites offering to resolve their problems- 2 of these have had no satisfaction so far from Pipex-1 is taking it to the ombudsman.

I will update in the interests of fairness.

The whole point of the headline is to get people to read it-if they read the whole thing plus your comments they can then go and find out more if they wish

marvoging

Homecall Broadband. Invoices exceeded agreed signed up for amount..
Bandwidth was throttled when i did some large downloads, despite the service being advertised as Unlimited. Technical support first denied port throttling then admitted. Technicians were rude and threatening. I decided to leave and go to tiscali. I had done 12 month contract period. Requested migration code. Despite many reminders it took 3 weeks and 3 days to come. Transfered to Tiscali that evening in mid April 06. Tiscali go-live date was to be 28/04/2006. Homecall have continued to invoice me every month since then. I have phoned them maybe 30 times, written and emailed countless times to tell them that i am no longer a customer. Every time i have to wait in a queue listening to music, then give my customer account number, and personal information while they log into my account. Sometimes they appologise and say it wont happen again, other times they say i have changed my mind and come back to them (!), other times they contact me and dont seem to know why. I insist that i have left them many weeks ago but they wont have it. Night after night the same thing, the same details, the same apparent confusion. Homecall have threatened the use of debt collection agency. This evening debt collection agency letter threatens court action. And the amount i seem to owe is growing. And if i dont pay it will be double. And obviously i have not used Homecall since i left them in April. I have all the paperwork Homecall have sent me and i am now putting it in order. I have written to Homecall to tell them that i have written to The Telecomms Ombudsman. I have had a letter this week from Homecall saying that i contacted them and told them i had changed my mind. This is laughably untrue. If so how did i get, and use, the MAC code? and then transfer to Tiscali? The credit agency threatened that my ability to gain credit in the future will be compromised. This is causing me ongoing stress. I have to keep writing complicated letters. They are the phone company you cannot leave. My worry is that they will lie to the ombudsman (as they have done to me) and who will be beleived? I have no record of the phone calls. They are beyond beleif. And the invoices were always for (a lot) more than the agreed £24.99 and every time i rang they gave another reason, and they managed to take a further installment from my direct debit after i closed my homecall account before i stopped the direct debit, so really they owe me money, not the other way round. Be warned, Stay clear, Stay clear.!! For so many reasons.

marvoging

Homecall are unscrupulous, relentless, lying, penny pinching, and rude. Stay clear. Dont take my word for it, search around on the internet for other Homecall broadband reviews. Now owned by Pipex.

hollydays

Do search on this site for some of my postings about them.Search Watchdog for the item on them.Sound familiar?You could try contacting watchdog,but you will probably be one of many.Are they still homecall or pipex homecall ?Have alook at the site reviewcentre as well.