Pipex/TalkTalk/Whoever they are today!!!

gezzs

I have been with Pipex for my broadband for many years, and not had a problem. Within the last year I've had cause to change my opinion, and am currently trying to move to O2.

Last week I phoned Pipex and requested a MAC code to move. The next day my broadband died. I phoned the technical support people and was told the issue was at my end as the line showed no faults. An hour later (after rebooting router, PC, etc) I phoned again, and this time was told there WAS a problem on my line! Later in the call - I was told there was engineering work due THAT DAY in my exhange (coincidence??), and I had to wait 24 hours. 24 hours later - my broadband still wouldn't connect. I called again and was told the fault would be escalated to 2nd line, and that they would ring me back within 48 hours. Suprise suprise - 48 hours later I had to phone again. I was told the engineer was working on my line and would phone me by 7pm with an update. Yep - you guessed - no phone call.... The next time I called 2nd line I was told there was no fault to be investigated (!?!?) as the problem was due to the upgrade of "32,000 people" who were being moved from BT to TalkTalk equipment in the exchange. I now transpires that my line is now owned by TalkTalk and not rented from BT by them - as was the case previously. This now means I cannot move to O2, or just about any non-TalkTalk provider as they all need a BT line in the exchange. I've had to phone BT, request the line is transferred back, and had no choice but to commit to a 12-month line rental contract with BT!!!

So if you are with Pipex/Bulldog/TalkTalk and any other name they now go by, and have your line rental with them - you may want to check they have not moved your line too!

Finally - I've now had no broadband for over a week - and have no estimated date when it will be working again. I'm hoping that the line moving back to BT may resolve the issue.

Pipex....:mad:

macman

If your line is already LLU'd by TT, then you cannot go direct to another LLU provider, you have to go back to BT for 12m line rental first, as you have discovered.
Once you have got your line back with BT, you can move your broadband to O2. Unfortunately this means a gap in service.
Remember to sign up via Quidco to get the cashback as well as the 3 months free.

gezzs

Yeah - I had gone through Quidco - but sadly have had to cancel my O2 order whilst the current situation is resolved.

Following a call to Citizens Advice - I've been advised to speak to OTELO (otelo.org.uk) as Pipex ARE members of this organisation.

I've writen to Pipex detailing all the problems, and requested a reply within 10 working days. If they have not sorted in this time I will be escalating.

SteveP58

gezzs wrote: »

I have been with Pipex for my broadband for many years, and not had a problem. Within the last year I've had cause to change my opinion, and am currently trying to move to O2.

Last week I phoned Pipex and requested a MAC code to move.

To answer the implied question in the thread title - they are Opal Telecom.

Like others here I've been with Pipex since the days they actually knew about service (well before the Hoff adverts signalled a dumb down)

1. The service desk have blamed my router (sorry no sale, the spare router did the same thing)
2. Blamed a change in the settings at my end. (I work in IT and always save things before changing them - which I hadn't)
3. Blamed BT (no sale, since when the link to the net came back after 8 days the router showed a MSCHAP authentication problem which would be their own servers, when that problem solved itself around 11:30 the Pipex mail servers didn't respond and the web page had been quoting "homecall.co.uk" for at least several days)

Migrating to another provider is fun too, as they claim to have problems generating a MAC due to a BT fault. (no sale again: it is their system that has to generate the MAC to give to the other provider - like BT)
Since BT own all the equipment in my local exchange the obvious new ISP is BT or a reseller. BT obligingly advised me to mention Ofcom as often as I could when speaking to the no-help desk at Pipex/TalkTalk/Homecall (Opal)

Amazingly when I did this the five day delay for MAC generation disappeared and I was quoted the MAC over the phone.
BTW 0871 222 6367 seems to get you through to the people that do the MAC generation and not the no-help idiots.

I've been in tech support for 20 something years and never come across a supplier that lied quite as much.
Bottom line: they made changes, cocked up and won't admit it.

gezzs

Well I finally have broadband with O2. I gave up on Pipex fixing my line after FOUR weeks. Despite my line being moved to BT on the 24th May, and my internet with O2 on the 1st June - Pipex (the idiots) are still trying to charge me for phone/internet! They've even sent me a letter saying they have put a block on my outgoing calls as I've not paid....good luck there - you don't have my line!

I've written to Pipex to tell them where to put their £82 bill as I've not had an internet service with them since the end of April. No doubt they will make up some excuse why it's my fault and I'll end up fighting this through OFCOM.

Lastly - if anyone is considering O2 broadband - I would recommend them. In my limited dealings so far - I can honestly say they are extremely helpful - and sound like they care (Pipex - you could learn from this!).

balloo_2

I had exactly the same probs with Talk Talk a few years ago took me 9 months to get a mac code after loads of excuses and expensive phone calls because the phone line went to Pipex but broadband stayed with talk talk lots of nice operators on talk talks customer support who after 45 to 1hr of being on hold sympathized and said there you are Sir its done now and never was untill the 9th month. I swore that i would never use Talk Talk again so when they bought out Pipex I was gutted and now my connection keeps disconnecting and I dont know if its the ISP, Router Extension, or Filter. Talk Talk:mad: Pipex :mad:

Heather25

Four years ago I tried to cancel Pipex phone line and broadband. It took months to get a Mac code and they sent me bills for 18 months after that for which I spent hours on the phone trying to sort out. I thought it had all finished but I received a debt collectors letter this morning. I can't believe it! I phoned up the debt collector and he wouldn't give me any info unless I gave him my telephone number and date of birth. I don't want to give him any more info than is necessary. If Pipex has been bought over who is sending me this bill? It got to the point that I was going to send them an invoice for the time and money spent on the phone 4 years ago.

before_hollywood

i had fun with pipex, it was back in the tiscali days about 2 years back. i had been with pipex about 4 years, so pre pipex and decided i had been paying too much (£20-odd a month for internet, not including phoneline, which my parents had with bt) mac code generated and given to o2, then pipex snatched my connection back, claimed it never moved and that i owed them about £50, i changed my card (they didnt run off direct debits back then) and they said they would disconnect my internet and invoice me.

i moved a year later and they still havent persued their 'debt''

TalkTalk

Hi Geez,

The Pipex Brand was acquired by TalkTalk during the course of 2009. Although this has been rebranded as TT the customer base is still maintained on a separate billing system.

WIth any LLU provider however you can move off the service by requesting a return to donor to BT. This will remove your line from the LLU equipment and alow you to transfer to any service provider.

Regards

Corpsebride86

ugh nice to tell customers it had changed hands... looks like ill be going else where for broadband! been with pipex since it had been homecall! wont b much longer!

however if it is talk talk y do i keep getting sales calls (which since im registered with TPS shouldnt be comming through and despite being told numerous times still come through) and ppl coming to my door trying to get me to switch in which they all get the same response.... i wouldnt trust them holding the data off my library card!

TalkTalk

Hi Corpsebride,

Pipex as a service provider was acquired by Tiscali a number of years ago.

During the course of last year Tiscali became part of the TalkTalk brand and the TalkTalk Group. THis resulted in the cessation of the trading under the brand Tiscali.

However the Pipex brand and network through both these transitions has remained the same and although Pipex is now part of the TTGroup, operationally this is still the same service you have always received.

At present we do not have any details of the Pipex brand being discontinued or merged with the TT brand, the two will continue to trade separately for the forseeable future.

Regards