Fast4/V21/Biscit (merged threads)

alared

What is the dial-up number?

Nix

alared wrote:

...As for debit/credit card payments,I don`t know what your options are.
If this lot takes a load of money out of your account and then goes under then there`s no chance of claiming it back...

Yikes! :eek:

This is my main concern with these clowns now. Never received confirmation of cancellation and haven't been billed for a couple of months now. Hopefully they'll just fold, never to be seen or heard of again.

I don't mind paying my dues but I do mind paying what's not due.

Taxibear

I too have a dial up with fast4 . I wish to cancel as I have other provider. Im a little confused cos when I try the site I get the v21 ..Im on direct debit to my cc and notice I wasnt charged last month..How can I cancel and has anyone got a working No.. thanks TB.. back again i just went here not sure if it will help others.http://www.fast4.net/members/_files/pre_oct06.asp

Capt_Slog

Nix wrote:

Yikes! :eek:

This is my main concern with these clowns now. Never received confirmation of cancellation and haven't been billed for a couple of months now. Hopefully they'll just fold, never to be seen or heard of again.

I don't mind paying my dues but I do mind paying what's not due.

I think you may be able to claim from the CC company if this was the case, for example, if they helped themselves to £100 towards drinks for the closing down do.





I sent this last friday


Dear Biscit,



I think I’m your customer, or I could be V21’s customer, there’s no way I can tell.



My number is 1111111, username Captain Slog.



I see from checking my records, that you haven’t taken any money from me for some time. This is very generous of you as I am continuing to use the dial-up service. However, I don’t want to be hit in the future with a huge bill that I haven’t budgeted for, and needless to say, I won’t pay it when it’s not my fault. Therefore, I suggest you get it sorted out.



Just for the record, I am unable to logon to any customer portal and I also don’t have access to V21/Biscit email service, so if there is any information being sent to me by either of these channels I’m not getting it.



Thanks

They phoned my home number when I was out, and the call was taken by a young Slog who didn't understand what they wanted.

I was surprised for two reasons:

1. They bothered to call back at all
2. They phoned my home number; I didn't give it in the email, so someone had to look for it.

I've heard nothing since.

Nix

Capt Slog - you did really well getting a response, let alone a phone call!

I've been emailing them to confirm the cancellation but...

Went to my bank this afternoon. I don't have a CC* but did pay by Debit Card. In a nutshell, if they do take an undue amount out, you can challenge it via a bank dispute helpline. Indications are that you shouldn't have much trouble. Ideally, you should keep a copy of your cancellation letter as proof.


* (if I got one, the OH would get one, all commercial businesses would start reporting a massive surge in profits, interest rates would rise sharply, I'd get kicked off the MSE site )

Capt_Slog

The next instalment:-

Following my emails to Biscit, and the the phone call that I wasn't there to receive, I've been sent a Direct Debit Mandate form through the post!

There was nothing else with this, no letter of explanation, no 'new contract', no charges, just the form.

If I sign this and send it back, I feel that I could be liable for just about anything they want to charge me (I haven't had time to phone the bank and find out if this is the case). In the meantime I've sent an email asking for clarification.

yaye

Hello, I'm new here, and I'm that elusive thing: someone satisfied with the (dial-up) service of v21/biscit/whatever. But everything else they do leaves a lot to be desired, so before the ship sinks I'm moving on. This is a summary of what I've learnt, please correct me if I'm wrong.

1 - If paying by CC/Debit card, switch to Direct Debit to stop random billings from occuring (or if using a Debit Card (and CC?) and a mysterious withdrawl happens, call the bank dispute helpline.

2 - Send the official Biscit cancellation form that's floating around to them via Recorded delivery.

3 - Attach a note asking them to please charge me for the last however many months they haven't been doing so, taking into account the double billing of October (was this the same for everyone? Why aren't they charging people, is it part of some strange plan?)

4 - Wait for the legal threats, mysterious emails, bailiffs, men in white coats to provide the next chapter in the sorry tail of this company.

Is there anything I've missed? And, I'm sure this has been said a million times before, but how is it legal to run any business like this, let alone a relatively important utility?

exprog

yaye wrote:

the double billing of October (was this the same for everyone? Why aren't they charging people, is it part of some strange plan?)

No, it wasn't the same for everyone, only some people were overcharged.

What we were told about payments is that they stopped charging people because the payments system they inherited from Fast4 was rubbish and required manual intervention on a daily basis but no-one told them. When they eventually realised they decided to suspend all payment collection until they came up with a new reliable payments system. Quite recently they started to charge some people but others have still not been charged since November.

yaye wrote:

how is it legal to run any business like this

Because incompetence is not a crime.


A new curiousity seems to have occurred on their Status page. I remember there was an entry from, I think, the 28th February saying something like BB users could not connect because Biscuit was in dispute with a supplier. That has been removed and an entry for March 1st says:

"Contrary to a report in an industry webzine this morning, there are no issues with our service and all customers can connect as normal."

tigergold

tigergold wrote:

i was on the phone to v21 for 50 mins today, i am leaving them !
our internet went down at 4pm yesterday and just came back today at 3pm.
I've got a cancelllation form if anyone wants me to email it to them pm, might save you being on the phone for ages.

I sent my cancellation form by recorded delivery, which they received on 16th Feb, was reading that suppose to get a mac code in 5 working days but not heard anything. Anyone else got a mac code from them or any advice on how to contact them without being on the phone for an hour ?

jertzy

tigergold wrote:

I sent my cancellation form by recorded delivery, which they received on 16th Feb, was reading that suppose to get a mac code in 5 working days but not heard anything. Anyone else got a mac code from them or any advice on how to contact them without being on the phone for an hour ?

Still waitin for my MAC code but only sent form off last week, you could try provisioning@biscit.net