Fast4/V21/Biscit (merged threads)

Random

GuessWho wrote:

Hi Random, thanks again for the comment.

I was aware of your blog (very nice) but had not mentioned or linked to it in case you didn't want me to

Funny how all the blogs are reporting the same response from biscit, isn't it ?

Certainly is funny!

I'm working on the principle that if I make enough noise someone might hand me a MAC to shut me up. Anything's worth trying at this point.:mad:

Nix

GuessWho and Random - you've been blogged!

Random

Thanks for the comment.

Several of us emailed Watchdog last week or the week before, no reply to any of us as far as I know.

Hana

Ello everyone.

Been online on and off all day, 10 minutes here, forgot to disconnect (never claimed to be anything other than scatty!!) so 2 hours and 57 minutes there... sending and receiving emails willy nilly, not a problem in sight. What a lovely ISP we've all picked.:rolleyes:

Anyway, what did I log on to say? Oh yeah. A comment:

For anyone still waiting for a call back, I had another one this morning in response to a message I'd left in the members area yesterday afternoon. It does seem that they've now got through the backlog and are starting to provide a service. Either that, or someone's sent in a dictionary and they've looked up 'service' and realised why we're all a tad frustrated.

A couple of questions:

Has anyone else noticed anything not working properly on the members area? Only, according to it, I've not been online at all this week....

Forgive me for being really, really thick, but what's a MAC?? And why are some people screaming for it?

And a few responses:

Nix A have a niggling suspicion that you're taking the p*ss.;) It's a good thing people do it all the time, otherwise I'd never have cottoned on:D

GuesWho It'll be v. amusing to see how biscit respond to it. Sadly though, I suspect they just won't.
There is definitely no cancel button in the members area. Why would there be? People would just use it -

spud17

Still no connection despite using every number mentioned on these pages.
HOTCHPOTCH -I agree with your post 440 this is what I was told when I contacted fast4 last wednesday,before I found out about this whole fiasco.
This evening I have received an e-mail via ***@fast4.net.
So we have an 2 lots of fast4 but that doesn't explain that e-mail (post 439)from the new one giving notice of payment due but on the old ones e-mail address complete with the old ones phone number.
Tuesday, many calls to 0871 433 3129 ,all rang out to answer machine ,left details still waiting.
Tuesday pm call from Biscit Accounts saying sorry about the extra payments these will be back in my account by the end of the week.
Wednesday 0871 433 3129 is answered almost straight away give all my details yet again, the girl says they have had problems with the equipment and engineers are working on it at that very moment!
Say I have had no connection for 12 days she says some one will call with a progress report as soon as there is any news.Still waiting !
A note to anyone thinking of cancelling a Direct Debit, you may find out like me if you joined up via the old fast4 website (from MSE link) that you are actually paying by Switch .The only way to stop these is to close the account ,as I found out on Monday at the Building Society.
So far this has cost me approx £10 in phone calls due to the nature of my job meaning I have to use my own mobile.
Despite all this up until the 19th I was pleased with fast4 ,a cheap, reliable and fast service.
For me it was the consistantly fastest service out of the 4 dialups I tried.
Nighty night for now.

oap

http://portal.v21.co.uk/index.asp?exec=ceostermsupdate&htype=2&channel=v21%20terms%20updated

oap

my broadband is very fast indeed, my son who is an analyst programmer was very impressed, he is with bt and thought they were the fastest!! regard oap

exprog

spud17 wrote:

So we have an 2 lots of fast4 but that doesn't explain that e-mail (post 439)from the new one giving notice of payment due but on the old ones e-mail address complete with the old ones phone number.
...
A note to anyone thinking of cancelling a Direct Debit, you may find out like me if you joined up via the old fast4 website (from MSE link) that you are actually paying by Switch .The only way to stop these is to close the account ,as I found out on Monday at the Building Society.

Just a speculation, but the new Fast4 (apparently nothing to do with the old Fast4) appears to have been created/taken over by personnel from the old Fast4 (so far as I understand). I don't see any reason why the new should not have taken over the old's email address and phone number if Biscit did not want/had not paid to acquire them.

Can you not stop your Switch payments by 'losing' your card?

Call me a pushover, but I'm prepared to give Biscit the benefit of the doubt. Clearly their takeover of V21 has been a shambles and they should have showed much better customer relations, but possibly not all the problems were of their making. If I were in their position I would have done (leaving aside PR) pretty much the same as them i.e. first try to get the email working if that seemed to be the simplest job; if the remedy failed I'd ignore it and concentrate on restoring internet access for those deprived of it; I'd take on extra staff; work through the backlog in as close to the order received as possible; allow more access than the expected two hours as a way, hopefully, of restoring customer goodwill; then go back to the email problem; and finally provide a cancel button and hope that by then not too many people would want to use it. No use at all for those of you desperate to cancel (especially those on BB who need a MAC to give to a new provider), but it makes business sense to me.
Provided, when everything is finally sorted, they maintain the service, on the old terms, for existing customers I would be staying with them. I was supposed to have made a Switch payment on 1st October - I checked my account early that day and nothing had been taken. I'll check again today but so far I've had my service disrupted/unobtainable for a couple of weeks but nothing worse.

GuessWho_2

exprog wrote:

. . . . . then go back to the email problem; and finally provide a cancel button and hope that by then not too many people would want to use it. No use at all for those of you desperate to cancel (especially those on BB who need a MAC to give to a new provider), but it makes business sense to me.

Hi exprog,
Lots of things make good business sense, but that doesn't make them right!

Recently, we saw the *garden walling* of E7even customers. One morning they woke up to find that their ADSL connection no longer worked. They were informed via a pop-up that unless they forked out more money and signed up to the new company, then no internet. The alternative was the company would drag their heels before processing the cease orders on the line, resulting in up to 6 weeks with no broadband for some.

This *in limbo* situation is similar, in respect to acknowledging account cancellations!

Like the man said,

It's Like Déjà Vu All Over Again

GuessWho_2

Hana wrote:

Forgive me for being really, really thick, but what's a MAC?? And why are some people screaming for it?

GuesWho It'll be v. amusing to see how biscit respond to it. Sadly though, I suspect they just won't.
There is definitely no cancel button in the members area. Why would there be? People would just use it -

Hi Hana, did no one answer this?

a MAC (Migration Authorisation Code
allows users on broadband to move to another supplier without ceasing ADSL on the line or paying the $47 extra connection fee to new supplier.
Although the ISP charge you for it, it is really BTWholesale being paid for it

So it results in a quicker, cheaper move to new supplier.
Although, there are probs for people on LLU
Sometimes there may be a small charge for inbound migrations to another ISP

Interestingly, often called a MAC code (i do this all the time )
Migration Authorisation Code code

Thanks for the confirmation of no Cancel