V21/Biscit Customers Locked out of Internet!!

schmooz

Interesting article - ZDnet have tried to contact V21 and Netservices also but have had no luck.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39284738-2,00.htm

julianj1

I'm sorry for the multiple postings. My dialup keeps cutting out, so I thought the post had been lost and sent it again.

V21 have deduced a third payment from my Credit card in about 3 weeks!

normanmark

councillorkevin wrote:

I have been trying to get to the bottom of this all morning. Finally rang an old number for Fast4.net. They are still in operation and are trying to contact old customers. I did a quick dial up set up for 7.99 and hence I am doing this note now. They will come back to me on the 25th Nov when line is cleared by BT and reconnect me for not much less than I was paying before. Note: Net Services took a d/debit payment off me this morning. £15.00 down the drain. Cancel any S/O or D/Ds you may have NOW!!!!!!! The old number I called to Fast4 is 0870 225 1055 Chap called Mark.

No broadband company will be able to start placing orders to reconnect customers until the earliest of the 8th December

alared

councillorkevin wrote:

I have been trying to get to the bottom of this all morning. Finally rang an old number for Fast4.net. They are still in operation and are trying to contact old customers. I did a quick dial up set up for 7.99 and hence I am doing this note now. They will come back to me on the 25th Nov when line is cleared by BT and reconnect me for not much less than I was paying before. Note: Net Services took a d/debit payment off me this morning. £15.00 down the drain. Cancel any S/O or D/Ds you may have NOW!!!!!!! The old number I called to Fast4 is 0870 225 1055 Chap called Mark.

This doesn`t look too bad a deal and it`s a monthly contract and cheaper than what V21 was charging and NO CONNECTION FEE.

http://www.fast4.net/

JoanneJ

You and Yours Programme re Biscit. 46 mins into the programme.

Well you won't learn anything you didn't already know from the net; companies at loggerheads, blaming each other for the deadlock and customers greatly inconvenienced. Both stating they hold out lifelines.

BBC Radio 4 Listen Again facility runs this til 24/11/06; links up the thread.

HotchPotch_2

alared wrote:

This doesn`t look too bad a deal and it`s a monthly contract and cheaper than what V21 was charging and NO CONNECTION FEE.

http://www.fast4.net/

If you leave within the first 12 months you will be liable to pay back the £70 connection fees applicable.

I would call that a twelve month contract. I was a Fast4 dial up customer in the past on a one month contract they changed the terms and conditions without contacting me to inform me of the changes, a clause in their contract allows them to do so. So unless you like to read terms and conditions every week to look for changes, go somewhere else. There is no way on earth I'd trust them with my broadband connection.


If you are a sky customer go for Sky broadband they won't go selling their customers off to a rubbish ISP. Other than that some Entanet visps are cheap. http://freeola.com/broadband/ http://www.ukfsn.org/adsl/maxallowance.html

Eclipse has a £14.99 package http://www.eclipse.net.uk/index.cfm?id=fixedmain_res

julianj1

Here's my current thinking:

I am going to write by recorded snail-mail to both V21 and Netservices.

1. I am terminating my service with V21 immediately and tell them to stop taking money from my CC. They are obviously in breach of contract having not provided me with any service

2. I am going to ask Netservices to disconnect me immediately, without waiting for 24th Nov.

Further to this, I suggest we all then pressure BT to clear the lines faster; if lots of people phone them up they may bow to pressure, especially if we suggest to Ofcom/our MPs/anyone else you can think of to hurry them up - BT aren't going to want 9000 people phoning them up to complain, are they?

This 7-10 days wait is an arbitrary figure, IMO, BT could move faster if pushed.

My 2p worth. BTW much appreciate this forum's advice in this matter.

normanmark

Hi Julian, theres no point pressurising BT in trying to clear the lines faster. Few heads up for you which hopefully might clear some confusion

Basically BT cant cease lines without Netservices breaking any form of Terms & Condition of their contract with BT Wholesale. As Netservices still legitimately pay for them lines then they're not in any breach of contract & therefore BT wont be able to intiate any form of cease until Netservices do so themselves.

7-10 days is a standard cease time for broadband, customers of V21 wont have a cease request that will merit any more importance than a normal cease, so in my experience i cant see any being expedited to be done quicker!

My advice is to pressure Netservices, as they ultimately have the decision in this process they should be the ones who V21 customers should focus their attention on in order to get anything processed quicker.

Jnelhams

Here is my exchange of emails from markv@netservicesplc.com

Mr Vickers,

I am aware of the fact your a stock market listed company, but at the end of the day, it is not right to hold to ransom the end user, because of your dispute with the reseller, what's more this is not the first time your company has done this to the end user, so you would think by now you would know the trouble you bring on your own house, it would be far simpler to have either given people a choice of provider, instead of blackmailing them into going with Eazedsl, or disconnecting the lines. Instead of tying people into a 2-3 week wait, or being ripped of by your choice of provider.

It is not fair on you that V21 are disputing matters, but you and they are a business, we are the consumer, and if you want to succeed in business you might like to remember that for every 1 customer you make unhappy, they tell 40 others. Now go figure 10% of 24,000 as unhappy customers?

I think you might see my point, and in the mean time you are going to continue to receive emails from a lot of unhappy people, all for something you claim is not your fault, well when was it mine?




Mark Vickers wrote:
> John
>
> I do feel sorry for you and all the others who I was supporting on my
> network. However I do have a problem as well..!
>
> My business was set up in the Kitchen 8 years ago with no money and I
> therefore am still very careful with my share holder's funds. We have
> given V21 every chance to come the negotiating table but it appears they
> don't want to. I am owed a substantial amount of money by V21
>
> V21 were specifically set up to deal with their 24,000 customers and
> more. As I have 120 resellers that I sell my services to and I have 1
> receptionist as my customer base is small. How does she to cope with all
> the calls that have purposely been directed to her by V21? And why would
> they do that?
>
> If you think of the dynamics and resources needed you can see it is just
> not physically possible to engage with all of the end users. I have to
> make a unilateral decision for all. I have decided that the best I can
> do is give a trusted reseller, Eazedsl, an opportunity to satisfy the
> urgent broadband requirements of some critical users followed by the
> ceasing of all of the lines so people can make their own choices.
>
> I know, Eazedsl, have decided to launch a much cheaper domestic product
> that will be available later today. This company has helped before and
> are undoubted in my eyes. For the record we have no financial interests
> in that company
>
> I hope you can see that I am trying my best. I already know I can not
> make all the people happy all the time.
>
> Mark Vickers
> CEO
>
>

---

Original Message

---

> members.v21.co.uk] Sent: 16 November 2006 18:59
> To: Mark Vickers
> Subject: (no subject)
>
> Dear Mr Vickers
> I am writing to you as I think your action against v21/biscit customers is appalling.
> Your company is in dispute with v21/biscit, NOT it's customers.
>
> By your actions, virtually hijacking our Internet connections, you are not punishing the companies you are in dispute with, but innocent
> parties.
>
> Your actions are not only affecting the companies above, but also your own company. As you refuse to release MAC codes a lot of v21/Biscit customers affected by this are now refusing to move to ANY ISP that uses
>
> Netservices as it's wholesale provider.
>
> And can you blame us?
>
> If you were smart you would have offered customers instant cessation of broadband on their existing telephone line. "you have in effect given our MAC codes or access to them to another company, so your policy of not giving individual customers access to their MAC codes or ceasing their broadband with immediate effect has broken your own stated policy." By taking this action "instant cessation" you would have affected the companies you are in dispute with to a greater degree than you are at present. Also you would not be alternating future customers with several ISP's that you currently provide wholesale broadband to.
>
> I have contacted Watchdog, Ofcom and BBC radio in regard to this issue.
> I and other v21 customers are disgusted with your high handed actions.
>
> I will and I know 100's of others will be posting in relevant forums/portals on the web to inform others of these underhanded actions and advising that they ensure their next ISP does not have Netservices as it's wholesale provider.
>
>
>
>

MyUserNamesTaken

julianj1 wrote:

I
I actually do not see why Netservices now cannot cut all the former V21 customers off now, rather than later. So we only have to wait 10 days rather than 3 weeks.

Uh...you want to talk to Fast24 customers. Their cease date was meant to be today. Netservices cancelled the cease and have now said the new cease date will be the 24th November. I can't give you an exact date, but Fast24 users lost the ability to surf via their bb connection around the 9th November. Oh, Ofcom has a new date for the tag to be released. They are now saying the 11th December. So, for Fast24 customers, that means more than a month without proper broadband before being able to go to another ISP.