problems with Pipex

Jill_Clarkson_2

Last summer I took out a phone and low connection broadband with Pipex thinking from their blurb it was going to be low cost. It turned out to be over twice the amount I expected to pay with phone calls and broadband and I quickly starting paying nearly £60.00 a month. One one occasion it was £80. The worst of it was you can never get through to speak to someone due to them receiving 'high call volumes' and I spent time and money on the phone trying to speak to someone. In the end I stopped the direct debit as I was struggling to pay and they have put a bar on my phone even though I don't owe them any money because of it. I went to Citizens Advice Bureau as I really wanted to get out of the contract with them but told there was nothing really I could do. Is this correct? I face another 6 months with no phone if that is the case.

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums Jill. Sorry about the circumstances.

Don't take offence but, in simple terms, what you need to do is obvious - you need to establish 'where you are' and decide 'where you want to go.'

Fairly obviously, you want out of Pipex but, disregarding the money side of things at the moment, do you know whether you are free to leave - i.e. is there a contract which means you have to stay with them until 12 months are up and, if so, when does that period end? How to proceed depends entirely on the answer to that question.

If you are tied in, you must establish why they have barred your phone. Off the top of my head, I'd say it was simply because they made a call for some money (your broadband charge?) and it 'bounced'. Stopping you running up more call charges is not unreasonable in that case (although the fact that you still have broadband - I assume that is how you are here - surprises me).

Anyway, phone calls are next to useless in the circumstances and you need to write to them (keep copies) asking them to provide you with information about what has gone wrong, what you owe (if anything) and, politely, asking what you need to do to resume your service.

If you are not tied in, leaving Pipex should not be a problem but you have to clear the account first so getting information in writing is vital (telcos talk to each other and you probably won't, for example, just be able to go back to BT unless 'the slate is clean' so to speak.

Best advice? Spend some time composing your letter and try not to rant!