Unicom Complaints

magpie14

I had the misfortune a few years ago to fall out with these guys. We decided to wind up our business and paid off the outstanding bill.Suffice to say that this triggered the usual demands. it seems that there end game is cancellation fees. They were very cheap for calls but they really seem to be only interested in stuffing you.
Anyway, after many calls I told them to xxxx off, as did my partner. We didn't pack in because we were rolling in cash. They will only chase you if they think they can get something.
At the time, I went onto Consumer Action Group's website and they had the same old stories, but an employee of theirs' was giving advice by pm and I used it to good effect - worth a try.
They do still come back but I would suggest that enough complaints to the authorities will possibly yield results.... eventually. They appear to have given up now after a couple of years of chasing.

Anyway, try this. I'd be interested what buzby says - he looks like a legal type.
My local friendly barrister told me he'd try and take their eyes out in court if this happened to him - whatever the contract says!
I'm surprised this hasn't cropped up, but he is of the opinion that many contracts are attackable under Lord (may not have been a lord at the time) Denning's red hand rule. Google it. Basically, he ruled that any clause in a contract which has huge ramifications, needs to be brought to your attention with ' red hands' pointing at it, and the more onerous the clause, the more attention must be drawn to it.He does say you need to find a lawyer to take it on though.
Any mileage in the European courts? What about the publican v Sky, and showing football via foreign (cheap) viewing cards.Sky's contracts were supposed to be cast iron.
These guys are the pits, and to be honest, I no longer sign contracts over a page long. ANY company that needs pages of T&C's and needs to keep referring to them, isn't worth a light, especially those purporting to be service suppliers.
Must admit, I also find the idea that they can screw up your credit rating without a court judgement pretty disgusting.

Good luck.

tillemille2

I have an on going issue with unicom over cancelation fees as we moved from our premises but transfered the numbers to a mobile phones as we are in a tempoary buliding at the moment and dont wont to install new lines until we move again. Unicom want to charge us £1800 termination fee. We had thought of using them again to put the lines in when we moved into the new permises. We have had letter after letter and bullying telephone calls demanding this money plus interest and costed, plus new bills for line rent, paperbills etc when we have no numbers or lines with them. They way they are treating us we will never us them again.

We have had letter today from them threating court action in northampton.

Can anyone please help / advise us how to get ridge of them now the new law is in and we are no longer on a 3 year roll contact and have they taken anyone to court or do they just thearten?

wilks121

I entered into a 3 year contract in 2006 which I was happy with until I found out when trying to cancel that it was going to cost me a fair bit of cash to come out early. They seem to have me over a barrel until 2015!!
Reading through the previous posts I cant fathom out if this new legislation is for new contracts or does it include existing ones, can anybody catagoricaly say?

Pixarstem

Hi Wilks121

I wrote to Ofcom a few weeks ago with this question:-
"Following the recent legislation regarding the ban of roll of contracts, were telecoms allowed to automatically roll over existing contracts between 1st January 2012 and 31st December 2012 thus tying the customer into that contract for a further fixed term?" but I have not yet had a reply.

I have copied and pasted below the information from the Ofcom site that refers to existing Automatic Renewable Contracts but it is a bit evasive I think. What do others understand from it? If I receive a reply from Ofcom I will post the information on here.
............................................................
Ofcom confirmed in September 2011 that rollover contracts will be banned from December 2011.

The contracts, also known as Automatically Renewable Contracts (ARCs), roll forward to a new minimum contract period – with penalties for leaving – unless the customer actively opts out of the renewal.

The ban will apply to ARCs for fixed voice and fixed broadband services sold to residential and small business customers.
Ofcom has set out a timetable for the removal of rollover contracts from the telecoms market which takes account of systems changes that will need to be made by communications providers.

The sale of new automatically renewable contracts to residential and small business customers will be prohibited from 31 December 2011.

Ofcom will also require communications providers to move all residential and small business customers currently on rollover contracts to alternative deals, and to completely remove rollover contracts from the market by 31 December 2012.

Any customer who has a rollover contract and has concerns or wants to understand how the removal will apply to them should contact their provider.

Providers who continue to offer this type of contract to new customers beyond 31 December 2011, or those who continue to have customers on ARCs beyond 31 December 2012 could face enforcement action including a financial penalty of up to ten per cent of turnover.

grannytaxi

I am having similar problems. I do want to start a new post, but cannot find how to, so have butted into your post - very sorry for that and I do sympathise with you.
If someone will explain how to start a new post I would be most grateful:D

macman

grannytaxi wrote: »

I am having similar problems. I do want to start a new post, but cannot find how to, so have butted into your post - very sorry for that and I do sympathise with you.
If someone will explain how to start a new post I would be most grateful:D

Welcome to the forum.
Go to the top of the 1st page of the board, and click on 'new thread'.

fermi

Or just click here --->

Johnny_Bear

Hi Pixarstem,

Our contract for 2 lines with UNICOM expires at the end of April. Their sales people tried to get me to agree a new long term contract which I refused. They have acknowledged in an email that we were unable to agree a continuation of the existing agreement and today I gave them notice (replying to their email) that I wish to close one of the lines as we are vacating one of the premises and to transfer the other line to another provider at the end of the contract. Do you think this is sufficient to terminate the contract without charge when it expires?

grannytaxi

Hello, fellow victims of Unicom!

I am the Chair of a charity that is having to close through lack of funding.
Staff were made redundant on the 31.12.12 and I am attempting to wrap up the charity - which in itself is very hard work.

I wrote to Unicom informing them we were closing and for them to submit a final bill.

As I have been a trustee for 3 years, I was unaware that a contract with them (verbal) was taken out in 2005 and has been rolled over (3 year duration) since then.
They have now requested £1485.00 termination fee for landline and broadband.
The charity just does not have this amount lft to pay them.
Checking on your posts last night (great information by the way) I came across advice to email them for a "deadlock" letter.
Well it has done something and tonight I received a call from a very pleasant person - not the previously obnoxious and aggressive people I have spoken to.
They are proposing to delete the £900 plus for the broadband.
They also want a letter from the Charity Commission or an accountant confirming we are closing - this should not be a problem.

I do not think we have enough spare cash to pay this fee and wondered if I should "negotiate" again, otherwise we will have to take the insolvency route - something we do not want to do.
Sorry its long and complicated.
Any advice please?;)

Pixarstem

Hi JB
With the new legislation it should be sufficient ....... Your contract ends at the end of April, they have acknowledged the end of your contract, you have given notice and they can no longer automatically renew you contract.

I think the only thing I might have done differently is that I would have sent them a recorded delivery letter stating "I wish to cease line renal and supply as of 30th April 2013".

Hope it goes well and that they don't spring any surprises.