Pipex Problems

Financial_Savvy

Can I complain to an external agent?

ourgrandpa

Just a note to all you mugs (yes, I include myself) who have spent fortunes waiting on the Pipex customer "NON" service 0871 telephone line for some totally unhelpful person to take a call.........well, DON'T DO IT ANY MORE!
Despite being told it's the only number you can call on - IT'S A BARE FACED LIE.
In future call on 02033028403 or 02033028404 or 02033028401 or 02033028402 or 020790611000
They'll probably still keep you waiting for ages , but at least you'll not be feeding the Pipex coffers at the rate of 10p per minute while they hold you on the line indefinately.
Finally, PLEASE DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAME OF THE CURRENT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PIPEX HOMECALL LTD and PIPEX INTERNET LTD? I get the impression they are changing so fast I can't keep track and Pipex staff will probably tell you they have don't have the slightest idea either.

TheWardy

I too used to be with Pipex for many years and loved the service, it was fast and the customer service was good enough to solve most problems within 10 minutes of me dialing the number.

I requested a MAC code from pipex early this year and was told it would arrive in the post, when it didn't 5 days later I rang up and complained.

sure enough a further 5 days later a MAC code arrived twice in the post and 3 times in my email box along side a bunch of templates.

Lets just note here that before Pipex will issue a MAC code their policy means you have to have your account paid up to date and that I had not changed my package in approximately 2 years.

So I forwarded my lovely new MAC code to my new provider about 2 weeks later after doing my research (you never know what you're signing up for these days) ... anyway about 3 days later the new provider came back to me telling me that BT had refused this MAC code due to it being out of date (MAC codes last 30 don't they ??) ...

So i got back on the phone to Pipex who told me that because my account was being closed in their system I would have to wait until the end of the current 30 cooling off period ... a little odd me thinks ... so I rang the bank and cancelled the DD giving them explicit instructions not to pay Pipexa penny more (good job the manager is marrying my cousin).

So I waited about a week then rang up Pipex again to request a new MAC code this time being told it would be with me within a further 5 days ... ok i thought ... we'll see ...

Sure enough though it arrived and after about 2 more weeks I was online with my new ISP.

6 months later (roughly 2 or so months ago) they started leaving automated messges asking that I call them on their premium rate number to resolve a problem with my account.

I ignored the first 6 weeks of constant calls then decided it was time to do something so I rang up Pipex who demanded about £300 out of me for the "contract" I apparently signed 1 week before leaving Pipex ....

Hmmmm ... let me think ... did I sign a contract ... I migth have done ...

Giving Pipex a little "benefit of doubt" here I asked for the proof (oddly enough Pipex couldn't provide any) oh well maybe they lost it, but would should I pay them for a service I wasn't using anyway ...

I asked them to stop calling me with automated messages commenting that this is borderline harrassment.

Off course pipex insisted on responding with more ignorance ... oh how sweet ...

So I forwarded a letter marked "for the attention of the CEO - Pipex Internet Ltd" to which the response was "We need your account details and contact information" ... I responded with "Try reading the letter - it's all in there".

Sure enough in the last week or so I had yet another email demanding money and telling me my "service will remain disconnected until I pay up".

Note to Pipex : Ok, thanks, you did me a favour (for a change)

So ...

I'm still getting calls despite threatening them with legal action and despite them not being able to prove I owe them a penny.

I have the whole email trail in which the first letter is my letter to the CEO stating that on the 1st of September if Pipex continues to harrass me I will forward the lot to a lawyer at Pipex's expense of course.

I aint paid a penny since the day I told them I was leaving, if they want to mess about that's fine with me, they can do it at their expense.

I'm going to keep responding to the pointless emails they send me and continue to refer to the letter until they get bored.

I have also stated that I will no longer call them so they can charge me for the time they waste hense the reason I do everything via email now.
....

Just a quick note :

Aint Pipex now part of Tiscali ? So surely the Pipex CEO is the Tiscali CEO right ?

TheWardy

In case anyone is interested ...

My new ISP is Demon Internet.

The service is easily twice as fast as the service I got from Pipex and is cheaper, the customer service isn't perfect but I have nothing that really warrants a complaint.

I have seen many horror stories about Demon since joining but I think these are isolated incidents ... who knows maybe I have just been lucky.

If I was to change ISP's today I would go with O2 as I get my mobile through then and they offer their services £5 a month cheaper than advertised if you're an O2 customer.

Always ring O2 and sign up on the phone with O2 as their web site gives some confusing messages like in my case the fact that they do provide O2 broadband in my area (their web site says they don't).

They do 2 types of broadband and will convert you to the newer faster one automatically when it's ready in your area if you can't get it now (think it's free but you may need to get a new modem for a reasonable cost).

Hope this helps !!!

Good luck killing off Pipex all !!!

Joe_L

I've been with Pipex since 2002 and never had a problem with the service, but over the past few months have been aware that all is not well. For a start I've lost my 2.2mb and now get a fixed 1mb max, but more worrying for me is the fact that they have changed quarterly payments to direct debit monthly payments without my knowledge. So I'm trying to get out quick.

The thing is the Pipex website has a number of different addresses in Manchester and Welwyn Garden City, but Tiscali have an address in London. So my question is what address do I fax or send my letter to in order to cancel and receive a MAC code.

millionaireadventure

I first requested the MAC code that you need to switch providers on the 1st July, however Pipex ignored my request and I had to make another request a couple of weeks later. This time they noted the request but failed to generate a MAC code as their system showed an error (although I only found out this when I called them to find out what had happened to my request as I had not heard from them). It was only on the 3rd attempt that I finally received the code and in little over a week I was enjoying life on the O2 network.

However Pipex continued to invoice me arguing that the T&Cs that I signed up to meant I had to continue paying for 30 days from the date of cancellation, which they deemed to be the 2nd August. They then started harassing me with automated telephone messages asking me to call their premium rate number to discuss my account (there are alternative numbers on the web to avoid giving them any more money!). After numerous phone calls they agreed to credit my last bill and I thought the matter was resolved until 2 weeks ago when I received a letter from a debt collection agency threatening to take me to court if I did not pay my outstanding bill.

So yet again I got on the phone to Pipex and having been passed around from department to department I finally ended up speaking to their finance department who confirmed that a request for a credit had been submitted but had subsequently been rejected, no explanation of why could be given. So it was back to the ironically named 'Customer Care' department to again explain my case, where after about 20 minutes of arguing I was finally put through to a supervisor who I recalled the whole story to again. After much deliberation, and I am not kidding her taking a toilet break, it was finally agreed that another request would be made to have my account credited.

Despite being promised this credit they could not write or email directly to me to confirm, the only way I could receive confirmation was by submitting a support ticket which from prior experience I knew normally takes a week to receive a response. Nevertheless I went ahead and did as they suggested. This however left me with a dilemma as according to the letter I had received, if I did not pay the debt collector I was due in court in 10 days and they would be adding their fees to the outstanding bill amount.

As I was going to be away in the meantime, and having been repeatedly let down by Pipex, I felt I simply had no choice but to pay the outstanding amount to prevent additional fees being added by the debt collection agency. Since then they have responded to my email confirming a credit is being processed, which I followed up with a phone call to find out whether my card would then be refunded. Apparently this would require me to make an official written complaint and a quick google search suggests I wouldn't get far with that, as their are thousands of Pipex customers complaining all over the internet that Pipex simply ignores complaints.

It is at this point that I grudgingly withdraw from the battle as it is simply not worth me persuing it any further. It is very rare that I let a matter like this go as the principle of the matter is important to me, regardless of the relatively small sums of money involved. But I have already wasted enough time writing emails and calling Pipex, and having experienced just how bad their customer service is I do not feel they could do the right thing even if they tried. Instead I will be sure to recall this story to friends and family warning them of the dangers of signing up with Pipex, or their parent company Tiscali for that matter.

Am I right to give up? What do you think?

espresso

millionaireadventure wrote: »

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Am I right to give up? What do you think?

Have you complained to Ofcom? here

millionaireadventure

espresso wrote: »

Have you complained to Ofcom? here

Ofcom suggest I go through CISAS as they provide an independent dispute resolution service for Pipex customers. However they wont get involved until 3 months after I first submitted my complaint to Pipex.

espresso

millionaireadventure wrote: »

Ofcom suggest I go through CISAS as they provide an independent dispute resolution service for Pipex customers. However they wont get involved until 3 months after I first submitted my complaint to Pipex.

Not long to wait then, don't let them get away with it.

Joe_L

millionaireadventure wrote: »

However Pipex continued to invoice me arguing that the T&Cs that I signed up to meant I had to continue paying for 30 days from the date of cancellation, which they deemed to be the 2nd August. They then started harassing me with automated telephone messages asking me to call their premium rate number to discuss my account (there are alternative numbers on the web to avoid giving them any more money!). After numerous phone calls they agreed to credit my last bill and I thought the matter was resolved until 2 weeks ago when I received a letter from a debt collection agency threatening to take me to court if I did not pay my outstanding bill.

I'm sorry, but the fact that you paid them money that you did not owe them, means you are enabling them to carry on this fraudulent behaviour. All too often I'm reading that people are caving in to these unscrupulous practices from Pipex/Tiscali and therefore encouraging it's continuation. If you have proof of the date that you cancelled, then you'd have no worries in court and perhaps could have claimed compensation for lost earings and inconvenience.

I've just been to my bank (Abbey, as despicable a bank as Pipex/Tiscali is an ISP) and found out that Pipex have attempted to set up a direct debit without my authorisation. Following a conversation that I had with a foreign operator for Pipex/Tiscali this morning, it's apparent that they've already tried to direct debit my account on July 17 and August 17, even though I paid the quarterly bill on 12 July. Since I'm closing my Abbey current account, no doubt they're going to be ringing me up asking for dosh, well they'll get what they are owed and not a penny more.

Now back to my original question: can someone tell me who I contact to cancel please:huh: