o2 broadband help

bod1467

With all due respect, you could be anyone. Especially with a googlemail address.

Edit: This post relates to a post supposedly from the author of ACS::BORE which has subsequently been deleted.

macman

tomtom1984 wrote: »

No they didn't do it, I'm the most technical person in my house!

No 'technical' ability whatsoever is need to download copyrighted material.

tomtom1984

macman wrote: »

No 'technical' ability whatsoever is need to download copyrighted material.

Hahah, well the only things I download are through Apple iTunes so if there's anything illegal there... I'm sorry but iTunes allowed it. And for fact, I know I didn't watch !!!!!!!

tomtom1984

shoperholicnot wrote: »

I got this letter from 02 as well, did a bit of google and couldn't believe what I read.
I have NEVER downloaded !!!!!! in my life!!!!!!
I found out that is meant to be users of BitTorrent that are the alleged perpetrators, I have never used BitTorrent.
I was worried at first but now I just think its a Joke, they aren't getting a penny out of me.
Theres a book about speculative invoicing, I downloaded it off one of the forums, that will tell you everything you need to know in dealing with these people.
http://acsbore.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/the-speculative-invoicing-handbook-part-2/

I am disgusted with o2, apparently they made no effort to oppose Golden eye at all, they were actually paid £2.20 for each IP address!
Now innocent people are going to be harassed.

Agreed, this is why I am annoyed with o2 and am planning to leave them. I know nobody downloaded !!!!!! but it seems they just identified a set of IP addresses and sent them over. There's absolutely no way I would pay for something I didn't do. I go to the cinema regularly. No need for me to download illegal content plus most of my browsing is on the phone.

randalf72

This does keep cropping up.

First thing, if you didn't do it, then don't pay and argue your case. GEIL need to prove that you either downloaded the film in question or that you specifically authorised someone to do it on your behalf)

Secondly, the evidence is not irrefutable. Even if the monitoring software is 100% accurate (which it isn't, as witnessed by the innocent printer getting one of these letters a couple of years ago) it only identifies the account holder of the connection. There are many plausible explanations such as a member of your family doing it without your knowledge or permission, a friend who knows your wifi password, someone who has hacked your wifi to illegally download some films, etc.

I must admit I left O2 over this last year when I discovered that they were openly colluding with GEIL to ensure that the request got through the courts and that O2 got paid for heir time. My idea was that O2 would be less likely to do this again if they saw their bottom line being impacted. Instead they sold their bb arm to sky (who have also handed out subscriber details to a company with similar aims as GEIL in the past).

Personally I now choose my bb provider based upon their behaviour towards speculative invoicing rather than price. Which is why I will not touch Sky bb or O2 any more.

tomtom1984

Thanks for that post, really useful.

Could you advise me of any bb providers who are against speculative invoicing?

bod1467

I think both BT and TalkTalk have challenged NPOs recently, and have a stance of doing so. (At least now anyway - they were sheep like the other ISPs previously).

Not that I would necessarily recommend either of those ISPs, and certainly not TT if you require customer service! (The product itself is fine. It's just if you need any CS you may appear to develop alopecia).

randalf72

OK first the bad news

Any bb provider on the wrong end of a court order will give the account details to the likes of GEIL.

Not to do so would risk the CEO going to jail for contempt of court.

Now the approach taken by these speculative invoicers and the way that bb providers have responded does give you an idea of who to go with.

So far only the big bb providers have been targeted, BT, Plusnet, O2, Be, Sky, etc.

Smaller ones haven't been targeted presumably due to them not allowing benefits of scale. It's financially better to go after a bb provider with 1,000,000 customers than one with 10,000 customers.

So think small if possible

Next, some bb providers have taken the position that means they just get out of the way and let the court process take it's course and others want to challenge the evidence and then abide by the court decision.

Sky, BT and O2 have basically let the court process through in the past. Will they do that in the future? I don't know but perhaps that is a question any prospective customer should be asking.

Virgin and Plusnet have stated that they will attempt to defend their customers but that they will comply with any legal instruction.

bottom line is that if you get one of these letters and you did it, then it's best to negotiate and settle at a reasonable cost, which is probably significantly less than what GEIL are demanding.

If you didn't do it or didn't tell someone to do it then don't pay up. Stand your ground and trust that justice will prevail, do some searches for ACS law and Andrew Crossley as he tried this scheme a few years ago and there is plenty of information on the internet regarding the various approaches taken and what happened when he went to court.

Pobby

I would have thought that GEIL was well informed when ACS Law tried this same trick. http://www.itproportal.com/2011/03/18/acslaw-cases-dismissed/

Firstly NO ONE, apart from the above case. ACS were forced into taking action and the above link shows what happened. The " monitoring software " used to find these IP addresses has never been scrutinised by a court of law. That is the last thing GEIL or any other low lifer playing this legal bullying game wants. Reason? Well it is flawed. All it does is provide an IP address . Now you might have been hacked if insecure wireless connection was used. the bb provider might get it wrong. Spoof ip addresses are inserted on bit torrent sites and you might have fell foul of that. There are other cases as well.

I would like to give you a link should you need advice and support.

http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=57634

chanz4

Their registered address is : Unit H Ver House London Road Markyate St. Albans AL3 8JP which is an accountants