Tesco Broadband cancellation

jetfromgladiators

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone can offer me any advice about cancelling Tesco Broadband and Phone.

I signed up at the beginning of September and they gave me a going live date of September 18. However, on the day they sent me a text saying there was a problem with the line (there was no problem with it before) and that an engineer would need to call.

Sixteen phone calls and four engineer visits later, and we still don't have internet or phone at home. (This is especially annoying for me as I work abroad a lot and rely on Skype to contact my wife, and for her, as she has to go to the library to use the internet, and has to use her mobile to contact her family in Greece).

According to Tesco, the problem is with BT engineers, who told Tesco that they had fixed the line when in fact they hadn't. I can believe this, as BT were useless in servicing our phone connection. However, I rarely get any sort of communication from Tesco, and I spend a long time on the phone - practically every day when I'm in the UK - trying to find out what's going on. It's this that I find unacceptable and this is why I want to cancel (especially as I don't envisage any service in the next few weeks).

However, according to the T&Cs (sorry, I'm not allowed to post the URL) there are cancellation charges of £7 a month (e.g. £7 x 11 months in total) for every month unused of the contract, which I don't want to pay.

However, I can see a possible loophole, as the contract only begins on the 'golive' date. Could I argue that the service has not technically gone live yet?

Thanks for any advice you can give me ...

littleboo

Either way, if the service was due to commence on the 18th, then over 6 weeks have passed which is a more than reasonable time for them to resolve any issues. So I would be contacting them and asking to be released from the contract on that basis.

Xplozion

They have had more than enough time to sort this out and set up your connection.

Your next action should be a formal written complaint by post. Complaint details can be found here: http://www.tescobroadband.com/HelpAndSupport/Articles/View/2005

Let us know how you get on.

jetfromgladiators

Thanks to both of you for your advice. I'll be writing them a formal complaint and will let you know what happens.

chanz4

If their is a fault who ever you use will be via bt

iniltous

chanz4 wrote: »

If their is a fault who ever you use will be via bt

This is wrong, Tesco in C&W LLU network areas sell full MPF LLU , so if a problem were on the LLU providers kit, then its nothing to do with BT , I'll assume you mean Openreach when you say BT,
Given that the OP states thet Tesco said there was a problem with the 'line' when there wasn't one previously , it kinda suggests that the problem started when the physical line was disconnected from the previous providers equipment and connected to Tesco (C&W) equipment.
Even if OR have cocked up the connection you would have thought that after 6 weeks Tesco would have asked OR to check and if the problem were OR's, then it would have been rectified
As with all these issues, blame the company you use, don't accept the 'it's not us, it's our supplier' because you don't pay the supplier, you pay your service provider to provide a service.

jetfromgladiators

Hi, just to give you all an update on the situation. I wrote a letter saying that I would be terminating if I didn't receive a service in the next two weeks I'd be cancelling. That seemed to get them moving, and they sent an BT Openreach engineer round a couple of days later.

Of course, the engineer couldn't fix it and they would need another (underground) engineer to come round, and we went back to square one. But the next engineer to come actually fixed the problem. We had a dial tone! But whenever we tried dialling out, it said that we had to call customer services to activate the line. Obviously we had no broadband, either, because the line wasn't activated.

(you can skip this paragraph if you are short of time. Basically, Tesco and BT f***ed up)
I called Tesco, who said they would do so immediately. Three days pass ... still no internet. They send another engineer round. The engineer promptly says there's no problem: the line's working, you need to call Tesco. I call Tesco. They say, no, there really is a problem, we have to send an engineer round again. The engineer comes round, 'fixes' the problem. Suggests I call Tesco. I call Tesco, they say they need to send another engineer round ...

... at this point I say, 'enough', and I cancel the service and sign up with Virgin (which I hope will enable me to avoid using BT as well). Tesco did try to make me pay an early termination fee, but they seem to have waived this in light of all the problems. If they do make me pay I'll take it to the regulator.

In any case, the moral of the story is: don't use Tesco! Though this is really BT's mess, the systems Tesco have in place are entirely inadequate.

fruitpie

I agree, do not use Tesco. My elderly parents experience/service so far with this company for BB and Home Phone is appalling. "See my post under Home Phone section". Tesco finally got them connected as a new customer from BT, after over a week of waiting without either service.

My Parents Phone and BB has been working fine for exactly one week only and on Tuesday of this week their phone and BB has stopped working. Its still not working today. !

Again, so many phone calls to Tesco Customer Services who advise its a BT problem. (they have never had a problem with their landline in all of 40 years with BT !)

I read a review before they swapped regarding Tesco BB and HP but thought, well - you always get the moaners and will give them a go and according to all of Tesco's blurb - their service is wonderful .....

I would advise anyone thinking of swapping, if you don't want day after day after day without your phone or BB and to spend hours on your mobile phone to their CS - THEN DO NOT SWAP TO TESCO. Not fit for purpose, in our opinion. !!

jetfromgladiators

Oh, and today I got an email telling me that I owe them £63 for terminating early! This on top of the fact that they still owe me for the three-odd months that I had no service! Here's the email I sent them:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have cancelled my service due to the fact that I have not had broadband or a phone line since I signed up for you at the beginning of September. On cancelling, I was advised by your customer service representative that in light of the problems I have had, an early termination fee would not be applied. However, I have today received an email that contradicts this, saying that I would have to pay £63. Neither have I received any refund of the line rental and broadband costs for the time I was with Tesco.

In the terms and conditions it states that the service can be cancelled at any time before going live without charge. Furthermore, I received an assurance that I would not have to pay the charge.

I would like a swift repayment of the money that is owed to me, plus a refund of costs I have incurred to date. If this is not done within the next two weeks, I will not hesitate to contact the regulator, publicise this case in the press, and/or pursue this through the small claims court.

I would be grateful if you would reply to me at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully,
...

macman

£30 of this will presumably be the cease charge, which you'll have to pay regardless.

Gordon_Hose

macman wrote: »

£30 of this will presumably be the cease charge, which you'll have to pay regardless.

If you've never had a working phone line, surely there's nothing to cease?

the OP also states that the T's & C's states that the customer can cancel before going live without charge.