tiscali

joolee_2

just looking to go onto broadband and have probably decided on tiscali. when i come to register it says you can have free weekend and evening calls and 4mb instead of 3 for the same price. am i being extra cautious in even having to ask if this is good or not...just dont want to get sucked in...any advice please

Rex_Mundi

Tiscali are currently the most complained about ISP in the UK and I would advise caution for anyone wanting to deal with this company.

I had terrible trouble with them a few years ago. I had cancelled my service with them and they continued billing me. I had stopped the bank payments, so I only found out about the bills when I received a letter from a debt collection agency (along with 2000 others). After explaining to the debt agency about my situation, they sent my case back to Tiscali along with most of the claims. It was only after I threatened them with my own solicitor that they realised their mistake. They are a truly awful company to deal with.

joolee_2

thanks for that - dont think I'll bother with them now - i was a bit wary anyway with martin saying their were certain locking in to the contract issues. thanks for replying so quickly!

Rex_Mundi

While making your mind up. There is a good ISP comparison page HERE . You can select up to 6 ISPs to compare next to each other. Hover over the bars in the results table to see the exact figures involved.

The scorings on this site are all from people rating their own ISP. Normally for each month their are from a few hundred to a couple of thousand ratings for each ISP, when you hover over the bar it will tell you how many people voted. The ISPs are rated on speed, reliability and customer service. My ISP is Zen. They are not the cheapest, but I've never seen them beaten in any category on this site. I chose my ISP for service rather than cost. To get an idea of the difference, try selecting Zen and Tiscali to compare next to each other. You'll see a massive difference in performance.

oscardog

Touch wood, fingers crossed etc etc, I have had no problems with Tiscali.

Long may it continue but at least it shows they can be okay.

I think that most problems arise with them if you try to leave.

Bennifred

I am currently with Tiscali, have been for well over a year and really want to change supplier but am a bit afraid I'll end up without broadband/out of pocket as so many people have reported problems when leaving Tiscali Any idea how long problems are likely to go on for, or any tips for avoiding those problems? Can't manage without my daily fix of MSE!! Also I do my banking etc online......

Rex_Mundi

When you cancel with them, make sure you keep a record of every contact with Tiscali. If you cancel by phone, also send them an email to confirm. This way you will have a record of your cancellation in case they give you trouble.

In case of any trouble. You can sign up for a PAYG dial up account. Many companies offer this. You don't pay any bills, the dial up phone number will be an 0845 number so you will pay through your phone bill (average 3P/min daytime 1P/min eves/weekends). This would be free to set up, and could give you access to the internet in case you have trouble.

I can't tell you enough. Keep records of all your dealings over your cancellation. It took months before my trouble was sorted. In the end, I only believed the problem was over once I had received a letter from Tiscali apologising for their mistake.

Bennifred

Thanks for the information, Rex_Mundi, very helpful. Looks like I'll just have to take a deep breath and get on with it! Hopefully it will be worth it in the end.........
(Reckon I'll wait a couple of weeks, though, as we are sorting "A" level results/Uni. entry etc for eldest son and I don't need any extra hassle )

Froggitt

Tiscali.......NOOOOOOOO.....dont do it. Its fine when its OK, but when anything goes wrong, like one of their "upgrades", their customer service and technical support stinks.