Fast4 - not so great

bardsandwarriors

Fast4 have been recommended here. They offer a service which is not "always on" for £8pcm. Normally, this means that your modem is a dial-up (a cable modem is "always on" because the computer is always connected to the internet). But Fast4 have twisted the meaning - and when customers complain that they spend hours trying to dial up every day, Fast4 justify this by saying that their service is not "always on". But the level of difficulty in dialling up the internet that I have read about with Fast4, was pretty bad 15 years ago, and today it is almost unheard of; it has nothing to do with being "always on" or not.

Secondly, they offer it as a "month-by-month contract", but this is also a lie - you are tied to them for 3 months after signing up. This is hidden away in the contract, where the word 'three' is used instead of the word '3', to prevent you quickly scanning the contract to find it.

I'm not writing this out of any personal vendetta, but as heads-up from my own research. I am avoiding them due to these lies - who knows what else they might try to pull.

aandrewwo

Wish I'd read this post first before I signed up...

It does say on this site that you sign-up month by month, so the terms must have changed at some point.

I signed up in august for 1 month; and at the end of the month couldn't log in via the freephone number, so had to use the pay-as-you-go 0845 number and pay manually. So it seemed then that it was month by month. Now I've been suckered into a 3 month contract I don't want (was just using dialup as a stop-gap after moving house before getting broadband).

They hide away the fact that you have to sign up for 3 months in the middle of wordy terms and conditions - and confusingly start of the term and conditions teling you that a "minimum period" is defined as one month.

Nowhere else in the sign-up process apart from at the end of clause 7.6 of the T&Cs is there mention that you sign up for a minimum of 3 months. You are now also requried to give 28 days notice of any cancellation.

HonestJohn

So it's effectively a 4 month contract. Could be 5 if you dont get your cancellation in on time. Same with their sister company free24-7

ginger_nuts

they dont bill you monthly .They bill every 30 days . In the last week I have sent them 3 messages concerning billing . It seems they had a problem with there billing and customers like me where being billed every 23 days . They took a payment from me on Sunday ,again after 23 days .I sent them a strongly worded message and told them I would disconnect and that THEY have broken my contract . On monday I got the dear John very sorry message ,and my next payment is in December . This is not a free month as they have been taking my payments early . I will still continue to use them as I only pay £5 every 30 days .But I WILLL be watching my payments .

matrix999

I've not had any problems with Fast 4...

I've been with them for a few years now and find them excellent value for money

ginger_nuts

matrix999 wrote:

I've not had any problems with Fast 4...

I've been with them for a few years now and find them excellent value for money

I agree there service is not bad these days . I started using them in March last year .I still pay the £5 every 30 days( I hope my payments are back to 30 days ).
in the early days I had problems connecting and an auto dialler was a must ,and not allowed in there T&C .
But the service is much better now . They seem to have got there act together . Pity the customer service is only daytime ,but for £5 I cant have it all . (I have used much worse .....gio internet )

Stabilo

What do you expect for the price of a packet of fags & a pint? Anyone considering starting up in competition, thought not.