Tiscali really messing me about!

abbas_ali_2

Hi all,

This is my first real complaint about a company on MSE, usually I just read others but tiscali have really irritated me.

Basically I have the 512K package and in July my speed nearly halved for about two weeks because my modem was failing, but the tiscali staff wouldn't believe me and kept saying I was registered to the 512K package and that was that. I showed them a speed test I had done which showed the speed to be 250Kbps and they said 250Kbps, which expected for a 512 connection. I was like that is the biggest load of rubbish I have heard in a long time as it should definitely be more than that and I know when my speed has changed! Then one day it stopped working eventually and I had to wait about 5-6 days to get a new modem and then my speed did go back up magically!

A few weeks later my BT account number changed and I stopped getting the Internet connection. Upon phoning tiscali they told me BT was blocking the broadband signal as I had changed my BT account number and this would take 10 working days to fix. It actually took 14 working days. It's my dad that pays the bill and we are struggling a bit at the moment so I sent a nice letter away to tiscali, politely asking them if they would be kind enough to refund me one months fee because I had reduced speed for two weeks and then no internet as the modem broke, plus I had no internet again for 14 working days (18 full days) as my BT account number had changed. I said in the letter that I understood the no internet for 18 days was not their fault but I stated it took longer than their agent said and as I had been a customer for 3 years if they would be generous enough to just give me a month's refund.

However, I got no reply. So I sent the letter again, but no reply again.

My second problem is that I have been paying £19.99 for the 512K package but it has been £15.99 for newer users for a long time (perhaps over a year) and at times £14.99. I think it is unfair I should be paying more than some other people. Also I have checked their other packages and they are offering 2Mb broadband for £17.99 which is cheaper and faster - where is the logic in that?! I'm annoyed they haven't bothered to tell me that I could be paying less and getting a faster connection.

My fourth and final problem with them is I was supposed to be getting a free speed upgrade at the end of August. I got the initial email to say I would be getting this in approx. February as I suspect other Tiscali MSE must have. It’s sad but I was actually really looking forward to the upgrade to 1mb and their email said it would be done by the end of July. As July passed however, I noticed no difference in my speed and waited patiently for upgrade, and waited... Eventually came 20 August and I emailed their tech support, asking what had happened to my upgrade, I was told that my telephone line was not capable of receiving 1Mb broadband due to technical factors. I understood this but was angry as to why I had not been contacted to tell me this before, in July, instead they just decided to disregard me and not tell me which I think is poor customer service.

So to summarise these are my problems with tiscali:
1. Contacted them for a refund, but didn't reply to any of my letters.
2. I have been paying £19.99 for my 512K package but others have been paying £15.99.
3. Didn't bother to move me or inform me of the cheaper and higher speed packages.
4. Was told I was getting a free upgrade but then didn't bother to tell me that my line was not capable of it - a short e-mail would have been nice so I wouldn't have been left waiting.

Well that’s my rant over. I was just hoping if anyone could give some advice on what I should do, getting the refund is not as important to me as the annoyance of them not bothering to reply to my letters or contact me to tell me I cant get the speed upgrade. Any help would be appreciated.

tab99_uk

report them to ofcom and downgrade your price package.

Mr_Skint_2

They used to be lineone.net who were pretty good but since being taken over
they are rubbish as Above Ofcom.


Wheres the Manager

peter_the_piper

I don't always beleive Tiscali. Why not go to https://www.metronet.co.uk/adsl/adslChecker and do a check on your line yourself. From past experience Tiscali often can't be bothered to check and just trawl out the tales.

Froggitt

Its Otelo, not Ofcom you need to report them to. I did and I received significant compensation for the appalling service they gave me.

Swattie

I used to be with Tiscali after and then switched to PlusNet - they have won awards for best internet provider. I've been with them about 4 yrs first for dial up and now broadband.

They have a £14.99 per month BB package (2mb and free set up) - they also have email, internet and phone help facilities - the phone one being an 0845 number for both customer services and technical support which is really good.
If you are interested I'd be happy to recommend you (there is a small finders fee) - PM me if you're interested

or you could go straight to the web-site https://www.plus.net

abbas_ali_2

Hi Guys,

thanks for your help. I've been on Ofcoms site and this is their procedure on complaints:

"1. Contact your service provider
Discuss the issue with your telephone or telecoms service provider. In most cases they will resolve the issue satisfactorily. If not, then…

2. Make a formal complaint to your service provider
All service providers must have procedures for handling complaints from customers. Contact your service provider for details. If you believe your complaint has been not handled properly by the service provider, and...

Your complaint has been outstanding for 12 weeks

Or

Your communications provider has sent you a letter saying that your complaint has reached deadlock, then...

3. Make a complaint through an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Scheme
All Telecommunications Providers are required to become members of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme if their customers are residential or a business with less than 10 employees. Before complaining to an ADR you must first have given your communications provider the opportunity to deal with your complaint. Your service provider must provide you with details of their Dispute Resolution Service and how this applies to them. Upon request, you can find out more about ADRs in our consumer information section.

NB. Ofcom cannot alter an ADR decision, nor can Ofcom ask for the decision to be reviewed.

If your service provider is not a member of an ADR scheme or you are experiencing problems in obtaining this information from your provider then...

4. Make a complaint through Ofcom
Please note Ofcom is unable to instruct your Telecommunications Provider to follow a particular course of resolution. However, Ofcom will aim to provide you with the relevant advice needed to progress your complaint further. To receive further advice, please complete the Telecoms Advice Form."

I'm not sure what to do at the moment, as they haven;t replied to my letters (its been 6 weeks since i sent the first one and 4 weeks since the second one, but i didn't send either by recorded delivery) and Ofcom's guide says to wait 12weeks. What should i do? Wait or try to find one of these 'ADR schemes' or just go to Otelo as froggitt kindly said.

Froggitt

Tiscali just stopped replying to my emails. They never even replied to the ones I sent to the General Manager to which I received an autoresponse saying they would reply within 10 days.

I just used an email saying that if I didnt hear from them in 10 days that I would take this as reaching the end of their complaints process and I would then take to OTELO.

Theres a complaints procedure on the Tiscali website that you should follow.

Frog

abbas_ali_2

Hi guys,

Well tiscali phoned me yesterday saying that they'll make the refund i asked them to do so they did get back to me - even if it was a month since i sent the letter.

Still annoyed by the other 3 issues, do you think its still worth complaining about them as i'm not sure, i dont want to come across as a stingy compensation grabber!

Thanks for your help.

mhendo

Mr_Skint wrote:

They used to be lineone.net who were pretty good but since being taken over
they are rubbish as Above Ofcom.

Tiscali were a lot of different ISP's before - about 4 or 5 dial-up ISP's I was registered with were assimulated into Tisclai, like you say lineone, plus Strayduck.com, WorldOnline, tinyworld, screaming.net and so on. If I recall correctly, a few of the ISP's were taken under the umbrella of WorldOnline first, and then that changed to Tiscali.

Each of the ISP's I was with were excellent to begin with, but I soon left after Tiscali took over and things turned for the worse.

Viz_2

I was with Tiscali for 15 months. I had similar problems with the reduced speed. The thing is you can't leave them as you are in a 12 month contract.
With me once this had ended i phoned them to leave but they offered me the 1mb connection ( up from 512 ) for £22 ( down from £25 on 512 ). They were losing customers left, right and center.
But at the end of the day Tiscali are a rubbish ISP with bad customer service. If i was you, even if you have good service for the rest of your contract, i would leave them for someone else.