Supanet NIGHTMARE!!! - another one!

Batlord · 9 October 2014 at 9:56PM

OK you may have to bear with me on this one...

Right, Supanet customer for 11 years, signed up to a 500gb package last June. presuming its a 2 year contract, cos that's how they roll. However late last year they 'downgraded' me to a 40gb package without my knowledge and charged for over-usage. After complaining I got refunded...so far so good, right?

So I moved house 28th June, and that's where the problems started. They tried to charge me £60 for moving, even though it wasn't mentioned. Managed to claw that one back. Then I get offered fibre with them, £29/mth for phone and net, cheaper than my crappy package I'm on now so agreed. 3 months later they pretty much admit they can't install it, so am stuck on my current package (still showing up 40gb in my bills!)

Then I get an email saying prices are going up and I can leave my contract - whooppeeee!! So I send my cancellation letter off, week later I get a call saying I can't cancel as my package won't be affected. I'm trying to worm my way out of it by means of saying they signed me up for this 40bg package without my consent - now, first off they said my contract automatically renewed when I moved house (was not informed of this) then they said that I renewed it again 14th July!! My argument with them is that I never asked for this dumb package but also because my evening speeds are hovering around the 1mbps mark, hardly quality service.

I've now written 2 letters of complaint, and also to the ombudsman who says I have to give them 8 weeks to respond (about the same time it takes them to answer their damn phones). Unfortunately they're in their right to renew when moving house, but they never informed me at the time. I really don't want to be stuck with them for another 2 years (was quoted £200 to get out of it, seems a tad excessive) but I also don't want to keep paying over-usage fees. Anybody see a way out of this? Is it better to just stick with them and ride it out or swallow my pride and cancel my contract early?

kwikbreaks · 9 October 2014 at 10:15PM

Breaking a post into bite sized paragraphs makes it readable and more likely to get useful replies.

Batlord · 9 October 2014 at 10:26PM

Done

kwikbreaks · 10 October 2014 at 10:21AM

All I can say is that moving house invariably sparks off a new minimum term as there are setup costs the ISP has to pay Openreach. Bit muddied as they charge - most ISPs absorb that cost.

I suspect that the second renewal they are talking about was when you managed to get their £60 charge back.

If you have received a notification that your price is increasing then you are entitled to leave without penalty; usually this has to be initiated withing 30 days of the notice. Just a general notice to all customers that prices are increasing doesn't count as it has to be your own increase.

They would almost certainly agree to upgrade the package if they do an unlimited one but it would obviously cost more (and probably kick off a new minimum term).

Batlord · 10 October 2014 at 3:15PM

Thanks for the reply, I suspected as much, it just might've been nice for them to tell me when I moved house. My main gripe with them at the moment is how they knocked me down to a 40gb package without my consent and then charged me extra for over-usage. I've already started a complaints procedure with them, mainly over this issue and also lack of information at the point of sale.

Gonna get my MAC code and leave regardless, pay the penalty and then try to recoup some of it back when I get the Ombudsmen involved again. May go with PlusNet through Quidco, get £100 cashback - at least that'll be my losses halved.

As an aside, they were charging nearly £25 mth (with line rental on top of that) for the old 500gb package I signed up for, excessive, much? Especially for the speeds I'm getting. This 40gb package is just under £9/mth (not including line rental), except they charged me over £50 last month for going over the 40GB

kwikbreaks · 10 October 2014 at 5:10PM

That was naughty. It suggests that they are trying backdoor methods to bring down usage to fit their capacity rather than increase their capacity to meet demand. In any event if they are oversubscribed on ADSL then taking fibre from them wouldn't be a good move.

I think you have made a painful but probably correct decision to move on if they cannot deliver a decent service. Don't hold your breath on getting any of that £200 back but you might be lucky I suppose.

Batlord · 11 October 2014 at 12:17AM

Not holding my breath really, but just checked my latest bill - £106. For 1 month. For a 40gb package!! Charged £50 for going over my limit, and a secret £17 'one-off' fee. So yeah, will be calling their billing dept on Monday.

Rang their cancellations team today to cancel. They said it would cost £264 to cancel, then they suddenly changed their mind to £226. Contract runs out Jan 2016. So have signed with PlusNet, through Quidco where I'll get £100 cashback. Plus they've admitted that they've got me on the wrong package (noooo, really?!) so will get the £50 back, plus they owe me £20 that I paid ages ago for this fibre installation, and I'll be querying this mystery £17. So at least that's £187 back. Plus the fact that PlusNet will be £7/mth cheaper, so another £84 in the first 12 months.

Hate to let them 'win' but if I carried on I'd go nuts. At least this way I can finally wash my hands of them. Plus I'll still be upholding my complaint, and taking it to the Ombudsman and Ofcom if need be. Their practices verge on scamming

Batlord · 22 October 2014 at 10:42PM

So an update!! After requesting my MAC on 13th October and being told it would take 48 hours, I cancelled my contract and paid £136 (should've been an extortionate £226 but they knocked off the £50 overcharge, and two lots of £20 that I paid for fibre to be installed that they admitted they can't install. They charged me twice)

So nearly ten days later, have not received my MAC. Have called 3 times since last Friday, each time being told it would be 24 hours. Still no show. They can't even give me a good reason why they haven't issued it, just it's a 'problem' with their servers.

So today I called Ofcom, and to be honest I'm pretty shocked to find out that I've done things the wrong way - should've requested MAC, then terminate contract once I got it to sign with new provider. However I told them I asked for MAC first, then went ahead with the cancellation. Problem is the deadline that they're providing service is fast approaching (11 Nov) and I don't want to be out of service...suggestions you lovely bunch of people?

(BTW Ofcom seemed VERY interested in Supanet's practice of promising a MAC code and not giving any reasons as to why they can't/won't issue one)

spyhunter · 22 October 2014 at 11:01PM

You will need to get supanet to cancel the cease order as it will be that cease order that is preventing a MAC being issued.

Once the order is cancelled a MAC can be generated 24 hours later and be given to you to migrate to your new isp.

Batlord · 22 October 2014 at 11:59PM

Think that was what Ofcom hinted at - pity they never mentioned this at the time, eh. In fact they still don't think this is an issue - if I cancel the cease order and get the MAC does that need I have to go through the whole cancellation process again?

Supanet NIGHTMARE!!! - another one!

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