Pipex (Avoid if possible)

[Kryten]

If you're looking for an ISP, I'd suggest you steer clear of pipex.

I'd hope you've done some research before choosing an ISP anyway - in which case you'd probably have already stumbled across what was ADSLGuide.org's forums and the extensive complaints from people there.

Just to fill in, I had a little issue with them. I informed them of intent to cancel on the 16th December 06, filled in all the forms and what not. They lost these, sent another online form link to me after complaining bitterly they should only do that over the phone (which I cant due to my disability).

Then informed that they won't honour anything and will only cancel from the 9th January - 30 days notice, so 9th February!

Not as if that wasn't bad enough, in a rather irate phone call to them (yeah, I had to pluck up the courage to speak to some moron) I was asked to "find a responsible adult to take the call for me". Thankfully said call was recorded

Instantly hung up, emailed the ISPA. Within 10 minutes of that email being fired off, Pipex contact me - basically grovelling forgiveness and assuring no more monies would be taken

But yeah, they've still taken next months money anyway!

Either way, ISPA informed again, complaint lodged with Trading Standards and OFCOM. Might even take this further - anyone treating those less fortunate than themselves deserves everything they get.

 

[nath]

That is pretty fucking appalling. I remember when Pipex were the cream of the crop - top quality internet service, top quality customer service.
When I left them to get UKOnline 24meg they did piss me off a bit though. I found out the date that my contract with them expired and asked to have it cancel then. I was told that I wasn't allowed to cancel until my contract was expired - they couldn't even take a cancellation call until that date. So I call the day the contract expires and cancel and I'm told that there's a 30 day notice period meaning I have to sit with them for another month. Total and utter bollocks, spoke to higher ups who told me that they were unwilling to budge because I was changing provider. If I was moving house they'd be more willing to help out. Nice one fucktards, you've just lost a customer for life as opposed to a year or so while I use the current fastest service.

Grr.

 

[DaGaffer]

Twats. But tbh, I've had similar problems with BT (an Indian call centre girl panicked and hung up on me when a simple cancellation request blew her mind), Homechoice, NTL, Be (don't get me started on those fuckers), the list goes on.

 

[nath]

That's also true, incompetence is absolutely bloody everywhere. It's an untested theory but I believe the smaller/older isps are better. Pipex was great but they got shitter as they got more popular. Anyone know what claranet is like? They've been around for aaaaaages and as far as I know they're pretty solid.

 

[Kryten]

Couldn't agree more - obviously just people rushing their jobs, quantity rather than quality and all that.

Not sure on Claranet - one of these outfits like Demon - you've known them for years, they were around when you had a choice limited to Compuserve or AOL for your 12k baud modem but seem to keep very low key ...

 

[Chilly]

low key is probably good. It means they probably get on with providing decent bandwidth and letting punters cancel whenever they want to, subject to reasonable contract requirements.

I run a tiny web hosting business and I know full well that if you treat a punter like dirt, they dont care if they have to pay more elsewhere, they will leave just to be shot of a crap provider.

 

[TdC]

jebus Kryt, that sucks. quite right of you to complain about their utter mishandling of your request imo!


also, I used to be with one of holland's smaller (but good) ISP's, like mentioned above I thought it to be the best course of action. they've been taken over by a biggie, XS4ALL, which are noted to also be very good, though if you ask me big companies are only good if you don't do anything strange and can easilly be fit into a standard procedure.

 

[Krazeh]

Be (don't get me started on those fuckers)

Outa curiousity what issues did you have with Be? Have been very happy with my service and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a new ISP.

 

[ECA]

Pipex shafted its old customers thats why I left, when ADSL Max came out they wouldnt let the old 2 mb subscribers to the faster cheaper service - ie bad excuse to leech money.

They used to be good :/ Now shat.

 

[Trem]

Fusion were about the best dsl isp I went with, think they are called FMN now.

I am now back on NTL and am happy with them overall.

 

[Bodhi]

Bloody hell and I thought we (Vodafone) were bad, seems we're saints compared to some people. I mean we piss people off all the time by telling them it's 30 days written notice to cancel their contracts with us, but then if they were intelligent enough to read what they were signing up for, maybe they wouldn't get so pissed off.

They lso get pissed off when we can't do internet deals over the phone. They're internet deals you spastics the clue is in the name.


anger.

 

[old.user4556]

I used to sing Pipex's praised, but now i'm on their ADSL max service it crawls to a fucking halt all the time.

Connected at 5.6 Mbps, download at 30k per sec

 

[Draylor]

Pipex used to be great: in the days of 10quid+/month + your call charges.

Theyve been going steadily downhill since, no great surprise to see this - sadly.

 

[Lazarus]

dont get me started on Pipex - ive got a outstanding complaint with them since last july (will post if anyone is interested)

 

[pez]

Yeah, i had bad bad trouble with pipex but luckily i cancelled my order i had with them before anything went through.

Now with eclipse who still seem to have shockingly bad connection speeds but atleast you can actually communicate with their customer services department.

 

[~Latency~]

On the subject of bad ISP's, Tiscali suck major balls, steer WELL clear at all costs.

 

[FozzySon]

Been with Pipex for years, they were fantastic at the beginning, but once Max kicked in everything went tits up. Getting any kind of information/support from their customer services is too much. Currently looking for another ISP, I want UKonline, but at the moment it's looking like we're going to be going to Telewest, works out cheaper overall including the phone, etc.

Kryt, sorry you had to go through that mate, just goes to show how fuckin moronic they are. (read your thread on thinkbroadband a few weeks ago)

 

[Maggie]

dont get me started on Pipex - ive got a outstanding complaint with them since last july (will post if anyone is interested)

Hi, Please post - would be interested to know.

Maybe I can help

Maggie

 

[Ch3tan]

I've been on Blueyonder since I got broadband and have thankfully never regretted it. I am glad I have never changed ISP just because of the latest offer of slightly better speeds, it seems that there is nothing but trouble that way.

 

[WPKenny]

I've been on Pipex for years and am fed up with the service. I've been pondering new ISP's for a while. All this time I'm paying 33 quid a month for 2meg unlimited which is shite but at least it means I can cancel at any time. If was to sign up to their MAX service I'd be tied in for another 12 months.

I just want a fast, cheap ISP. I'd like it to be of a level where you never get to find out how shite their customer service is.


Trouble is in Canterbury there's not a huge choice of ISP's. There's no cable and the exchange only has Pipex and Bulldog LLU'd afaik.

 

[nath]

Bear in mind you don't need unbundling to get up to 8meg since bt provide that wholesale now. Do you want more than 8meg? If not then your options should grow significantly. That said, there's never any guarantee with ISPs, there's always horror stories, there are just some you specifically want to avoid more than others really.

 

[Lazarus]

Dear Sir,

I have been a customer of Pipex (Internet) ever since our exchange became broadband enabled (I believe in 2002).

In June 2006, I received a cold-call from Pipex Homecall offering me the Voice package with an incentive of increasing my Pipex Internet broadband speed to (up to) 8mb if I accepted their offer. I signed up for this and the offer was meant to commence on 01st July 2006.

As expected, the charges for my voice usage commenced in July (actually, the first call charged was 23rd June) but the promised speed increase did not materialise.

Unfortunately, this is when I started to experience unacceptable support from both Pipex (Internet) and Pipex Homecall. Each time I called, I was told something different – most often that I would need to contact the other “branch” of Pipex (e.g. if I call Homecall, I would be directed to contact Pipex Internet, or vice versa)

Once of the many “excuses” provided to me was that my internet service was not increased as my name had not been added to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of all things!!!

So, after 5 months of continual calls to the support desk of both Pipex Homecall and Pipex Internet I have decided to put this in writing and provide you with the opportunity of correcting this once and for all.

When I accepted the cold-call offer for Homecall, I signed up for the Homecall Hometime offer which was MEANT to reduce my internet package cost from the current £23.44 per month to £6.50 per month. When I called Pipex internet on 01st December in a final effort to get this sorted, I was again told I needed to contact Homecall to acquire a reference number to “prove” that I had accepted the offer to commence on 01st July.

After contacting Homecall and acquiring a reference code, I then called back to hopefully correct the problem. However, THIS time I was told that the Finance department was closed and I would need to wait until the following Monday to have anything investigated. Why was I not informed of this the first time I called – there was only a matter of no more than 10 minutes between the 2 calls.

At this point I requested to speak to a supervisor and managed (eventually) to discuss this with Shane Bunnage. However, what Mr. Bunnage told me regarding my account did not appease me in the slightest. Here is the gist of the points of the call :

1. My Internet speed did not get increased until 18th November as this was the date received from Homecall to activate the higher speed.
2. Internet charges for the months between July 2006 and November 2006 could not be refunded as the activation date was November 2006.
3. The Homecall “tariff” that I was currently on has a download limit (capped).
4. Additional downloads (over and above the cap limit) have already been charged to my account.


I would like to address these points individually :

1. Internet Speed Increase.
As I have indicated previously, the offer I received was to have the Voice and Internet package activated on 01st July 2006. As you can see from the attached copies of my Homecall Bill, you will see that the Voice part was indeed activated on the agreed date but there was no sign of the internet speed increase. The fact that Pipex (both internet and Voice) were incapable of performing this task on the agreed date does not excuse the amount of time, effort and frustration spent attempting to reach this speed increase.

2. Monthly Internet Charges
As the attached invoices from Pipex Homecall highlight, the Hometime service was indeed activated on the agreed date and I expect my monthly payments for the internet service to be refunded and backdated to the original agreed date.

3. Capped Download Limit
The original deal that was agreed on did not, in any way shape or form, include a cap on internet usage. I frequently work from home and would not set myself a limit on what I could/could not download due to have a cap on my usage.
Checking my previous bills from Homecall, I see that I am now listed as Homecall Anytime. Will you please provide me with an explanation of why I was changed to a different package which impacted the way that I would use the internet, and also incurred additional charges?

4. Additional Charges.
I see from my bank account that Pipex has withdrawn the sum of £17.87 in November 2006. This, I believe, was the charge for exceeding the download limit that I neither requested nor knew that I had. I would expect a full refund for this charge plus any additional charges that I am not aware of.


Throughout all of the previous 5+ months, it would have made life so much easier and pain free if Pipex Internet and Pipex Homecall would have actually taken the time to discuss this problem between them instead of myself acting as a go-between.

I am hoping that you can directly address the following points and respond to myself with your intended course of action:


1. Backdating to the 01st July 2006 of internet charges from £23.44 to the agreed £6.50
2. Switching my Homecall account back to the agreed service which does NOT include a capped limit. This consisted of :
a. ½ price special offer of £2.25 per month (£4.50 thereafter)
b. Line Rental (£9.99)
c. 8mb Broadband at £6.50 per month
3. Refunding of the charges made for exceeding the capped limit for November and any additional similar charges.
4. Reasons why this has taken so long to address and still has not been corrected to my original request.
5. Why I have such a poor response from the support groups (primarily Pipex Internet). Within my mailbox, I have 15 “Not Read” responses one of my mailed questions (PSN-31-26415-2910). I also have attached and example of one of the responses I received highlighting an example of where Pipex Internet refuses to communicate with Pipex Homecall.
6. Your intended recompense to myself for the many phone calls, emails and frustration experienced attempting to resolve this.

Charges Applied (to date) since the agreed start of the Homecall Tariff.

Statement Date Service Cost
04/08/2006 Homecall Hometime £4.50
Home time Half Price £2.26 CR
Homecall line Rental £9.99

04/07/2006 Homecall Hometime £4.50
Home time Half Price £2.26 CR
Homecall line Rental £9.99

04/09/2006 Homecall Anytime £12.50
Home time Half Price £0.00
Homecall line Rental £10.99

As you see from the above :
1. 3rd month was changed to Homecall Anytime
2. Increased Line rental
3. Increased service charge (£12.50 instead of £4.50)
4. lack of 3rd month of Hometime Half Price.

If, for whatever reason you feel incapable of correcting the problems listed, then I would request that you provide me with the deadlock reference number to allow me to escalate this issue to the CISAS (Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) which I understand Pipex Internet is a member of.

Encl.

 

[Lazarus]

their response :

Thank you for your letter dated 13/12/06, 2006. I appreciate that you addressed your complaint to Mr Crolla, who is the Managing Director for Pipex, however the Customer Relations team is the escalation point for all complaints. Therefore all complaints are passed to our team directly and dealt with. Once a complaint is received they are investigated efficiently, thoroughly and with a customer focus. PIPEX also operates a Code of Practice which can be viewed at our website, ww.pipex.neUlegal.


I have investigated the issue, looking at all the available resources to me taking into account the amount of calls that were made.


When our sister company Pipex Homecall began were calling customers in June, Pipex Internet did not have the technology to support up to 8mb services, all calls that were made regarding this service was classed as pre-registration to a service Pipex Internet did not offer.
Due to the fact the sales staffs were pre-registering customers to a product we cannot back date any broad band subscription charges that you may feel are owed.


You will receive two separate bills from Pipex, one from Pipex Homecall for you call charges and line rental and a broadband only charge from Pipex Internet.
At the moment this will be £9.99 for Pipex Midi with a 15 GB cap.
The price for broadband up to 8mb un capped is £14.99, this is the cheapest price Pipex has ever had for an uncapped broadband service and cannot offer anything cheaper without enforcing download caps. The price above is already at a reduce rate from the original £24.99 price and only available to voice and broadband customers.


Emails received by Customer Services and other departments within Pipex are routinely rerouted and moved to other email folders so that they are dealt with by the correct internal department. Sometimes this may result in Outlook generating an irrelevant "Not read" message which is sent out to your email box. We would request that you ignore these, as your original email is being dealt with and has not been deleted.' If you turn off your receipt requests when emailing any Pipex address then you will not be sent these automated messages.


This is common problem however 99% of emails receive a response within 48 hours.


Pipex have not charged you for exceeding your usage limit and as a gesture of goodwill this will not be backdated.
A subscription of £23.44 was charged on your billing date of 01.11.06 for the Xtreme Standard Solo 1000 service, to cover the period of service from 01.11.06 - 30.11.06.


Due to your re-grade; a new invoice of £17.87 was raised for your new service to cover the period of service from 08.11.06 - 31.12.06.


I can confirm that a credit has been raised for the period of paid subscription which has been overlapped by this new invoice. The total of £17.73 has been issued as a credit note on your account.


If you would like to upgrade to Pipex Max for £14.99 the option is available. I can upgrade your or you can do it over the phone by calling our customer care team.


Pipex are prepared to offer you a months free broad band subscription as a gesture of goodwill, I hope all points have been addressed in this letter

 

[Lazarus]

i still have to respond to them over this basically telling them that its a lot of BULL!! There was never the intention to sign up "pending" a speed increase. As I stated - if that was the case I would not have bothered.

Too much travel means that I havent had the opportunity

 

[Kryten]

Will suggest emailing ISPA - they are also a member of this and within half an hour of me emailing them, Pipex contacted me straight back. Bit better than their average 5 working day response time.

 

[FozzySon]

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results/id/117096701139924618569.html
This is why you avoid Pipex. 2meg goodness at it's best! :/

 

[Bodhi]

Basically Laz it sounds like you've been mis-sold, which means that any contract they try and get you to stick to is null and void. About 5 agents have just been suspended for this - I' pretty sure the law's on your side.

 

[Lazarus]

thanks Bodhi. I need to get back to Pipex and Im kinda pissed off that I cant but im basically travelling every 2nd week and working 14 hour days when I am home so time is precious. I keep going over in my head what I need to communicate to Pipex and mis-selling of the contract is top of the list

 

[Damini]

I've just tried to phone Pipex, and after waiting on the line for ages, they answered my call...

To tell me that they were too busy to answer my call.

 

[ECA]

LOL.

On the subject of pipex just got a letter from them threatening me with account suspension due to non-payment.

Odd because I migrated away from them several months ago.

Maybe their excel spreadsheet isnt up to date?