"Ranting at Tiscali" Topic

Don't think I've ever posted anything on the Ranting board, but I sent the message below to Tiscali today. So if I become hard to contact in the near future, this is the reason. Incidentally, even if you can't get in touch with me, it won't affect Garrison as that is with a separate ISP provider. Except that I may not be able to get in touch with Garrison myself.

Imagine this line to be filled with(expletives deleted)

Sir

Re customer code
As discussed with three of your staff in the last six weeks or so, this account was closed when I upgraded to Broadband in March 2005.

However, you have continued to take money from my account for this since then without my noticing it and without my authority.

On discussing this with a member of your staff in early June a refund was agreed and I was told it would take 28 days.

As the cheque did not arrive, I again contacted your office. It seems the orginal person should have done more than they did, anyway it was again settled. Today I have had a letter cancelling the account in a way that suggests that it was only cancelled with my last phone call.

I have again contacted you by phone and again been offered the choice of a refund or just let my account catch up. Again, I have accepted a refund, again I have been told 28 days.

As part of the confusion about this – in one discussion leading up to this, when I first noticed the duplicate accounts, -I was told to cancel the wrong account. You were quite able to stop my internet access within 24 hours because I had cancelled my direct debit.

As such I do not accept that it will take a further 28 days to send out my refund. It can be done in a week, easily. If not, that is further evidence for me that as a company you lack the level of competence that I demand in the people I deal with.

I therefore wish to do 2 things:

1) I wish to complain officially about your handling of this account, in the first instance via your own customer complaints procedure. Please action this TODAY.

2) I wish to give notice that, should you be unable to get the cheque to me in 7 days – and I don't mean working days, I mean the cheque is in my letter box by 24th July or has been paid directly into my bank account by that date – then I will start looking for another internet and phone call provider. It is a very competitive field out there for
you to lose someone who has been a customer for 5 years through incompetence.

You've been a customer for five years through incompetence?
I don't know if I'd go spreading that around.

This sounds like something I go through every few months with our ISP. They never have the billing right.

Allen

Hers is a web site that might help. It's not tiscali but the problems have many solutions which could apply to your problem.

ps. don't go to orange.

link

Can't recommend Talktalk either

TC

Yes, that's right. Actually I've been incompetent for a lot longer than 5 years. Some of us never learn.

I know the feeling.

Allen

"You've been a customer for five years through incompetence?
I don't know if I'd go spreading that around."

Lol…

:)

Tiscali are

Wow, Orange looks pretty bad, just skimming that message board.

Well, 26 hours and not even the curtesy of a reply yet.

Call their legal department and have a chat about their taking money without permission after you closed the account.

You could ask their opinion on whether that would be either fraud or theft and which they think you should describe it as when you call the police later…

It's actually quite surprising how fast things can be resolved once "corporate legal" start laying into recalcitrant staff.

And I normally tell them I want paying for my time as well. I've never yet managed the fifty quid an hour I quote, although 'More Than' (Royal Sun Alliance) paid me eighty pounds to stop shouting at their head of legal counsel[1] after the rather one-sided conversation went into its second hour.

[1] The best bit about that story is where 'More Than' refused to tell me who they really were, or tell me their head office's phone number. Even after I shouted "I can just look it up in the phone book! Do you think I'll be any happier after doing that?" They didn't. I wasn't. And I made sure they bloody knew it.

I've simply complained to Ofcom and changed ISP.

Oh, and posted the whole thing all over Internet, and made sure that just about every department in Tiscali knows about it.

May not do any good, but I feel better.

Latest on Tiscali:

Letter dated 17/08/2007:

'May I begin by offering my sincere apologies for the inconvenience this matter may have caused you.

Having investigated the issues you have raised, I can confirm that our Finance and Administration department have arranged for a cheque amounting to £395.42 GBP (Inc. VAT) to be sent to you.

Please allow up to 10 days for this cheque to arrive with you.

Please accept my apologies for the length of time it has taken to resolve this situation. Tiscali always endeavours to offer the best possible care to its customers, and it s apparent that on this occasion, we have not attained this goal.'

Well, it only took several phone calls, em,ails and letters, including a threat of legal action, and there is still mention of reimbursing my costs. Also, although it is the first time in writing, it is the 3rd time they have agreed to the refund, so we'll see if the cheque arrives and when!

As in, emails and NO mention of reimbursing my costs.

Have to give this update!

OK, lot happened inbetween, still refuse to reply to my cvlaims for compensation, but finally at least sent me an invoice (oh, yes, they 'lost' one signed for letter to a named member of staff as well).

Anyway, once they sent the invoice (February – lost count of how many times I asked)(and following a spate of letters threatening me with legal action) I sent them a cheque which they cashed on 29th February, they sent me a receipt saying the outstanding balance on the account has been cleared.

Guess what – they are taking me to court for the money!

Actually, the amount owing on the cleared account is no longer £11.96, it is £11.96 GBP – whatever that means!

I wil repeat to anyone here – if you ever want to sign up for an ISP, choose anyone else but Tiscali. They are (must be) by far the worst bunch of (expletives deleated) in the industry.

The above may seem a bit silly because that second £11.96 GBP was followed by 12 zeros and a 1 when I posted it!

Good Lord. Terrible service. Thanks, I'll avoid them.