Hi all

Thought I would post a letter I have sent to Tiscali about major problems - I moved house (literally over the road) and Tiscali seem to think I have moved to the moon. Just incase you were thinking of joining Tiscali let this be a lesson to you DON'T!!!

Ms Mary Turner

CEO Tiscali UK

20-24 Broadwick Street

London

W1F 8HT

Cc Joanne Davis

August 6^th, 2008

Dear Ms Turner

I am writing to bring some appalling customer service experiences to your attention.

I have been a customer of Tiscali’s since October 2006.

On July 15^th, I called your company to alert you that I was moving address on July 19^th, but, my telephone number would remain the same.

I work at the BBC in London and called during my break, the customer services assistant I spoke to took over 15 minutes to take some simple details off me. I feel that this is excessive at best. As I was at work I told her that I would have to call back as I had run out of time. I called back some 40 minutes later to restart the process. This call was quicker and I was advised that because I keeping the telephone number the same (I have literally moved across the street) it would take up to 20 days to reconnect the service.

Although I accepted this time scale I felt it was little excessive for a move over the road. I called back on 23^rd July to see what the latest update was. I was told that it was already completed. It wasn’t. I called again to be told by another agent that I shouldn’t have been told that information and it would take about another 7 days.

On July 28^th, I called and spoke to an agent called David who informed me there was a problem with the order – he wouldn’t tell what the problem was. I suggested that maybe it would be a proactive response to call customers when these issues arise as opposed to leaving customers to believe everything was fine with the order. He told me that he would sort it out for me.

On July 29^th, I called several times and spoke to no less than 8 different agents all giving me completely different information and passing me to various different departments. The first agent was based in India and couldn’t understand a word I was saying – not very professional. The second agent (Laura) told me that the order had been duplicated and that it would delay it by up to another 20 days. I told Laura this was totally unacceptable and that I would like to speak to a manager – she refused to put me through to a manager (I was at work again and couldn’t receive inbound calls as I was in live studios for the entire day). Laura told me she would escalate the order but couldn’t give me a timescale for resolution. I asked to be put through to your complaints department. Laura told me that you didn’t have one!!

I called your head office in London and was put through to Muriel Hill in your Complaints Department (although according to Laura you don’t have such a department!). Muriel told me that she would try to sort it out by putting my case on the priority list.

I explained to Muriel that I would have to call her back as I was at work – when I did I got through to Stuart Mollon. Stuart insisted that he couldn’t give me timescale and was totally un-empathetic to my case. He advised that I call the main technical number to ask about timescales.

I did this and the first agent I spoke to cut me off – yet another example of excellent customer service.

I called back and asked to be put through to a manager. I spoke to “Chris Anderson” in India who after having me on hold for 5 minutes told me that it would be another 3-4 working days before the line would be active.

When I asked Chris how I could get hold him again if this proved incorrect he then told me that his name isn’t Chris Anderson but Naresh. Naresh told me it was company policy to change Indian names to English names so customers didn’t find out the call centre was in India!!! This is yet another example of poor customer service. Naresh told me to call Tiscali in 24 hours for an update – I did this and spoke to about 5 different people none of which could/would give me an update – I was advised by “Brian Martin” in India to give you another 48 hours before I could have an update – how long do I have to wait to get a response from your company?

Yet again, I called on July 31^st and spoke to my 25^th person – how people does it take to connect an internet service? I was guaranteed a call-back by two different managers in the Cancellation department – two deadlines missed. I was promised that the matter was now being sorted by Tendai Sakupwanya. I am nearing the end of my temper with your company.

I am beginning to wonder if connecting someone to an internet service is as difficult as rocket science as your company seems to think it is – I have moved about 250 yards not 250 miles yet you seem to have difficulty whatever the distance.

By August 4^th nothing had still happened, so I called the home moves team again. Both times I was put through to your call centre in Ireland and both times spoke to Ken, who, after us going over the same ground of me requesting to speak to a manager there and then, and explaining that I was in a live studio and couldn’t receive inbound calls, Ken cut me off.

I would expect a better level of customer service from your company.

I finally spoke to Steve at the Chiswick cancellation centre who agreed that the time being taken was excessive and that the levels of customer service I had received were totally unacceptable. He also agreed that I should be able to speak with a manager when I call and not have to wait for call-backs.

On August 5^th Shankar from your Provisioning Department called me to inform me they had just started work on the order and that it would be another 15-20 days before I could expect a connection. This would mean you have taken 32 days to connect me. The situation has been escalated by four different people in different departments – it has taken twelve days to get to this position and you want me to wait another 20?

This is totally unacceptable since it was that department that wasted the first 12 days anyway. I requested to speak to his manager – he told me he was on a break I asked that he go and get his manager as this was very important. He refused and in the end cut off the call after playing the sound of a siren down the phone to me. How many more examples of poor customer service from your company am I going to be exposed to?

Steve called back to update me with the same information as Shankar – he agreed it was an unacceptable timescale but said there was nothing he or anyone else could do to speed the process up. He even suggested that for the short term I incur extra costs and use a dial-up internet service!!!

Whilst trying to get an address to contact yourself on, I called your London head office (on 0207 087 2000) at 5.20pm – the recorded message informed me the office closes at 5.30, yet the service cut me saying there wasn’t any agents logged in – it seems they had all gone home 10 minutes early!!!

As I write on August 6^th, I still have no date as to when my broadband is going to be connected. I have spoken to 36 people in your company to try and resolve the issue – I think this must be some form of record.

I was also informed that during the entire period I will be without an internet connection I will be charged for a service I cannot access.

I think the way I have been treated by your company deserves some form of investigation. I have been left with a tarnished impression of Tiscali and am seriously considering moving my business elsewhere if this is the standard of customer service I am now to expect.

I would like some form of compensation for a) the way I have been treated by your company, and, b) the amount of my own time I have wasted on the telephone calling your so-called customer services departments. I would also like my internet connection sorted quicker than 20 days.

Words fail me about the atrocious levels of service I have received from your company.

I would appreciate a response to my problems.

Yours sincerely

Good luck!!

I left tiscali last year after they sent me a letter telling me they were doing upgrades in the local exchange, a few days later my internet connection dropped out - i work from home using my pc - I had a works IT bod try & sort the problem as tiscali said it was my end.

I ended up buying a new router & cables on their say so. We worked out that it must have something to do with the local exchange but tiscali wouldn't accept our suggestion of checking that we were still connected.

Anyway after 3 weeks and a total of 9 hours worth of phone calls (i kid you not!!) £120 of new router etc they checked the exchange to find i had been disconnected by mistake whilst they carried out their upgrades.

I too complained many times & eventually wrote a letter but as usual they denied any responsibility. They couldn't give a damn about their customers & trying to get hold of them is a nightmare.

I will never use them again.

I hope you succeed where i didn't.

Burger

hi there, oh yep tiscali what a nightmare company, i have been with tiscali since oct 2005 and have never had any problems untill this one, i had two telephone lines in my home one of which was a fax it was for my business that i now no longer own so i wanted my broadband package transfering from my business line to my home telephone line, my business came to a close on the 1st july 08, so i telephoned tiscali on the 11th june 2008 giving them 20 days to carry out this request, i was informed that it would take 10 - 15 days but is usually sooner............ yeah right...... like you i have spoken to several different people in different countrys, with appalling customer service skills, and have emailed several times, one of tiscalis problems is one department does not communicate with another, so when you feel you are getting something done the next time you call you are back to square one again, i am so anoyed with this company, i have never been in debt in my life but i'm heading that way by still having to pay for my bt fax line that was used for my business, it has now been 65 days and im no further forward, i did tell them that if it was not sorted by a certain date that i would cancel my direct debit and have my business line removed, and that when they eventually do transfer my broadband to my new number i will resume my direct debit, the thing is im not even sure if what im suggesting is legal.... idealy i would just like to terminate my contract with them but i dont even know the steps to take to do all of this and also from what i've read that is a total nightmare aswell... oh yes i forgot to mention that 2 days ago i received a message on my answer machine saying that because i have not given them a change of address ( i have not moved ) and i am not available to take the call they have cancelled my request....... can you beleive these people... i honestly have not got the time or energy to deal with these people.... i really dont know what to say to them next.. anyway thanks for listening to me go on and on and i hope you have more luck than me..... kay

I recommend you don't join tiscali under any circumstances. My broadband stopped working because my phone line went dead which I reported straight away, I phoned the customer service line (which is obviously manned in India) every day for 2 weeks to try and get an update and they promise me someone will phone back each time - no one has ever phoned back and I still have no phone line.

I am now in the process of cancelling my account , it is incredible how a company can attempt to operate with such hopeless customer service. they need shut down.

ps classic comment I recognise - "your call has been escalated" !! lol, they say that every time to me. Escalated to someone who will do absolutely nothing about it.

This company are the biggest joke i have ever had the mispleasure of dealing with.

I signed up to the broadband deal and decided to ring the company to find out when my modem would be arriving. I got through to an Indian call centre where they guy answered the phone in the very professional manner of hello. No company name mentioned and obviously not giving his name either. I instantly knew this company would be a joke so i rang and cancelled.

Stupidly i let me girlfriend persuade me to sign up again as she told me most companies are like this nowadays and they were the cheapest so i rang through and resubmitted the order.

I then noticed they had a television deal so rang in to add this to my package. I was passed around call centres for nearly 2 hours being advised every time i needed a different department. Obviously this drove me insane and i couldnt believe that i was wanting to pay them more money for another service and i had to spend 2 hours on the phone and still didnt get anywhere. Nobody would help me and when i rang to cancel the guy offered me my Mac code then cut me off.

I eventually cancelled and have now spent over 2 hours trying to obtain my Mac code. They dont let you speak to managers and i dont even know why i need a Mac code as they have never supplied me with broadband. They keep advising me my account needs to be activated before i can get the mac code. I dont understand this as i cancelled before i even recieved my modem. I am constantly being told different things and dates as to when my account goes active and again this morning have been told my activation date will be 2 days later than even though a Supervisor advised me i can get a Mac code today.

I have spoken to people that have hung up on me and blatantly refused to let me speak to members of authority. I have been lied to about the systems going down and also keep being told different information about when i can recieve my Mac code.

Basically to cut a long story short do not get involved with this company they are easily the worst firm i have ever had dealing with and i still have not received the Mac code to this date!

It beggars belief that a company can be so shambolic. This must be the worse tale I have seen recounted about this supplier. I am only considering changing from my existing ISP as a consequence of unsubscribing to Sky. Not sure that I have the stamina or resources to negotiate with Tiscali.