I am soooo incensed I feel I could rant for life. If you have problems with Pipex you will know how I feel, please bear with my rant, I feel it important to share all the facts! My husband and I were with Pipex for well over a year and suprisingly so it seems, we were happy with their service (obviously before we had to actually deal with any people who work for them). However our lives changed when we began the nightmare of TRYING to cancel our account with them after discovering that actually they couldn't give a stuff about their existing customers.
In August 2008 having discovered that Pipex customer service may as well be non existent I decied to cancel our account with them, as was agreed with the lady that I cancelled with, we were over our contract period and were perfectly at liberty to do this with no penalty. The next day I wrote to Pipex confirning our conversation cancelling the account. When we still kept being supplied with their broadband I emailed them twice asking why they had not cancelled the account to which I got two automatic responses stating that I would receive a reply within 24 hours (neither of the emails were ever actually answered).
I spent the next 3 months ringing customer services, credit control (in Lithuania) and the cancellations department (all on different numbers and none of which will speak to each other. I also wrote to them on numerous occassions, trying all different addresses sending each letter recorded delivery and enclosing copies of every peice of written communication and a summary sheet detailing every phone conversation with them, names and dates of whom I had spoken to and their responses. On the phone I was constantly passed from department to department (each time at a cost to myself resulting in a phone bill to Pipex alone of in excess of 10 pounds). To give them their due, the majority of the people I spoke to were cooperative and all agreed with me that yes the account had been cancelled, or whoops Pipex made a mistake and the account would be cancelled on a certain date. They did eventually stop supplying our broadband but put a bar on the line in order that we couldn't go with another provider, stating that we owed them money, we were even in receipt of a letter from a debt collection agency acting on their behalf.
By now the demands for outstanding payments were stacking up, each one for a different amount (I think randomly picked out of a hat), I sought the advice of Citizens Advice and were given both OFCOM and OTELO's details. I was also following the advice of Consumer Direct. After my 3 months of dispute I rang OFCOM and made an official complaint, they refered me to OTELO but also informed me that it was illegal for Pipex to bar my line. I rang Pipex and informed them of this and about 10 days later I did get a MAC code (I had repeatedly requested one from them but kept being told that it was too late for them to give me a MAC code as the account had been cancelled - it hadn't) I was also now being informed by Pipex that we had not cancelled but downgraded our account, ringing to cancel it a week later and therefore we had begun a new contract with them and they were charging a cancellation fee. This was total nonsense as all the written correspondence proved.
I rang OTELO and was told to write one final letter to Pipex (a new address was given to me) and if I didn't get a satisfactory response within 10 working days they said they would take over the matter and take the stress away from me. 10 days letter I received a letter from Pipex APOLOGISING for any inconvenience caused (what a joke), giving me my MAC code and informing me that the charges they were incorrectly trying to sting me for were being credited to the account and that therefore there is nothing owing. What a great end to a crap year I thought.
Hey now its 2009, I have a new broadband provider and low and behold what have I now received but a threatening letter from Pipex stating that if I don't pay up they will bar my telephone line allowing me only to make 999 calls and the automated telephone calls have begun again stating that we need to ring them urgently to discuss the matter.
I am at the end of my tether and my doctor has put me on tablets to deal with this and its all down to Pipex. I rang OTELO again this morning to explain the latest fiasco and was told I ought to ring Pipex again, I did so only to be told that as the account is in my husbands name they will not speak to me. I explained they had spoken to me for the last 4 months but the lady informed me that it was a new data protection matter and refused to speak with me. I asked that if she didn't speak to me she at least speak to their credit control department. I rang OTELO back and told them what I had been told, only to be told by OTELO that actually they only control Pipex Homecall and it would seem Pipex UK and Pipex Internet are dealt with by CISAS and given their number. I rang them only to be informed that they only help if Pipex write to me saying that there is no further ways to go and that they are therefore passing the matter to CISAS.
So to summarise Pipex are now going to basically cut off my telephone with the exception of emergency calls unless I stump up money that they have already agreed in writing that I DO NOT owe and therefore will never in a million years pay and it seems NOONE will help me. My husband is suffering from severe depression as a consequence of this ongiong nightmare and is therefore unable to speak to them himself hence the fact that I have been dealing, unsuccessfully with the matter, now they are refusing to speak to me. I am in deadlock and it seems that they can do what they want. I am truly at a loss as to what to do next. I approached a solicitor about taking them on for harrassment and although she agreed I have an excellent case, because the money outstanding is below 5,000 it is a small claims matter and will cost me far more to persue in the long run.
If you are still reading, thank you for listening to my rant. SOMEONE, HELP ME PLEASE........