Yesterday I sent an email to Pipex rquesting my MAC yet again and included a copy of the above post and a link to it.

Today I rang Pipex up again and I was given my MAC code over the phone. WOW! Free at last!

Are you getting 200kbps or 200kBps. There's a difference.

You're paying for 2000kbps - but 2000kbps in download speed is only about 200kBps

Max download speed on a 2MB connection is 256KB

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'Now, I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'

I am aware of the difference.

200kBps is 200 thousand Bytes per second which (with 8 bits per byte) is 1600 kbps. I was getting between 200 and 400 kbps with pipex at peak periods. (i.e between a fith and a tenth of he speeds I was getting at off-peak periods)

I have now switched to BT 8MB business broadband and am very happy with new service. I now get a minimum of 5000 kbps download at any time of day and 400 kbps upload, which is twice the normal domestic broadband upload speed.

I gambled that having a business line in a domestic area, I wouldn't be sharing the bandwidth with many other business users and any businesses were unlikely to be active during the peak domestic time from 5pm to 11pm. Not sure if it works exactly like that, but I can say I am no longer experiencing slow speeds in the evenings, like I used to.

BT provided a nifty router with wireless ability which was pretty much plug and play and the transition was fairly painless.

I'm a satisified new TalkTalk customer (recently connected, all as promised, customer services easy to access - very satisfactory). However there was something odd about the MAC code question. The TalkTalk help info says that new customers will be contacted and asked to get a MAC code near to the time when broadband is due to be switched (in my case, from Orange). But - no request for MAC code. The scheduled broadband switchover date came, and all fine - no problem. TalkTalk connection up and running, and Orange one ceased. But why did TalkTalk not need or ask for a MAC code?
I contacted Orange just to check that my account had been ceased. The Orange representative complained that TalkTalk often switched over broadband connections without using MAC codes.
Is this the case? And what are its implications?

I just emailed BT requesting a MAC code. This was their reply:

 

"You have stated that you wish to change to Sky but you have not stated
exactly what you require us to do, ie: cancel Broadband and when so
without this information I do not wish to go ahead with anything."

 

I *love* that last sentence. As if it's THEIR choice. Has BT forgotten who's paying who? I'm switching because Sky offer 16Mb for £10  a month whereas BT charge over £26 for 8Mb -  a no-brainer. I've replied to BT reminding them that Ofcom require that they send the code within 5 days of request (as of 14th Feb this year). I await their response.


 

Nildram are another total nightmare when it comes to providing MAC codes. Rather than repeat myself, I'll just direct peeps to the Nildram forum at thinkbroadband.com

izr solutions took over the company previously providing my broadband service several years ago.  I continued using izr services for over a year and then decided to change isp.  I wrote to izr, cancelled the contract by letter, terminated standing order etc and then awaited arrival of mac code.  No code was ever sent.  I sent e-mail reminders but no response.  That was 18 months ago. 
I had to contact my proposed new isp at the time and explain that I could not get the mac code.  They said to contact them again when I had got it.  I never did get it!   Now izr have sent me an invoice for £372.25 to cover adsl services from November 2005 to present, rather strangely asserting "it will be collected on 30th July".  By what means exactly I am not clear.  Is this of interest to you?  John Higgins

For what it's worth, UKOnline gave me a MAC code immediately. Problem is they were unwilling to negotiate with a long-standing loyal customer a better deal than £19.99 for a so-so 1Mb service. I will be moving this month, but looks like I had better avoid Tiscali & TalkTalk.  Malctrader

 

My MAC code issue is driving me and my flatmates mad!! We discovered the previous tennants were using pipex and after phoning and emailing them they told me I had to sign up and pay for at least a 30 day contract in order to get the code.  This is horrendously unfair to make new tennants pay for a previous tennant's provider.  Is there any way of proving I do not need to pay for what is essentially a series of numbers?!

Virgin Media - Horrible....

This is the real number for the cancellations department: 0845 045 0709 - or so I'm told!

I was re-directed from Asia to England, I sped down the line to the operator in india, and then only came back to England once or twice. No these aren't my recent journies. I toured asia through the comfort of my own home and took down names of each and every unhelpful person I could.

Round One

I first called
0845 840 7777 and spoke to AM - who then told me to call

0845 454 0000 where I then spoke to PB who told me that The Broadband Department cannot provide MAC Codes she then told me to call

0906 212 1111 at 25p p/m plus 10p connection fee. BN then told me that "MAC codes DO NOT EXIST" and that the MAC "CODE" was the MAC ADDRESS on the back of my router. He then told me to call the other ISP for them to contact Virgin Media to get the MAC Code .Looks like Virgin Media won this round, by 'convincing' me that MAC codes were a figment of my imagination.

I then called Be Broadband (www.bethere.co.uk) on 0808 234 8566 which then told me that they cannot get the MAC code and that I would need to call BT in order to put pressure onto Virgin Media for it.

I then called BT on 0800 800 060 and waited for 20 minutes, just to be told that Virgin Media that BT did not have the rights to access the information.

Round Two

I then called back 0845 454 0000 and was redirected to 0906 217 0001 and spoke to MB at the ADSL Service center.

After talking to two English/ Scottish blokes, I was finally given the number to the correct part, now just to call them on Monday. (0845 045 0709).

I spent 2 hours on the phone, and thats my sunday.... Just great

i am in the proces of canceling my bt broadband and they are as bad as the rest of them. they take forever to answer the phone. i was on hold for half an hour and no one answered so i gave up. there should definitely be an easier way to do with such as through email.

i recently asked for a mac code from guess who.....yes you guessed it tiscali i was quite surprised to receive it the next day BUT after giving AOL the mac code have since had my account with them cancelled twice because of "problems" with the mac code saying it had expired the second time it had but the first time it still had 20 days left on it now i dont know if tiscali have given me a duff code or what but who's fault is it i cant change over??? is it tiscali for giving me a duff mac code OR is it AOL for not knowing what to do with the mac code properly??? i have received my username/password and can use these on AOL just the transfer will not go through i was supposed to originaly go live with AOL on the 21st of december never happened had to re apply for my account which was supposed to go live tomorrow i contacted AOL to see where my router was to be told it had been cancelled again have now asked tiscali for a new mac code and am awaiting my email and hopefully leave this shambles of a company for good

edit:after asking for my mac code at 9.10am this morning i have now received it lets see if i can get away now :)

pipex!!

i wanted to UPGRADE my service to a business broadband, as was told i needed a mac code to do so, as i'd need to leave my "residential service" to join the business service

i told them to go ahead and do what was necessary

i received a mac code within 24 hours!! amazing !

now it goes pear shaped

turns out i had been incorrectly advised by customer services,

i didn't need a mac code at all, trouble is, once you are assigned one, you cannot get rid of it until you use it, or it expires in 30 days,

that is to say, pipex cannot upgrade, downgrade, or do anything at all to my service until the mac code expires,

so now i have to wait 30days to upgrade, plus how ever long the actual switch takes once it becomes possible

this is the worst customer service i have ever received from anyone, ever!!

they have done something they cannot fix and expect me to wait round for over a month-dissatisfied-and expect to stick with them!

(but as i said, i do have a mac code, so can anyone recommend a good business broadband provider?)

worst service ever

Pipex must be the worse isp for causing stress I can think of . Avoid them like the plague .

I requested my MAC key by post on 07.01.08 .

Wrote to Ofcom 19.01.08 .

Received a letter from Pipex dated 22.01.08 confirming my letter .

Received a letter from Ofcom 23.01.08 telling me they can do nothing as they just keep statistics of problems (what a waste of space) .

Received my MAC key in a letter dated 24.01.08 .

Used the MAC key 26.01.08

Had it confirmed by my new ISP that the MAC key was invalid 28.01.08

To get their Directors home address go to http://www.companieshouse.co.uk/ and pay £1 for a Current Appointments Report .

Edit to add: As at 29.01.08 it's taken 48 emails , 7 letters and 11 phone calls since 03.01.08

Note: This post has been moderated for language and lacking the respectful manner that is insisted upon when using the forums. Please read the moneysupermarket.com User Community Standards and Terms of Service before posting. Thanks.

Edited again as the moderators removed the name of the isp I was complaining about for some reason . Why would that be ?
Also I did not use a single swear word as I used *** . What pitiful moderators you are .