I would like to add the following experience my husband and I have had with pipex...
An example of
Pipex customer service, dated 11 August 2007
We switched from Pipex to NTL in July 2006,
getting rid of our landline, and purchasing NTL’s internet/TV services only.
We wrote to cancel our Pipex homecall account by
August 2006, and received a letter of confirmation in September 2006. Come
November 2006, Pipex were still debiting money from our bank account, so we
cancelled the direct debit with the bank, having not had a landline or any
Pipex services for months.
We are still waiting for a refund for those
unwarranted direct debit payments.
Instead, we have continued to be harassed by
debt collection agencies acting on Pipex's behalf, trying to collect further
fees for services we have not had or used. We have made uncountable phone calls
to Pipex staff, sent faxes, and had verbal assurance by Pipex staff that they
are ‘dealing with our account’. I will add that a few months ago, a Pipex
employee told us during one of our phone calls that there had been some sort of
‘computer failure’ in August 2006, and that our account was one of a few which
had been affected by this, and that a ‘special team’ had been organised to deal
with these customers, from whom we would hear from in due course.
Yet this week, over a year on, we received yet
another letter from a debt collection agency, and we have had to make yet
another premium rate phone call to try to get this issue resolved.
We made two more phone calls today after
receiving this last invoice.
The first phone call resulted in our being told
that, in fact, we owed Pipex line rental, because we did not respond to a
letter from Pipex, which confirmed receipt of our letter giving them 30
days notice! And as such, line rental had accumulated up to November 2006, and
administration charges, (a line which had been disconnected in July 2006). This
was the first time that an explanation of the fees owed had been explained in
this way.
I quote from the letter dated September 2006
from Pipex:
“ We are sorry you wish to leave Pipex”,
(therefore acknowledging our intent).
“If your request to cancel is due to you moving
house please contact us immediately as we may be able to offer you some great
savings”,(we were not moving house).
“If you would like to discuss these options in
more detail”, (we had phoned and written to say we did not want Pipex’s
services, and yet were being invited to pay for another phone call for a sales
pitch.
During our second phone call today, we asked to
be put through to someone who would deal with a complaint, the outcome of which
was for Pipex to clear our account.
We think that this treatment is unacceptable.
We initially called to say that we wished to
terminate our service, and were told to put it in writing to give 30 days
notice, which we did. Not once have we received an apology from Pipex, and
although Pipex have agreed not to bill us, the money that was taken from our
bank account up to November 2006, 3 months after our cancellation letter, has
not been refunded to us. We have also had to pay for many phone calls
throughout, and we are very concerned that by having had this matter passed
through 2 different credit agencies, our credit rating will have been affected.