Hi - I really give up! At the moment, Pipex Homecall owe us over £80.00 but, as usual, one dept does not talk to the other. Please see my letter below.

22^nd April 2008

Our ref: JFA/HAD/Trading Standards / Customer Complaints case number SW410036

Your ref: Account number 0000000

Managing Director

Pipex Homecall Limited

Christie Fields

Derwent Avenue

Manchester M21 7QS

Dear Sir / Madam

REF: SUPPLY OF GOODS AND SERVICES ACT 1982

I am writing in connection with the above account, which relates to telephone number 01xxx-xxxxxx and the failure of Pipex Homecall to provide a broadband service to us with care and skill, under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. I am writing this letter following legal advice.

We were appalled to receive a letter dated 14^th April 2008 (received by us on 21^st April 2008) demanding payment of £49.38.

This money is not due to be paid by us – in fact, according to your own staff in Credit Control, you owe us money. Let me explain:-

· 4/3/08 at 7.10pm, I spoke to Aggie in your Credit Control Department, who advised me that a credit for £-12.00 had been allocated to the account for telephone calls we had had to make to Pipex Homecall, during the failure of Pipex Homecall to fulfil their contract to us. Please refer to our previous letter dated 22^nd February 2008.

· 4/3/08 during the same phone call, I spoke to Aggie in your Credit Control Department, who advised me that a credit for £-6.50 had been allocated to the account for the time we had not been able to access Broadband.

· 4/3/08 during the same phone call, I spoke to Aggie in your Credit Control Department, who advised me that a credit for £-150.59 had been allocated to the account.

· 4/3/08 during the same phone call, Aggie advised me that Pipex Homecall owed us £169.09 in credits. That we should ignore any chasing telephone calls and that we should ignore all correspondence and bills, as we clearly did not owe any money.

· 4/3/08 I asked when we would receive the refund due to us – Aggie said in about 4 weeks time.

· 26/3/08 I spoke to Pauline in your Credit Control Department. She told me exactly the same as Aggie, but that a bill for £37.55 had been produced.

· 26/3/08 Pauline agreed that, after off-setting the bill for £37.55 against the £169.09 credit on the account, Pipex Homecall owed us £131.54. I asked when this would be paid back to us.

· 26/3/08 I was told by Pauline that she needed our bank details to arrange to refund us straight into the bank. I gave these details.

· 26/3/08 during the same call, I insisted that Pauline got full authorisation from her Manager that the refund would take place. She spoke to Aggie – the same Aggie who previously told me the situation and told me that Pipex Homecall owed us money.

· 26/3/08 I was told during the same conversation that we would receive the refund on 8^th April 2008.

· 1/4/08 We received a letter detailing our bank account details, which were wrong, so I went on-line and cancelled the DD that had been set up.

· 2/4/08 we received a bill dated 25/3/08 for £49.38 but, because your Pipex staff told us to ignore all correspondence and because Pipex Homecall owed us £131.54, we obviously did not pay this bill.

· As at 22/4/08, we are still waiting to be refunded the now net figure of £82.16.

My husband and I have spoken at great length and, to ensure that we finally sever all ties with Pipex Homecall, we are willing to forgo the refund of £82.16, on the understanding that this is the full and final closure of the account and we do not owe Pipex Homecall any money whatsoever.

We are setting a deadline of Friday 25^th April 2008, by which time we must received from yourselves a letter confirming that the account is finally closed and no money is owed by us.

Pipex Homecall have failed to supply us with a service of care and skill; we have been legally advised that Pipex Homecall are in breach of contract as neither the modem or service is of merchantable quality under the Supply of Goods and Services act 1982.

This letter is being sent via first class recorded delivery.

Yours faithfully

Mr and Mrs xxxx – authorised to discuss the account in full, via password.

If I had a penny for every Pipex issue, I would be a very happy person.

Pipex only responds to court action, and even then it is on the visit of a Bailiff. Best thing to do is to write a registered letter to their registered office and demand that they sort this out within the next seven days or file a claim against them on moneyclaim web site.

I know you have sent them the usual letters that would be reasonable in any other world, but you are dealing with Pipex (aka: lower than whale-do-do) Customer Mis-service and MacTechnical Support (best flipping burgers as they couldn't figure out one end of a computer keyboard from another).

Pipex pours misery and pain on anyone who has not been lobotomised so I feel for you both. Why they are still trading is still a mystery to me.

SHARK!

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For every positive action, there's an equal and opposite government plan.

Since Pipex Homecall were taken over by Tiscali they have turned into a shower of complete incompetent idiots. I had issues with my broadband for about 3 weeks which were never resolved. I eventually phoned and requested a MAC code, I was told that because I was within my 14 day cooling down period ( I had recently signed a new 12 month contract) that I could leave free of charge. What a surprise it was was then to be charged £105 cancellation fee. 2 months later this still has not been resolved. I also had £76 of bank charges because I was told by them that while my account was on hold no direct debits would be taken. WRONG. They then tell you to send a letter with a copy of your bank statement to Christie fields in Manchester and a refund will be issued within 2 days of receiving the letter. WRONG. I have been waiting now for 4 weeks on the refund. I've forgotten how many times i've phoned credit control and customer care (should be renamed we don't care about customers). I've decided to switch back to BT and Pipex can stick there bills where the sun doesn't shine. My advice to people is steer well clear Sh*tex Homecall and P*scali.

Hi Shark

It gets worse! We never got the refund (surprise, surprise) but worse than that, on Thrusday 24th April, a right snooty git called us at home demanding we pay £40.68 plus £25.00 charges. After arguing for 53 minutes, we finally agreed to send a full and final settlement cheque of £18.28 (don't even ask where that figure came from) to settle the account and sever all ties with Pipex. This was on the understanding that this bloke was a representative of Pipex and was authorised to enter into this agreement. I sent the cheque 2 days later with the above clarification in the letter, thinking this would be the end of it.

Oh how stupid of me! We got a call Monday night (12/5/08) from a Debt Collection Agency! Demanding we pay over £40! My hubby had a right fit - I thought he was going to have a heart attack - and when the phone was passed over to me, I was pacing up and down the house, shouting and shaking with anger, trying to tell the ar**hole that Pipex owed us money. On Tuesday, I had to fax over "proof" of the account being in credit - I was able to send the final settlement account, showing the Debt Collector that Pipex owe us £-120.31, dated 25th April and an email from Pipex's Customer Don't-Care Dept, saying that a refund request had been passed to the "relevant dept" - god knows who that's supposed to be.

I have also raised a case with OTELLO. They told me that, even if I have written lots of letters and sent them recorded (which I have) that it doesn't mean squat if I haven't addressed then to the specific Customer Care section dealing with complaints (I haven't got the specific title with me right now). So if the Debt Collectors don't get off our back, then I've been advised by OTELLO to send another letter to this specific high level complaints section, copying all of the rest of my correspondence (of which I have shed loads) then give them 10 working days to resolve the issue to my satisfaction. If they don't, then OTELLO can get involved.

I hope it doesn't come to this, but I won't be surprised if it does! Dawn1966