Hello everyone. I've been reading with some distress the horror stories that folk are telling about Pipex these days. Let me add my own story.

My list of problems goes back to Autumn 2007, when I was called by Pipex offering me a broadband upgrade. It sounded good - I was on their Xtreme Solo 1000 package, and they offered to upgrade it to Pipex Midi, which would save me a few quid.

I found out soon after that the upgrade was never able to happen, as there was some LLU (?) issue with my line, and it physically couldn't be upgraded (or something). So I carried on as before, on Xtreme Solo 1000.

Then in July 2008, Pipex called up again and said "hey! NOW we can really upgrade your broadband and phone. How about it?" I said YES to broadband but NO to phone (we were quite happy with calls from TalkTalk and line rental from BT). Hey presto, the next online bill showed that I was on Pipex Midi... but also now on the Pipex Anytime International call package, so now paying call charges and line rental to Pipex... even though I had specifically requested not to. By the way, I never received any written confirmation (letter or e-mail) from Pipex of the upgrade, new charges, new contract etc. It was only by checking the bills religiously ever month and phoning up that I found out, well, anything.

Anyway, I wrote a letter, requesting a refund of the line rental charges, which we had already paid to BT. They requested some copies of bills, which I duly sent, and then I received a letter saying that I would receive a credit on my accounts for those charges (the amount, interestingly enough, was unspecified).

So, the months passed and I never saw the credit appear on my bill. Eventually the line rental charges disappeared, I think even this took a couple of months.

I eventually cancelled my whole broadband account with Pipex in December 2008. The chap at Cancellations was really nice, realised that the service I had been receiving was really poor and made a note on my account that I would not have to pay a termination fee. Guess what? My final bill had a big old termination fee on it of £81.17 - then I proceeded to receive letter after phone call after voicetext from Credit Control demanding payment. I never even had written confirmation of the cancellation (but praise the Lord, managed to transfer my broadband account to TalkTalk with no problems at all). I called Customer Service in early January 2009 and had a waiver actioned on the fee, and my account was put on hold. But still the RCC_PM letters arrived demanding payment, and still the phone kept ringing with "an urgent message from Pipex".

I wrote a formal complaint in January 2009, sent it off recorded delivery to both complaints and the registered London address of Pipex UK Ltd. I've not had a reply to it.

It was only when I received a RCC_PM3 payment demand (getting towards the 'final notice' stage) on 12 March 2009 (dated 5 March - thanks for the early posting!) that I really started to unhinge. I was calling Credit Control and Customer Care until I was blue in the face and skint and getting nowhere.

SO HERE'S WHAT I RECKON - and thanks to guys on these forums and elsewhere on the web for hints - if you want a response, make a Public Relations case. State your complaint to the ISPA (a regulator of Pipex UK Ltd. - you may not get anywhere with CISAS), but more importantly:

• E-mail BBC Watchdog

• CC Pipex customer services (their e-mail is on the Pipex T&Cs page)

• CC The Times Money section Troubleshooter, Daily Telegraph, some other bigwig newspaper, Office of Fair Trading etc.

I e-mailed on Friday night and got a personal message regarding my "PR case" from the London-based Tiscali High-Level Complaints (THLC) on Tuesday. SWEET!

The interesting thing is that the person I spoke to at THLC said that I had received that line rental credit - my account was in fact £32 in credit (?!?!?!?)... I asked why I was still getting payment demands, and she's currently investigating that. I can almost smell victory.

SO moan to Watchdog! And the papers! And pray! You may just get a result...

Further bulletins as events warrant. ;-)

Your story almost mirrors mine noahlovesnesquick. I started my trauma way back in June 2008 and it still isn't over. I finally cancelled my account in November 2008, received a MAC code eventually and moved to Sky. Since January 2009 I too have had letter upon letter, email upon email, voicetexts and calls all threatening me with cutting my phone off and sending in debt collectors etc. They have never provided me with a phone service even though they promised to, and I don't owe them a penny. I had yet another letter today threatening even more dire action despite the fact that I had a phone call and an email on 3 March 2009 telling me that I owed nothing, agreeing that I was no longer a customer and offering me £10 to cover the cost of all my phone calls on their outrageous 0871 numbers. They are without exception, the most incompetent, useless Company that I have ever had the misfortune to deal with

I have emailed them, written to them and phoned them countless times. I've emailed Watchdog about them and today I've reported them to ISPA. The only things I've not done yet are a.) contact the CAB but I'm doing that on Monday which is when they're next open, and b.) contact the press. How on earth you managed to get a response from THLC I don't know. I have sent so many emails and letters that I've lost count of them all.

I will be interested to see if you get anywhere with your case and good luck. Keep us posted.

anniep09

noahlovesnesquick:

- you may not get anywhere with CISAS),

why do you say that when CISAS is the appointed Alternative Dispute Resolution organisation for Pipex?

Hi Folks,I have got my problem with Pipex sorted but felt I had to add my own story ,this dates back to 2006. To cut a long story very short.I decided to change my provider knowing that my contract ended in Nov 2006,or so I thought !!! I quote no madamn your contract is running until March 2007 as you upgraded your package with us March 2006 to 8mb, my reply to this we live in a rural area and don`t even get 2mb on a good day,further more I had`nt upgraded the package the rather polite gentleman then proceed to tell me my husband had agreed to the upgrade,this was unbelievable as my husband had been in hospital unable to walk for two months and heavly sedated so I think the last thing on his mind would have been upgrading the package,Defeated I gave up and waited till March 2007 here we go again !!!!

I requested my Mac code everthing seemed to be going smoothly,then the final bill came £56 which was for the billing peroid after I had cancelled my subscription, which I hasten to add I did not owe .After several messages left on my phone constant phonecalls to and fro , threatening them with Watchdog ,they wanted me to pay a bill that I did`nt owe so it would clear the account and they would refund me the money .Needless to say 4 months later they gave up and this was me cutting the story short.

Blimey redfebreze, you were lucky having Pipex giving up on you. I have threatened them with everything I can think of but nothing gets through to them at all. Perhaps they've increased their non-cooperation methods since you dealt with them. What I can't understand is why, after all the complaints about this Company that I've seen on the internet and the amount of people who have complained to various authorities about them, has nothing yet been done to make them up their game.

I actually had a phone call a few evenings ago from a Company called Critical Research who were asking about my experiences with Pipex. I told them in no uncertain terms about how bad my experiences had been and why I would never use them again. Like another poster on these forums, I can't understand why this website still portrays them as a recommended ISP. They are the worst of the worst and that's not just my opinion. Mind you, I think we have to remember that it's actually Tiscali that we're dealing with here, need I say more?

anniep09

Hi

Sounds like I had a lucky break thankfully I got a very helpful Australian girl who saw the madness of it all bless her,on another note I had`nt realised it was Tiscal ,I was about to sign up with them as they have the best value for money on bundles at the moment, we have a very limited coverage in our area and many of the better providers do something that piggie backs a BT Line which works out more expensive ,then again maybe they would`nt want my money,after being such a persistant pest

You certainly did have a lucky break although I wouldn't rule out hearing from them again. It was two months after I cancelled that they started hassling me. Before you decide to sign up with Tiscali, which means that you would have to speak to the same people on the same 0871 numbers, I would read about them on the various forums on the web, including on this website. It just may put you off.

I changed to Sky for broadband and calls, leaving my line rental with BT. It's not the cheapest option perhaps but so far, touch wood, I've had no problems. Mind you, that also means I haven't had to contact Sky for help but there is a very good website for all things Sky so I would probably try them before ringing.

Good luck whoever you choose.

Ann

Man, there are just so many people who are having a terrible time with Pipex.

I hope you have some luck Ann with your report to ISPA. Filing a complaint on their website is pretty straightforward. Put in as many reference numbers, dates of phone calls etc. as you can.

The follow-up so far is:

1. THLC phoned me back a day after I spoke to them. They said my account was in credit to the tune of £32.86 and I would be receiving a cheque soon. This was confirmed in an e-mail from the THLC executive person - all I have to do is wait for the cheque I guess...

2. On the same day, I got home to a letter from... Tiscali High Level Complaints (postmarked Stevenage)! This referred to my complaint to the ISPA. It stated that Pipex were going to refund all charges associated with my (unrequested) telephone account, to the tune of about £80, plus a £30 "goodwill gesture" on top. Just have to wait for that cheque too.

So I got one response to the Watchdog/Times e-mail (the PR case) and another (seemingly separate) response to the ISPA complaint. Great... but why the freak didn't they respond to my formal letter of complaint (to their complaints address as stated in their T&Cs) back in January 2009? Weird.

(Jalexa - I guess my issue with CISAS was that you can't really speak with anyone on their phone number, and I left a message twice requesting an application form, and only received one a couple of weeks after calling. Even then you have to have received a deadlock letter or had 12 weeks elapsed since making your formal complaint. But maybe they have a lot of cases to deal with...? :-S)

Ann, please keep us up-to-date with your case... Perhaps I can help you with a contact number if you don't get anywhere with the ISPA. But hopefully that will stir some kind of response at Pipex HQ!

Hi Noahlovesnesquick and do you, by the way, love Nesquick I mean?

Yes, I will keep you posted with what happens next. I'm fully expecting someone to contact me yet again to assure me that everything has been dealt with and not to worry, I won't hear any more about it. I do realise, however, that once again, they will be lying through their teeth and I will be threatened by the infamous John Cox as has happened every other time.

I think that useless and incompetent are not strong enough words to describe this Company and I just wish that I could get the message across to the rest of the British Isles to never, under any circumstances, have anything to do with them. It's all very well telling people to vote with their feet but most of the troubles start when you try to either alter your package or try to leave. I just wish that someone with some clout would take them on and actually do something about all this. I can't believe that there has only been you and me who have contacted Watchdog about these morons and I know for a fact that there have been others who have complained to Ofcom and ISPA so why are we still suffering? I just thank God I cancelled my Direct Debit. At least they can't keep taking money like they do with other people.

Stay strong.

Hi anniep09,

I am having exactly the same problem as you. Cancelled my Pipex account in November 08. Got a cut off date from the chap at Pipex, got my MAC code in a letter from Pipex and paid my last Pipex bill which was the end of December 08. I then moved to Sky in December 08 and gave them my MAC code which Pipex provided. However, every month I get a letter from pipex saying I owe them money for my monthly bill. Spoken to 5 advisers who have all assured me it will be dealt with and yet the same letters and emails come through saying I owe them money. Its funny that they say thet they are going to cut me off my phone yet I never had phone with Pipex. Its also funny that they said in the letter with my MAC code that if I give this code to another internet provider, it means that I wish to cancel my account. Considering I have been with Sky now since the 12th December 08, do you think they realise that my account should be closed :)

They seem like the biggest bunch of idiots going. they have no idea what is going on. I am about to send my letter of and contact all the above mentioned at the start of this thread.

Hope you get yours sorted soon. keep us posted.

Hi Linus27,

I feel your pain, I really do! Don't bother ringing them again because that's just another way of them making money out of you. Write letters upon letters and send copies of everything you've received from them. Keep everything both on your computer and hard copies and then when the day of reckoning comes, you'll be equipped. Ha! Listen to me giving advice as though anything makes a difference. They will take no notice whatsoever but we've got to keep trying. Maybe someday, some authority will actually get off their a**e and take action. I would love to be able to get everyone who has had problems with this excuse for a Company together, find the address of their offices in Birmingham and storm it to demand action. I know it will never happen but I can dream. I'd like to strangle John Cox for starters, that's if there is such a person!

Good luck and you keep us posted also.

It's crazy that there are so many ways to contact Pipex - you'd think that would be a good thing, but really it leaves you with no central point of contact for, well, anything. And of course our old mate John Cox has his own special addresses and phone numbers for Credit Control. And if you phone them up, the only thing they can do with your account is take payment from you - they can't action waivers, put accounts on hold or indeed much that's useful. Although one guy I spoke to there was a total champ - he checked into my account with Customer Services and even unexpectedly rang me back to apologise. It didn't really solve much, but he deserves some kind of award!

I sent letters to three postal addresses:

• Birmingham / Customer Services - got a response

• London / registered UK office - no response

• Welwyn Garden City / complaints dept., or as it's now called, "Customer Care" (also, this address as given on the Pipex website doesn't agree with the Royal Mail database, so you may have trouble sending recorded mail there) - no response

There are even two e-mail addresses that look deceptively similar - customercare and customerservices at pipex dot net - but at least it's easy to just CC them all in with the BBC and that. ;-)

It turns out that Pipex responded to electronic communications much quicker than letters - even if you have to jump through the old hoop of complying with pesky Data Protection by e-mailing them all your details again straight away.

I agree with Ann, Linus - ditch the phone calls altogether and cane them with e-mails and letters. Going through your phone bills to tot up the cost of all the calls to Pipex is time-consuming, but can be satisfying - you can suggest they make you a "goodwill gesture" payment to cover the not-insignificant cost of actually speaking to them about their horrifying ineptitude. :-)

Well, here's the next chapter in the saga of Pipex and Me. Today, after registering yet another strong complaint via their website, I received this email :-

Response (Anthony Marren)25/03/2009 03.52 PM

Dear Mrs. *******
Thank you for your email, the contents of which have been noted. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience, which may have been caused as a result of the issues that you are experiencing.

With regards to your e-mail, I can confirm that the outstanding balance has been cleared on your account. I have requested our Billing Department to inform our Debt Collections of this.

Once again I apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Kind regards,

Anthony Marren
Pipex Customer Relations

Guess what, I don't believe a word and I am sick and tired of their so-called apologies. Here was my reply :-

That's all very well but I have been told this many times before and nothing was ever carried through so I find it very difficult to believe a word you say. This case should never have gone so far and I am still waiting for the £10 cheques that was promised by Paul McTernan on 3-3-2009. I have put up with your incompetence since June last year and actually, I strongly feel that a lot more than £10 is due to me. That amount barely covers the lengthy and pointless phone calls I have had to make and certainly doesn't compensate me for all the distress your total inability to resolve any problems has caused. I am not withdrawing any complaints I have made to any authority until I have actual proof that you will never again chase me for money that I don't owe and have compensated me for all the trauma I have suffered. I would like that proof in writing from your Credit Control office in Birmingham and preferably from the infamous John Cox himself. Your Company is very good at assigning his signature to all the unnecessary threatening letters that they send out so let's see if they can put his name to an apology and assurance that I will never again hear from him.

We'll see whether or not this is the end of the road. Even if it is, I am still infuriated by the 9 months of hassle I've had to contend with and at the moment, I'm disinclined to let it rest. They are treating people in this appalling manner all the time and so far, seem to be getting off scott-free. I suppose I'll calm down eventually but it will take time. I'm sure I'll be back.

I have just found this thread - and I thought I was alone! Though make me think that resolution is unlikely. Obviously my saga of conflicting messages from 'customer relations' and the credit department would add nothing new, I do have two variations to add. Firstly, I have never had a Pipex account. I closed my Toucan account before the takeover, and switched to Plusnet (thank goodness). I also switched my landline to them. This has not stopped Pipex from claiming that I owe money on this non-existent account, or from informing me that they have barred outgoing calls because of non-payment. The second novelty is that, after receiving yet another demand, this time for £26, on Friday, I got a cheque for £13 over-payment on Saturday. All this on a non-existent account.

As they are not able to interfere with my service, I would just wait for someone, eventually, to sort this out. My only concern is that they might take some action which would affect my credit rating.

I shall follow this thread with interest, to see if anyone finds a way of getting sense out of this company.

Well allule, you can rest assured that you are definitely not alone! Just google "pipex appalling" or some such phrase and you'll see just how many people are being hassled by this excuse for a Company.

As for leaving them to it, there is the danger that they will contact debt collectors, as they have done with many people, and that does affect your credit rating. My husband kept telling me to ignore them but I didn't want my name blackened in any way so I kept on. We are in the fortunate position, at our time of life, whereby we are not interested in credit but there are many people more vulnerable who are being bullied by these morons. I have recently received an email from them acknowledging the fact that I had reported them to ISPA and that their High Level Complaints department were now dealing with my case. God help me! If that department is as competent as the rest, I'll still be complaining this time next year!

Don't, whatever you do, start to telephone them. It's a complete waste of time and will cost you a fortune. Write to them and email them and keep copies of everything including their replies (if you get any!).

Good luck.

anniep09