Tiscali customer service - you are joking?

Tiscali broadband fault

Should anyone have any doubts about the type of customer service they will receive if they use Tiscali as their ISP please read this.....

At approx 6pm on Wednesday 20/6/07 a fault occurred on our telephone line and we were not able to make or receive phone calls and the broadband connection ceased. I checked our telecom equipment and PC and router, then re-checked the phone line again, which was still ‘dead’. I then called BT and reported fault.

On Thursday 21/6/07 a BT engineer called at our home address and checked the line and confirmed that there was a line fault but said that this was not within our property. He then went to the local telephone exchange. He returned a short while later and stated that the fault on our line was as a result of faulty broadband equipment at the exchange and that in order to reinstate our phone line he had bypassed (disconnected) the broadband equipment. He advised us that we should contact our internet service provider (ISP) and inform them of this. But he was emphatic, that we should stress to them that the fault was with the broadband equipment at the exchange and was not the responsibility of BT.

I contacted Tiscali (India call centre) from my workplace and advised them of the fault and explained the cause of the fault. The call taker explained that I would have to carry out some tests, including reinstalling the router drivers, checking the broadband filters, etc. I explained that this would serve no purpose, as our line no longer had a broadband connection. Despite repeating this explanation he insisted that I should carry out the tests when I returned home.

He then carried out a line test and advised me that our line was OK and the broadband was working. I explained that that was not possible because the BT engineer had bypassed (disconnected) the broadband equipment at the exchange. He continued to insist that Tiscali could do nothing until I carried out the tests.

I returned home and carried out all the tests, which was a futile exercise and a complete waste of time and of course failed to achieve a connection. I again contacted the Tiscali call centre and explained again to another call-taker the nature of the problem. That person then carried out a further line test and again stated that our line was OK and the broadband was working. I again repeated that that was not possible because the BT engineer had bypassed (disconnected) the broadband equipment at the exchange.

It was now evident that the call-takers at the call centre in India were either incapable of comprehending the nature of the problem or were unwilling to address the issue or did not believe what I was saying. More likely, they were required by Tiscali to follow a ‘scripted’ flow chart for fault diagnoses, a wholly inadequate practice. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was put on hold for about 5 minutes. My call was then transferred to another extension, which rang for more than 15 minutes at which time I gave up waiting and hung-up. I immediately called back and went through exactly the same process. Again the line was checked and again I was told that our line was OK and the broadband was working and again I explained that that was not possible because the BT engineer had bypassed (disconnected) the broadband equipment at the exchange.

Again I asked to be put through to a supervisor. I was placed on hold and after around 5 minutes I was cut off. I immediately called back and again the same process was repeated. However, at the end of this torturous process and as a result of my obvious anger and frustration, I was told that the fault would be escalated and Tiscali would call me back within 24 to 48 hours, “despite” as the call-taker explained “the fact the line is working OK”.

This whole experience left me very, very angry and completely frustrated and lacking in any confidence that Tiscali would address this issue. My fears proved to be completely founded. By Saturday 16/6/07 I had not received a call from Tiscali, so I called them.

Once again, having got through to the India call centre, I was treated with perfect politeness but with a total lack of any understanding or co-operation. I was subjected to exactly the same process, clearly a ‘scripted’ and rigid routine from which the call-takers were not permitted to stray. Once again the line was tested and found to be OK. Once again I told Tiscali that we were not connected to the broadband equipment at the exchange and once again, and only I believe because I became angry, I was told that the fault would be escalated. Once again I was told that Tiscali would call me back within 24 to 48 hours. Once again, they failed to do so and so once again I called the India call centre on Monday evening, 18/6/07.

I was again subjected to exactly the same futile and patronising treatment, with exactly the same negative result. When I had completed this call I phoned the accounts call centre which I believe is UK based and spoke to a Scottish sounding call-taker. I explained the situation and asked for details of how I could end my contract with Tiscali and how I could obtain a MAC code.

This man was very apologetic and said that he would escalate the fault with the UK technical team. He stated that if I had any further problems with the call centre in India I should call back on that number and speak to his department. He promised that Tiscali would call me back within 24 hours.

Latter that same evening I discovered a voicemail message on my phone, which had been received whilst I was on the phone to Tiscali. It appeared to be from the Tiscali India call centre and stated that Tiscali would call me back within 24 hours.

I received no such call and so on Tuesday 19/6/07 I called Tiscali again. Unsurprisingly I was expected to undergo the same pathetic procedure, but instead I insisted that the call-taker read the notes on his screen, which related to the problem I had. I then reinforced the pertinent facts, that our line was disconnected from the broadband equipment at the exchange and that Tiscali were entirely failing to address the issue.

As with every previous call to Tiscali, the call-taker apologised said how sorry he was at the problem I had. I stated that I was no longer interested in apologies but merely wanted to know when my broadband service would be reinstated. I was told that the matter had been escalated again and Tiscali would contact me.

I waited 24 hours and phoned the call centre again on Wednesday 10/6/07. I again suffered at the hands of the polite but ineffective call-takers. Following a tortuous exchange I was told that my fault would be escalated and Tiscali would call me. It was stated that an engineer would call me.

Latter that evening I contacted the British call centre that I had spoken to on Monday and explained the problems I was having. A female call-taker there was sympathetic but refused to assist in any way other than to put me through to the other call centre. This she did.

This time, following the by now familiar and farcical routine, I was told an engineer from BT would contact me to arrange a visit to our home. I questioned why a BT engineer would come to our home as the first BT engineer had already diagnosed the nature and the location of the problem and visiting our home would not address this issue. The call-taker insisted that this was necessary and implied that although the first engineer had spoken to us a second engineer was required by Tiscali to confirm the nature of fault.

I immediately called BT who advised me that no engineer from BT Retail would contact me as that part of BT had no responsibility for broadband equipment. Broadband was the responsibility of BT Wholesale and they never make or receive calls from end users and would only speak to service providers.

I therefore called Tiscali again and told them what BT had told me. The call-taker insisted that a BT engineer would need to visit our home and an appointment was made for Friday 22/6/07.

On Friday 22/6/07 a second BT engineer called at our home address. He tested the line and confirmed that the line was fault free but did not have a broadband signal. My wife explained to him that the first BT engineer had bypassed the broadband equipment at the exchange in order to reinstate our phone line. He said “Well in that case I am wasting my time here, I will go and check the equipment at the exchange and try to rectify the problem and then return to ensure you are connected to broadband”.

But he latter returned and explained that our line was indeed disconnected from the broadband equipment which was faulty but stated that there was no spare equipment at the exchange and would have to refer the fault to BT Wholesale.

I then called Tiscali and explained to the call-taker, calmly and in detail, the whole situation. I said that I wanted to know when we would be reconnected to broadband. He put my call on hold and when he returned he stated that he had spoken to Tiscali at Milton Keynes and could confirm that Tiscali had received the report from the second BT engineer and I could expect to be reconnected with 48 hours.

A short while latter I received a call from Tiscali – the first time that Tiscali had called and spoken to me since the problem began more than one week earlier. The caller stated that BT were working on the line, asked me if we had a broadband connection yet and stated that a BT engineer needed to visit our home to carry out some checks.

I again questioned why an engineer needed to visit our home as the fault was at the exchange. She insisted that it was necessary and said that she could offer us an appointment on Wednesday 27/6/07, which I said I believed would be convenient.

Throughout this wholly unacceptable and futile fiasco Tiscali has done nothing to instil any confidence that it is a competent service provider. It has ignored what I have said; insisted that I carry out useless checks and persistently followed a wholly predictable and useless course. In so doing it has patronised me, lied to me and failed completely to address the issue extant.

This above account covers the salient events of the experience and indicates that I have called Tiscali 12 times. In fact I have called them probably about 16 or 17 times in all but failed to note several of the calls made. I have also summarised the account of most of the accounts of the calls made. Some of these calls last a considerable time.

If you have managed to read the whole of this account then I commend you on your stamina, but I would ask you to think how I feel as a Tiscali customer, having lived through this customer experience. I have now been without a broadband connection for a week and a half, yet I told Tiscali what the fault was when I reported it.

unfort your story is quite comon with tiscali,. the phone jockies who answer calls read through a script and that's all they are allowed / told to do,.

in order to get any sense from tiscali (a rare thing) you can try other routes to get them to do something,. http://www.ispa.org.uk/complaints/ and http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/internet/

you could try raising the issue on tiscali forums - sometimes someone there will be able to help

Good luck and let us know how it goes

Sil

PS, I'm a little suprised BT can disconnect the adsl equipment like that, they should have notified tiscali of the issue directly - you might want to see if you can prod BT to contact tiscali,. least they may have a more direct route

Well, I read it all. A sorry tale indeed.

As sil has said, this is a common story with Tiswas although I have to say that I've been with them since Screaming Net days and, although I've had problems (NOTHING like yours, thankfully), I've been reasonably happy to stay with them (it's easier too!).

However, I'm moving home and will NOT be using Tiswas.

I DO wish you well and hope that this terrible situation will be resolved to YOUR satisfaction very soon (if not earlier).

Please do keep us posted.

Thanks for your comments and sympathy.

My wife is at home today awaiting a visit from BT Wholesale engineer. I spoke to Tiscali (India) yesterday who stated that they are still under the impression that the broadband on the line is 'active'. They say that the report they got from the last engineers visit said nothing of the fact that the broadband was 'bypassed'! So what did it say?!

They say that the 'test' they do on the line to check the integrity of the broadband connection is as stipulated by BT. This test has shown that we are connected and operating properly and has done so ever since the BT (retail) engineer disconnected it because it was causing a fault on our phone line.

I am at a loss to know who is telling the truth.

I will update later today when engineer has attended. I won't be holding my breath though as today we have been offline for 2 weeks!

Hi, this is my first post on The Scream.

My broadband internet access has been down since last Fri. I have had 2 telephone calls to the Tiscali support in India. Most of the time I couldn't tell what the person was saying but I gather that the matter has been passed to BT.

Earlier posters mentioned Tiscali Tech support in the UK. Please can someone provide me with a relevant number?

Thanks

I have just spoken to the engineer who is at my home with my wife (I am at work) and he has confirmed that there was a fault with the broadband equipment at the exchange which he has rectified and now confirms there is a broadband signal in our home!

That is different to what Tiscali India told me yesterday, they have been saying all along (for 13 days) that we have broadband!

There is something seriously defective with the process or communication between Tiscali India / Tiscali UK / BT UK. And the people that suffer are the customers.

If when I get home my broadband connection is working as it should, I will be asking Tiscali for a credit for the time I have been offline and a refund for the cost of all the calls to them about 15 to 20 in all!

I also think I will be looking to change my ISP in due course. I am wondering if BT may be better as I would then at least be dealing ONLY with BT, rather than an ISP and BT.

Everybodies thoughts on that welcomed.

However, ComputerActive stated recently that the smaller ISPs scored highest in cust. service survey? Madasafish was one?

Can't wait to get home and try it!

I also hope that my wife hasn't run off with the BT engineer! God, there's always something!



NiteRider,

The only UK Tiscali customer service that I'm aware of only deal with billing and sales and cannot and will not deal with tech probs. Happy to give you good customer service when they want to sell you something or take money from you but once they've got your money, then it's off the Bombay with you!

Thanks, ashleybones. While my experience is not as bad as yours, I too will be asking Tiscali for a refund for down time and phone calls.

I had read somewhere, perhaps on The Scream, that there was some sort of Tech support in England, poss Milton Keynes.

Has anyone else heard of this? Failing that, is there a Complaints no which is UK-based? Probably unlikely, I know, but I have to ask

Just arrived home and we have a broadband connection!!!!!!

Spoken to my wife and she says that the BT (Wholesale) engineer stated that the broadband equipment at the exchange was faulty and disconnected.

Funny that! That is what the first BT engineer told me to tell Tiscali 2 weeks ago tomorrow!

But it has taken Tiscali 13 days to find it out for themselves and then only as a result of me shouting and screaming at them. Otherwise I believe I would have been disconnected indefinitely as their so called 'tests' continued to show that our broadband connection was OK.

What utter incompetence!


NiteRider,

Tiscali are based at Milton Keynes. I would assume that is where their tech people are really based (as opposed to the cheap labour they employ in India to answer the phones and read from pathetic 'crib' sheets) but I don't think you can speak to them there about tech issues.

Once they have our money they leave us in the hands of the third world

13 days is way too long,.

it's annoying but a fact that with ISPs you don't really find out how good they are until something goes wrong,. tiscali consistantly fails when you need them to do something,. at least that is my experiance..

glad you got it sorted

Sil

PS, did BT do something to fix it or did you need to contact tiscali to replace something in the exchange?

When Tiscali finally accepted that we STILL did not have a connection after they sent their first engineer, they ordered BT to attend again.

This time I don't think my wife would have let the bloke out of the house had he not fixed it.

He came to our home and tested the line and said "no broadband here". He went to the exchange and said "no broadband here - it's disconnected 'cause it's faulty". He mended it and returned to my home and said "you have broadband again!"

Now, having spoken to my wife, we are not sure whether he (or the last one) were from BT Wholesale or Retail. But, what is certain is that I told Tiscali on Thursday 14th that the BT engineer had just been to our house and told us that "The fault on your line is caused by faulty broadband equipment at the exchange".

After 13 days the 3rd BT engineer (one following my original report to BT that we had a line fault, and the 2nd and 3rd sent by Tiscali) came today and said......

"The fault on your line was caused by faulty broadband equipment at the exchange".

Cutting edge technology or what?

Glad to hear you got sorted, ashleybones.

My connection is still down, thats 6 days now. I was told on Monday I would receive a telephone call within 48 hours. Well, that didnt happen. I will be kicking up a stink. Seems to only way to get anything done.

Connected again !! No telephone call but I have been trying the PC each day on the off-chance.

I have been waiting since Dec 2006 for my upgrade from 1MBit to 8MBit, still stuck on 1 MBit, they say its me, lol. I love surfing real slow, it's a skill!

Well, a man from Tiscali phoned the day after we got re-connected. He was a service engineer from Milton Keynes. Very nice man who understood everything I said to him and was astounded at the problems I'd had. He said "But you told the call centre what the problem was the first day you reported the fault!?" I replied "I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

I explained that I believe the problem was/is:

1) The call centre in India are unwilling to go 'outside' of the scripted sheets they work from, so if the problem is not on their list they simply pick the solution to a different problem!
2) The call centre in India is not communicating properly with Tiscali in UK and/or BT.
3) BT may well have dragged their feet a bit.

He appologised and gave me a refund for the time off-line and a bit extra for all the calls I had to make.

But he also gave me the number of the UK call centre and told me how to contact them direct if I ever get any more problems!

So, no more India call centres for me!

We even got a call from India the following day to check that we were back on-line.

Customer service!

If anyone has a problem connecting to webpages using Tiscali as their ISP, this may help.

The reason is that Tiscali has Internet Access Servers in Milton Keynes that has an internetwork of DNS servers. These DNS servers are connected worldwide with other DNS servers. The webmasters have updated their DNS address, however this has not been updated with Tiscali's MK DNS servers. So when you type the desired website, their network of DNS servers is not able to resolve the query and consequently does not resolve the IP address. This gives a blank page or an error that 'page cannot be found' or 'DNS error'.

You need to manually configure the DNS settings on your computer, so that website servers can be reached:

1. Double click the icon which will have two computers overlapping each other on the right hand side bottom of your computer screen.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Networking Tab.
4. Highlight the Internet Protocol and click Properties.
5. Choose 'Use the following DNS ServerAddress' and enter the following

Preferred: 212.74.112.66
Alternate: 212.74.112.67

6. Click OK -> OK and close the status window.
7. Disconnect from Internet and reconnect again OR restart the computer.

Alternatively, login to your router and under the basic settings change the Domain Name Server (DNS) Address.

I hope this helps someone as it was a week before I found out about the problem.

Don't bother calling the Tiscali helpline it is a waste of time, email them for help and you may get a better response.

I have had problems with Tiscali now this is my attitude, my e mails and phone calls where ignored, issues were written off as delt with and the answers I got had nothing to do with the problems. if it doesnt work report it once, then its their responsibility if they ignore it let them take you to court for non payment thats it: dont argue with them their problems are their business, now if they call me up im sorry to say this im just not interested
a contract is just a con trick and its about time the Law in England was more fair, I contacted the ISPA 4 times and got a robot type automated reply and that was all ? I dont know ?
now I dont bother if it goes wrong one
e mail : if it doesnt work dont pay them for services not received and let a judge sort them out.
you actually get more results posting on here, when my contract is up so are they, and their crap newsgroup services

If you get lonely or you suffer from depression, and you need someone to talk to ..... or they just let you out for the day

Well heres something interesting we all keep reading about Tiscali complaints
ok so I called virgin media public telephone number 0800 952 8027 and said
im interested in Broadband .... the man said ok how can we help I asked
" how many newsgroups does virgin support" answer "what are news groups ?" he passes me on to another " der what are news groups try calling 0906 ,,,,, " so I thought how can life be this simple ? in fact very simple
( English Call Centre )

In fact Virgin Managers are actually spending cash on wages, for what they do not know,

Well progress is these days when you call Tiscali customer services it is not completly useless.

it is getting better
ps digital does not mean brain cells switch off then on again

To anyone thinking of moving onto BT broadband, out of a hope that they have a direct line to BT wholesale, I wouldn't chance it. Recent calls at a high level with BT corporate suggest that OfCom and anti-competition legislation puts BT broadband firmly at the bottom of the pile when it comes to dealing with BT wholesale (the people in charge of provisioning).

Basically, all ISP's are c**p by the sounds of it!

This is so similar to our problems.

Two weeks ago our phones went haywire - constant ringing, no dial tone etc. BT called 2 days later to check the line. After 9 days on the issue, BT support told us that Tiscali's 'mapping software' to the exchange is screwing our phone line. They said Tiscali had been given 48 hours to sort out the issue but had gotten no response at all. The only remedy was to switch us over to a none broadband line so at least we'll have the phone back online.

BT have closed the case and it's now all up to Tiscali.

The Tiscali support folks in India are saying our case has high priority, by that was 7 days ago. We've had no contact from Tiscali despite constant promises that second-level support will keep us informed. We cant get any reassurance that things are moving along.

I'm currently using an awful 48k 1p per-minute dial-up access account (with BT) to just retrieve email. As I run my business on the net, this is incredibly problematic on several levels.

So in summery:

9 days no phone.
7 days no broadband.
16 days no contact from Tiscali.

Well, a man from Tiscali phoned the day after we got re-connected. He was a service engineer from Milton Keynes. Very nice man who understood everything I said to him and was astounded at the problems I'd had. He said "But you told the call centre what the problem was the first day you reported the fault!?" I replied "I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

I explained that I believe the problem was/is:

1) The call centre in India are unwilling to go 'outside' of the scripted sheets they work from, so if the problem is not on their list they simply pick the solution to a different problem!
2) The call centre in India is not communicating properly with Tiscali in UK and/or BT.
3) BT may well have dragged their feet a bit.

He appologised and gave me a refund for the time off-line and a bit extra for all the calls I had to make.

But he also gave me the number of the UK call centre and told me how to contact them direct if I ever get any more problems!

So, no more India call centres for me!

We even got a call from India the following day to check that we were back on-line.

Customer service!

Originally Posted by ashleybones

Dear Ashleybones,

I have the same problem as you had, and totally dissapointed with Tiscali/india tech people...

Please could you gave me the Tiscali UK call centre number that the service engineer gave you.

Many Thanks...
Angerman

Dear Ashleybones (and everyone else who has suffered / is suffering at the incompetency of Tiscali)

I am experiencing the same dire problems.

Can you please post the number for the Uk call centre.

I have ammended my letter of complaint to the chief exec and the regulators after reading the appalling , shared experiences on this forum.

Cheers

Al

Ashley - your experience is pretty much identical to mine. I had the same problem with my line, which required bypassing Tiscali's faulty equipment at the exchange.

Obviously I told Tiscali exactly what the problem was, and how it could be fixed. My experience with the call centre was just as bad as yours; I was hung up on multiple times, told incorrect information, told complete lies, given several deadlines the problem would be resolved by (all of which passed without that happening), had several of my calls not even logged, promised calls would be returned (I didn't receive a single call), mails would be replied to (they weren't) etc etc. It was genuinely the worst customer experience I have ever had.

After 4 weeks of being offline, and with not one bit of progress being made, I told Tiscali (twice) they were clearly in breach of their terms and conditions, so I was terminating the contract. I then arranged to swap over to another ISP. 2 weeks later, having successfully migrated, I received my one and only phone call from Tiscali - telling me they'd now solved my problem so I should be able to get back online! Amazing.

Four or five months later, and I've just received a letter from a debt collection agency attempting to get me to pay up the £50 that would have been due had I left early and they hadn't been in breach. Unbelievable. Clearly I'm not paying, but grief - I've wasted enough of my life dealing with these morons.

My impression of their call centre was that they firstly they didn't have a clue what they were talking about, and secondly they'd just tell you whatever they thought you wanted to hear to get you off the phone ASAP. And if that didn't work, they'd simply hang up.

I also noticed that everyone at the call centre seemed to give the same name - Ali, IIRC. Which made me deeply suspicious that they were doing so to avoid any comeback.

I would sooner go without the internet than go back to Tiscali; they're absolutely, utterly awful. Far and away the worst company I have ever dealt with.

I'll be honest, I'll hang up on Customers.

I get paid to do a job to the best of my ability, with the resources I have available to me.

If someone comes on my phone shouting at me, swearing at me, not listening to me, I won't help them, I'll get them off the phone as fast as I can, if that means hanging up on the customer then I will !

Treat the person at the other end of the phone with a bit of half decent respect and I know myself personally, I will do my best for that customer, I've started arguments with management before, and even the person that deals with Tiscali outsorcing, THE CLIENT, in order to satisfy my customer. Because they listen to me and I give them the same amount of respect back, yes we are here to do a job, but at the same time, we're not f'kin monkeys.

Use common sense, if someone shouts and bawls at you on the phone, your just going to go, who the hell does this prick think he/she is, **** them!

And sarcastic wee comments as well during convesations does not help either when your trying to do your job.

It seems like I’m not the only person who’s been having problems with Tiscali! See below my email to Tiscali (sent from work as I still don’t have the internet at home). Not expecting a reply though…


Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to inform you of my absolute disgust at the service (or lack thereof) provided by Tiscali. Firstly, Tiscali has completely failed to provide my partner and I with the internet, which we require the use of for our jobs. Secondly, we feel that the level of customer care that we have received has been abysmal. (I use italics to express the sarcasm that I feel when I link the words ‘Tiscali’, ‘customer’, and ‘care’ together). We moved house on the 1st September 2007, and since then have been involved in a battle involving numerous phone calls just to have our Broadband service transferred (we have, thus far, failed). For the past six weeks we have been fed a series of lies and inaccuracies by the so-called technical team, who seem to lack the basic skills needed to resolve our case with any degree of professionalism. The past three Wednesday evenings have involved both my partner and myself spending up to, and on occasion over one hour, trying to convince the technical team that they should, perhaps, try to reconnect our broadband. On each occasion we have been promised (or lied to, depending on the vocabulary that you wish to employ) that our internet would be connected within seven days. Coincidentally, I have just spent my fourth Wednesday in a row on the phone to the technical team. He has promised me that the internet will be ready, yes you guessed it, within seven days. I’m not even sure this week that the supervisor I spoke to even believed this, or whether he just wanted to get me off the phone. We are also extremely dissatisfied as three weeks ago, when we started to become aware of the level of incompetence concerning our case, we asked to be kept informed of any developments, or lack thereof. We have been promised by three supervisors (Mathew, Eric and Michael) that they would contact us if we not connected within the seven days repeatedly promised. Matthew promised on the 3rd of October to contact us by the 6th October if our case were not resolved. Obviously, I am still waiting for his call. We have been told that our lack of Broadband has been the fault of BT for not ‘pressing a button’, that it is a ‘system error’, and that our area ‘does not have broadband’. Funnily enough the previously occupant of our house did have broadband. We have received no excuses for the lack of customer care. Presumably they could not think of any suitable reasons on the spot. Should you wish to review our case you will have to do so under our old phone number as despite our repeated calls (we lost count at 33, that was three weeks ago) Tiscali has failed to even input our new number into its systems. The old phone number was 01189xxxxx. Should you wish to check under our new number, it is 01628 xxxxx, although I would fear it would prove to be a waste of time (as with most of my dealings with Tiscali). You will find under our case notes that we were moved to our current position as a ‘priority case’ three weeks ago. I find this somewhat alarming and it leaves me pondering the question as to what happens to those poor individuals who are left as an ordinary customer. Do they ever get their Broadband connected? Further, your billings department has had the audacity to charge us for the period spent without the internet. Despite our repeated requests, they have failed to both refund this and to provide us with £20 promised two weeks ago to compensate for the amount spent on phone calls. I have no faith in Tiscali, and sincerely doubt that this will even render a response, however should you wish to rectify the many issues raised then please do so on the above phone number, or on my mobile number: 079xxxxxx. I would invite you to email, but obviously, you have not provided us with the means to do so. You have failed to provide us with the internet, but more importantly, you have completely failed in your care of us, the customers. Our treatment has been at best reprehensible.
Please note that I have also sent a copy of this letter to Watchdog. I will be keeping them informed of any developments regarding the case.

Yours Sincerely,

Further, your billings department has had the audacity to charge us for the period spent without the internet. Despite our repeated requests, they have failed to both refund this and to provide us with £20 promised two weeks ago to compensate for the amount spent on phone calls.

Yours Sincerely,

Originally Posted by bda

The bills are automatically generated.

When you call the billing department, we will work out the dates, using the usage of your internet to see how much of a refund you are due, and then we will send all that information on to our Finance and Admin department at Milton Keynes who would then credit your account or if your account has been cancelled with ourselves, issue a cheque.

It takes 5 working days for a response from the Milton Keynes department, and then a further 28 days for the cheque or credit memo to be issued.

However due to the problems you are having transfering, I bet if you cancelled your account and signed up with your new number you wouldn't have a problem. Your better off just cancelling and moving to another provider.

Tam, thanks for your post. To be honest I suspected as much with regards to it being automated it’s just a bit of a ‘kick in the teeth’ seeing the money go out of my account despite the lack of internet!
In my experience the billings department (based in Scotland?) have always been helpful and very pleasant and as long as I do eventually get the money back for the time I didn’t have service (+ the £20 as promised) then I’ll have no complaints about the billings side of things.

It’s the ‘technical’ team that seem extremely incompetent and have no people skills and don’t seem to have any accountability.

Tam, thanks for your post. To be honest I suspected as much with regards to it being automated it’s just a bit of a ‘kick in the teeth’ seeing the money go out of my account despite the lack of internet!
In my experience the billings department (based in Scotland?) have always been helpful and very pleasant and as long as I do eventually get the money back for the time I didn’t have service (+ the £20 as promised) then I’ll have no complaints about the billings side of things.

It’s the ‘technical’ team that seem extremely incompetent and have no people skills and don’t seem to have any accountability.

Originally Posted by bda

The Technical team are all just reading from a script on the system and a diagnosis system. Thats why they ask all the same questions when they call up.

The reason we don't give you a refund right away is just so that we know how long we need to credit in total, instead of you having to call up every week to add more and more credit onto the account for lack of services and also more requests being sent to MK finance.

The Technical team are all just reading from a script on the system and a diagnosis system. Thats why they ask all the same questions when they call up.

The reason we don't give you a refund right away is just so that we know how long we need to credit in total, instead of you having to call up every week to add more and more credit onto the account for lack of services and also more requests being sent to MK finance.

Originally Posted by Tam

Tam,

Im sorry i dont know what time you have spent with the technical team or at what technical level you are at. But its not so much a script but a set diagnostics that must be taken.. this is dependendent on each different type of fault. but often a customer will go through this diagnostic process several times to locate the problem..

This is perfectly normal. Often the problem will not be highlighted the first time round. this could either be down to the person providing the support and often also down to the customer not providing all the information or not following the steps given.

Thanks

Andy

I don't work in Technical, What I meant by script was the diagnosis tool.

I have just posted a reply which starts and inadvdertently put in my e mail address instead of username. Please do not print that address.

I have just read the comments by other unhappy users of Tiscali and I have to say that I agree with each and everyone, having been without broadband now for some 3 months; despite numerous futile phone calls (when I could get through) to extremely irritating Indians on the other end who are completely disintered and just pass the buck. I have now cancelled my DD and found another supplier, but am endeavouring to claw back the money tiscali owe me for "services not received". They are the worst, most frustrating, ignorant company I have ever dealt with in my entire life; not even having the courtesy to acknowledge my letter of complaint. However, I intend to pursue the matter to the bitter end, whatever that may be.