[Woodywizz]

I changed my ISP from Tiscali to Talk Talk in Feb of this year.....all went well until I started receiving calls from Tiscali in April saying I had not made payments since February. I explained that I had changed ISP, they said they had no record of it....I sent them a copy of my 'go live' letter from Talk Talk. Didnt hear anything for a month or so then had another call from Tiscali saying that I had not made payments - yet again I sent them confirmation of my go live date from Talk Talk.

Today I have received a letter from a debt collection agency stating that they will send the bailiffs round within 7 days if I do not pay Tiscali the amount they allege is owed. Now, there is no way I am paying Tiscali anything when I have not been with them since Feb, and I know it will be a nightmare reclaiming the money after the event - what would you do???

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

I changed my ISP from Tiscali to Talk Talk in Feb of this year.....all went well until I started receiving calls from Tiscali in April saying I had not made payments since February. I explained that I had changed ISP, they said they had no record of it....I sent them a copy of my 'go live' letter from Talk Talk. Didnt hear anything for a month or so then had another call from Tiscali saying that I had not made payments - yet again I sent them confirmation of my go live date from Talk Talk.

Today I have received a letter from a debt collection agency stating that they will send the bailiffs round within 7 days if I do not pay Tiscali the amount they allege is owed. Now, there is no way I am paying Tiscali anything when I have not been with them since Feb, and I know it will be a nightmare reclaiming the money after the event - what would you do???

Did they issue you with a migration code that you had to give to Tiscali or anything like that?
That could be used as proof perhaps.

A bailiff can turn up, you do not have to let them in, unless they've got a charge on your property or it's council tax, anything else they're not allowed to enter your property.

Scare tactics.

As far as I know, maybe someone else can clarify the matter?

[Mr Incredible]

Matt, speak with Talk Talk, they bought Tiscali recently!
Talk Talk confirms Tiscali UK acquisition | SeekBroadband

You could ask them to provide proof of your time online using their service. I think for security issues ISPs have to keep 12 months stats on each of their customers accounts usage (not content).

[Mr Incredible]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Did they issue you with a migration code that you had to give to Tiscali or anything like that?
That could be used as proof perhaps.

A bailiff can turn up, you do not have to let them in, unless they've got a charge on your property or it's council tax, anything else they're not allowed to enter your property.

Scare tactics.

As far as I know, maybe someone else can clarify the matter?

You can request a Mac and if you haven't swapped ISP in a month it expires. It doesn't mean you actually swapped.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Mr Incredible

You can request a Mac and if you haven't swapped ISP in a month it expires. It doesn't mean you actually swapped.

Surely they can tell if it has been used, otherwise what use does it serve

[Orson]

Pure scare tactics.

A bailiff can't just turn up and take your goods, that would be theft.
For them to do it, they would have to have a court judgment against you, which I'm presuming you'd know about if they had.

Write back again, and obviously, keep copies of all your correspondence.

[Woodywizz]

Originally Posted by Mr Incredible

Matt, speak with Talk Talk, they bought Tiscali recently!
Talk Talk confirms Tiscali UK acquisition | SeekBroadband

You could ask them to provide proof of your time online using their service. I think for security issues ISPs have to keep 12 months stats on each of their customers accounts usage (not content).

Cheers Bob...I will ring Talk Talk in the morning

[whatsupdoc]

Exactly what I was going to say, Orson!

These collection companies use some very dodgy tactics to try and frighten people into paying. Bailiffs are only appointed by the Court, they don't freelance.

[Perceval]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

Cheers Bob...I will ring Talk Talk in the morning

Check your credit report with Experian, you may well find they have given a negative report against you.

This has happened to a couple of friends who were in the same situation.

[Mr Incredible]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Surely they can tell if it has been used, otherwise what use does it serve

You would have thought so. But if they think Matt owes them money, their system must still have the Mac address assigned to them, in error of course.

[Steven]

Unless you are relying upon your new provider to do it for you, you should always send an email or letter via recorded delivery requesting the end of your service by the minimum period of notice provided for by the contract

My friend who went to NZ for a year abroad studying had this trouble from Sky. He ended up paying the month and then they "let him off" a new 12 month contract

A mac address is meaningless right now. Best bet right now is to play the parent-subsidiary card to get off the bill

[pixelpixel]

Do you have in some form of writing from Tiscali that the service is due to stop ?

[Knyght_byte]

Did you go from LLX to LLLU broadband? If you did then, as far as I remember, Tiscali have the right to keep charging you if you did not provide them with termination notice for the contract.

If you went from LLX to LLX then Tiscali should have gotten a termination request from Talk Talk due to the MAC code which counts as your having given notice and they should have sent out 'sorry your leaving' letters.

Even if you are out of the fixed term part of a contract, you are still in a contract and generally have to give notice somehow, with broadband it depends on what type you are on and going to generally as to how that notice needs to be given iirc, as per my two previous paragraphs.

I'll double check what I've said when I get to work though (I work in the energy department but know some lovely ladies in the telephony department that will know the industry rules in this matter that apply to all suppliers), just to be sure...lol

[sleaver]

Tiscalli did the same to me, I moved to Sky and they keeped billing me!

After a rather strongly worded phone call they credited all charges and closed the account!

I was under the impression that asking for your MAC code and using it that serves as your notice period!

[Hitby]

doh - forget it I'm in the wrong thread

[Woodywizz]

Update : Phoned Talk Talk this morning who gave me the usual - "Well, we are still 2 separate brands, you need to speak to them...blah blah blah". I then phoned Tiscali and the lad in customer services said he could see I had phoned several times in the last few months and agreed to cancel the account and wipe the outstanding charge, though he had to put me through to billing. Went through to billing and they refused to honour what he had said, I spoke to 2 managers there and was getting increasingly irate. Rather than ruin my day I paid the outstanding amount and will now try to claim it back from them. Indeed, I have just found a letter from Tiscali dated the 20th January which states that they have been informed that I am switching ISP.....wish I had found this before I rang them.

I will never deal with Tiscali again....the useless *****

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

Indeed, I have just found a letter from Tiscali dated the 20th January which states that they have been informed that I am switching ISP.....wish I had found this before I rang them.

Now you can send a copy of it to them asking for your money back, recompense for the calls and wasted time you had to make to sort out their error, interest on the money, and £250 million for mental anguish.



Dave

[Steven]

Originally Posted by sleaver

I was under the impression that asking for your MAC code and using it that serves as your notice period!

That should not be presumed because after all you can equally not make use of a mac code. Otherwise the corollary could be argued. You change your mind and want to stay but you get kicked off anyway and have a bill for the outstanding contract

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

That should not be presumed because after all you can equally not make use of a mac code. Otherwise the corollary could be argued. You change your mind and want to stay but you get kicked off anyway and have a bill for the outstanding contract

Did he not say asking for and using the MAC code though?

Not just asking for it?

I understand asking for it doesn't count, but using it surely should?

[darkcloud2011]

i hope you get your dosh back mate seams a right carry on. good luck there

[Knyght_byte]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

Update : Phoned Talk Talk this morning who gave me the usual - "Well, we are still 2 separate brands, you need to speak to them...blah blah blah". I then phoned Tiscali and the lad in customer services said he could see I had phoned several times in the last few months and agreed to cancel the account and wipe the outstanding charge, though he had to put me through to billing. Went through to billing and they refused to honour what he had said, I spoke to 2 managers there and was getting increasingly irate. Rather than ruin my day I paid the outstanding amount and will now try to claim it back from them. Indeed, I have just found a letter from Tiscali dated the 20th January which states that they have been informed that I am switching ISP.....wish I had found this before I rang them.

I will never deal with Tiscali again....the useless *****

well, you can definitely get compensation from them then, all correspondence a company issues MUST be logged on the system.

I generally dont agree with compensation but if two managers cant find the letter on the system then they deserve to cough up.

Write to them (dont email), photocopy their letter and enclose it, address it to the Director of Customer Services and demand they send the refund to you within a two week period along with a reply and apology or you will report them to the ombudsman, dont forget to send it recorded delivery and fax (if you can). Dont forget to mention you want compensation and not just the refund.

[krish]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

Update : Phoned Talk Talk this morning who gave me the usual - "Well, we are still 2 separate brands, you need to speak to them...blah blah blah". I then phoned Tiscali and the lad in customer services said he could see I had phoned several times in the last few months and agreed to cancel the account and wipe the outstanding charge, though he had to put me through to billing. Went through to billing and they refused to honour what he had said, I spoke to 2 managers there and was getting increasingly irate. Rather than ruin my day I paid the outstanding amount and will now try to claim it back from them. Indeed, I have just found a letter from Tiscali dated the 20th January which states that they have been informed that I am switching ISP.....wish I had found this before I rang them.

I will never deal with Tiscali again....the useless *****

might be worth trying Dunstone's email address to speed things up Matt ...

Carphone Warehouse Group / Talk Talk Charles Dunstone, Chief Executive dunstoc@cpwplc.com

- from CEO e-mail addresses - CEO email address - chief executive officer - managing director

A friend of mine's had similar probs going from Virgin to BT
- matter was swiftly dealt with after using the CEO email address, and received several months refund for the inconvenience

[Pincho Paxton]

Originally Posted by Woodywizz

I changed my ISP from Tiscali to Talk Talk in Feb of this year.....all went well until I started receiving calls from Tiscali in April saying I had not made payments since February. I explained that I had changed ISP, they said they had no record of it....I sent them a copy of my 'go live' letter from Talk Talk. Didnt hear anything for a month or so then had another call from Tiscali saying that I had not made payments - yet again I sent them confirmation of my go live date from Talk Talk.

Today I have received a letter from a debt collection agency stating that they will send the bailiffs round within 7 days if I do not pay Tiscali the amount they allege is owed. Now, there is no way I am paying Tiscali anything when I have not been with them since Feb, and I know it will be a nightmare reclaiming the money after the event - what would you do???

I had this problem for about a year as well. Sorted it out eventually. Virgin were supposed to inform Tiscali that I had switched to them, but didn't. I also had BT claiming off me as well. Then Virgin found out that they couldn't even install Virgin in my home, and I had to change to AOL instead. Then Virgin kept billing me for a year, and I didn't even have a Virgin cable fitted in my home, but Virgin said that they were getting a signal! 4 years later, and Virgin managed to fit the cable.

[Geeders]

I've just had a similar situation with AOL - I left in April for O2, and cancelled my direct debit once it had all changed over.

I received a message yesterday that i owed them money for the past couple of months - luckily a quick phone call sorted it all out and they admitted it was an error on their part and i didnt owe them anything.

If i hadnt cancelled the DD, then i'm guessing they would have continued to try to take money - looks like all ISP have difficulty in accepting contracts ending