UK Broadband ISP Complaints Advice

Welcome to the UK Broadband ISP Complaints section, which contains detailed information and advice on the problems consumers often experience with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and how to get them solved. To make life easier for our readers we’ve also split this section up into five common sense categories and ordered everything by priority. Please take careful account of each.

Complaint Topics
Common ISP Complaints and Advice
Sadly some problems are more common than others and as a result of this we have summarised a shortlist of the most frustratingly serious and frequently experienced complaints by consumers. Most of these situations will require a complaint (if the ISP does not resolve them) and it is advisable to pursue the proper ‘Official ISP Complaint Handlers and Procedures’ first.
1. Difficulty Gaining a Broadband Migration Authorisation Code (MAC).
    CLICK HERE READ

2. Tag on Line (Broadband Connection Ownership Conflict).

Tag on Line is an issue that can occur for consumers who are buying broadband for the first time or have just moved into a new property. Consumers may be advised by their ISP that there is a ‘tag on the line’ and that it will need to be removed before the new order can be progressed, regardless of whether or not you have a migration code (MAC). In some instances, your new broadband provider may need your help. This may require you to contact your old provider or arrange for an incompatible product (not necessarily related to an internet service) to be removed from your line.

Tags can occur for a variety of different reasons and, in the majority of cases, the new ISP is best placed to investigate and fix the underlying cause of the Tag, on the consumer’s behalf and, if necessary, liaise directly with BT Wholesale/Openreach to have the Tag removed (normally completed in 10 working days, but many are often fixed within 24 hours). The name, address and alternative contact number of the end user should be provided. Under Ofcom’s regulations, broadband providers must do all they can to help customers switch.

Tag’s usually occur due to an error by the previous home owner (didn’t cancel their broadband service properly) or ISP (service goes bankrupt etc.), which fails to remove a marker that identifies a specific service as having control of the connection. If your new provider is unwilling to investigate the reasons for the tag, you may wish to consider an alternative ISP.

3. Slamming (Mis-Selling).
    CLICK HERE TO READ

4. Serious and Persistent Declines in Broadband Speed.
    CLICK HERE TO READ

5. Frequent and Lengthy Broadband Connection Problems.
    CLICK HERE TO READ

6. Billing and Cancellation Errors.
    CLICK HERE TO READ

7. Unreachable Customer Support Departments.
    CLICK HERE TO READ

8. Lengthy Critical Service (Email, Website Browsing etc.) Outages.
    CLICK HERE TO READ

Comments page 10 of 10
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Alex Perry
Posted 17 days ago
My moan (maybe comments should be renamed - people are rarely motivated to write comments when they get good service) is about PlusNet - with whom I have just canceled my service.

I have been using an ISP called Metronet for several years without any major problems. Metronet had been purchases by PlusNet but this did not seem to affect my service.

Just before Christmas I received an email notifying me that they were "upgrading" my service from "up to 8MB" to "up to 20MB" which you would think was a good thing.

Unfortunately this upgrade did not work well - my connection had been stable at approx 3MB DSL downstream for the past couple of years (I am in a rural area and not close to the exchange).

I'm sure that no-one is really interested in the gory details of what went wrong (initially consistently slow speeds and then total failure of connection - to reconnect everything had to be switched off for at least 65 minutes at which point it would work for about an hour then fail again).

The real problem I had was the lack of interest in solving the problem. After a month with several phone calls (don't you just love waiting in a queue listening to "Is this the way to Amarillo") and at least 20 web-mails (sent using a connection over a mobile connection) the problem still exists.

Their entire "fault handling" proceedure seemed designed to "make me go away" rather than to help resolve faults. I accept that problems are often in home wiring, with the microfilter, with the router etc however when these have all been checked (several times) continually answering emails with, and I quote:-

"If you can confirm that your are connected to the test socket (located behind the master socket faceplate) and have changed the microfilter, then we can raise a fault for you.

Please note; if an Engineer visits your premises and the fault is found to be caused by your equipment, internal wiring or as a result of damage to BT equipment a charge of £60 will apply"

just makes me really, really annoyed.

Anyway eventually I've just given up and cancelled my direct debit - just was annoyed enough to write this in the (probably futile) hope that someone will read it and decide to use a different ISP rather than PlusNet.
Stephen
Posted 28 days ago
I buy my website from a UK company called Clikpic, they also acted as 3rd party to sell me the domain name to which it is pointed. At the beginning of this week, with 10 days left to run on my Domain name contract with them (2 years) I decided to change to another provider, based in Ireland (where I live) and whose fees are about 60% less. The domain name transfer can take up to 10 days to complete, I'm told, but the original provider Clikpic have stopped pointing my domain at the website, and it has now been down for 4 days. I was not told that this would happened and I have piad for it until 16th January. Is this illegal? and can anyone suggest how I might complain?
marie smith
Posted 43 days ago
when filling in document to request forgotten password or reset. my email is not recognised!!
Paddy
Posted 84 days ago
How can I contact the technical services department of Talk-Talk. I get told by 'customer services' (a real misnomer!) that I am being put through, wait for for two minutes, then the call is terminated. Very clever. I ring again, same thing. I am beginning to wonder if there is a Technical Services department. Appalling. How do they get awards for their service? Meanwhile anyone got a numer for Talk-Talk that reaches their Tech Dep
Stuart
Posted 85 days ago
TALK TALK - DON'T BE SEDUCED BY THEIR GOOD LOOKING DEALS. Their broadband service stinks: punishingly slow speed / as intermittent service and not just at busy times. Having complained several times within the 30 day cancellation period, I was induced to stay: "We'll fix it. Give us 28 days. If not, you can leave without penalty". ALL A PACK OF LIES. Despite making all the changes and checks they've asked for there's no real improvement of service. And if I want to leave, PAY UP. And if I want to challenge them, my only choice: write in with copies of my passport / utility bills / birth certificate, pay a hefty admin fee and I can get a copy of my complaint calls to them and then challenge them. I used to have a life.
Reg
Posted 91 days ago
I have just handed my 30 day notice in to VIRGIN MEDIA, and switched to o2 after being left without Internet for 2 weeks now without any end in sight.

My problem was simple, I have a faulty modem which required replacing. I let Virgin Media know two weeks ago and they agreed to send out an engineer three days later. This is quite a long time to wait without Internet, but I had no choice. I then received a call two days later saying there was a fault in the local area and that my engineer was cancelled.

I called them again to rebook, and they told me that local area faults automatically cancel your engineer, even though my faultly modem had nothing to do with this issue.

Two weeks later, I've now had to rebook my engineer 4 times, and each of those four engineers have been cancelled. I'm now currently waiting for my fifth to be sent out, but I suspect this will likely be cancelled also.

This is a ridiculous policy of theirs, and as there was no hope for me to ever get an engineer I have now switched. This is EXTREMELY poor customer service from Virgin Media. They even went as far as promising me my next engineer would not be cancelled, only for it to happen days later. When asked about why it was cancelled (despite a note being left for this to specifically NOT happen) they simply said.. "I don't know who said that but that's wrong, we don't have a record of that".

This is simply unacceptable. I sincerely hope noone else goes through what I have. I have called them on fifteen seperate occassions over the last week, waiting 15 minutes each time while I was on hold, only to rebook engineers that get cancelled days later.

Most people on Virgin Media who have not had any issues (which I hear are very few) are likely to be unaware of just how poor their customer service is, unless they're own modem fails and they go through what I have.

Their Indian call centres are also just as shambolic as their UK ones (99% of the time, you will be put through to an Indian call centre). The UK team manager Victoria Holland was just as unhelpful as the other 'managers'. Appalling service.

Virgin Media are a poor ISP, I would NEVER recommend them to anyone else.
Roy Millington
Posted 199 days ago
At the end of 2010 my wife and daughter signed up for Sky TV Broadband and telephone. At that time I went ape, I dont do sport so sky was of no use to me. Hell!! Freeview is enough of a waste of time to keep any families index fingers busy. Quantity no quality. Now the broadband has been nothing to write home about, with dl readings as low as 0.025mbps the only time I have seen above 9mb was whilst on the line to their engineers. As soon as the job is signed off the standard of service reverts back to the lower mbps mostly around 3mbps down to 0.25. Now this week they found a cable in the exchange that was not good enough to carry more than 2.5mbps. This was quoted to me by a guy from open reach engineers, they replaced it and he said within the next 3 days we should be reaching download speeds of between 9 - 11 mbps. He was telling porkies that was 3 days gone and we are trickling at 0.25 that was the last check I could do and now it is timing out at 0.34mbps. I am totally "xxxxxd off" I do believe that we should be given a refund for all our broadband charges, who do I speak to?
 

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