TH can now say "I told you so" or BEWARE TWISTCALI

Some of you will remember the ancient discussions we had regarding Tiscali's
inability to *not* take money from CC accounts. Or to never seem to get it
quite right. Didn't I use to stick up for Twistcali in those days?

Jackie...

Sorry you had problems with them FN, I always make sure I check my monthly
bills with them,
but as you say they have your address and phone number why didn't they
contact you???

Anyhow I changed from Tiscali 256 Kbps to Plusnet 2Mbps BB back in the
Autumn of 2004. Unbelievably Tiscali took their final payment of £19-99
from my CC account in September and didn't take another one after that.
Today I had a letter from a Debt Collection Service company called
Frederickson International Ltd. In it they state,

We are instructed by Tiscali UK Limited to collect the above debt which is
now seriously overdue.
You have failed to pay the balance of £46-43 which remains outstanding
despite previous repeated requests for payment. Our client now requires
payment in full to avoid further action.

YOU MUST CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY ON 0870 4215456 to discuss the matter
further

Rabbit...

And when did you CC change? Before September ?

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

No idea. I actually got a new card in January 2005, but that was because
BOS Mastercard was taken over by MBNA. I do think that The BOS card did
change shortly before January, but that doesn't excuse them trying to
contact me snailmail does it.

Rabbit...

Or even why they couldn't have given you a phone call if they were unable to
collect the September payment. They certainly did have your phone number.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

And my home address, since it was them who gave both to the debt collection
agency.

Rabbit...

Not very professional sounding.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Exactly

Now my credit card was changed in January 2005, so it is possible that
after 4 months of not trying to debit that account they started again -
there's no way I would know that. But since they had my telephone number
and home address - both of which are unchanged, wouldn't you have thought
that some attempt to contact me through one or both of those would have been
made first?

Anyhow for those of you who are currently with Tiscali (you may wish to
change from them at a future date) and any who are contemplating joining
Tiscali - BEWARE.

I have written - I'm not going to waste time and money - 'holding on'
through their 'phone system - requesting itemised details of what exactly

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

I suspect that they are trying to get me to pay for about 2.3 months worth
of connection when I wasn't using it. Mind you, you'd have thought that
they would have debited my CC account within 3 months of the account
termination, wouldn't you?

shaz...

If you have no joy Computeractive are good at sorting problems out, getting
in touch with the head honcho etc

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Thanks Shaz - but what will happen if I just don't pay?
Will they send the Bailliff's round?

MCC...

We'll come and visit you in Armley Gaol

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

I'll hold you to that. :)

MCC...

And as soon as Boo comes back from her jollidays, I'll ask her to start
preparing the "Free the Sheffield One" banners

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Doesn't the Rabbit offer that service too, or is it only for black labbies?

Rabbit...

I'll do you a cake with a file in it :-)

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Don't you mean *folder* ? I thought they were the same anyway these days.
:)

shaz...

What about getting in touch with Oftel or is it Ofcom? If the bailiffs turn
up, which I very much doubt, they will give you the chance of paying, but
that is not what you want. Bailiffs can only come and seize goods with a
court order.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Just had a 'phone call from Fredrickson International - they obviously
haven't received my letter yet. They tell me that they will be taking me to
the small claims court in Sheffield on 05/07/2006 to recover the £46-43.

Rabbit...

The small claims court is better than the bailiffs. You can fight it there
and counter claim from Tiscali for added expenses.

Whe I asked what the £46-43 was for, he said Tiscali broadband, but had
no other details except the month November 2004. I was no longer with
Tiscali then, and the account had been closed for a month by then. He
suggested I contact Tiscali and try to sort it out when I told him that in
the last 15 months there had been no attempt by Tiscali to contact me either
by 'phone, snailmail or by trying to debit my current account. Has anyone
there got a 'phone number at Tiscali that won't route me through their sub
continent call centres back to the UK. Many thanks.

Rabbit...

Tiscali UK Ltd
20, Broadwick St, London, W1F 8HT
Tel: 020 7087 2000

OK so it might not be the one you want but it's their head office as
registered with Companies House so be insistent till you get to speak to a
head honcho. Mentioning the press might help ;-)

Steve...

08707 449966

should put you through to billing in Milton Keynes but is still a
national rate call.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Thanks Steve. Just done that, and would believe it, they say that they
have mailed me invoices every time that they debited my account, to my home
address - now how many years had I been with them. I got them to read out
the address that they had sent them to, and it was the correct address.
Yet I have never, ever, received an invoice from them. Are there any
Tiscali customers in here who receive regular snailmail monthly invoices?

Jackie...

I never receive snailmail invoices from them FN only a monthly e-mail saying
they will be taking the money!

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

That's right, but they insisted they had invoiced me to my home address.
well they would have to wouldn't they, since afte the account was closed so
was the email address they sent my emails to. But I have never received
anything from them. And they never took any money from my CC account in
the 5 months after they last debited me.

Steve...

I've never had a snail mail invoice in all the time I've been with them.

The only check I had that I had paid them, was the debit entry on my CC
statement. How unlike Plusnet, who email me - to two email addresses,
with the amount they are about to deduct, about 4 days in advance. Since

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

that's what I get from Tiscali an email with an invoice and a link to my
account.
Yep I had some of those towards the end, but after the account was closed I
lost the email addy they mailed them to. But then the Tiscali girl said
they had mailed them to my home address. Never received anything snail mail
from Tiscali.

Steve...

that's what I get from Tiscali an email with an invoice and a link to my
account.

the August 2004 CC debit there has not been another one on that CC account.
Whether they tried after the end of January 2005 I wouldn't know since BOS
Mastercard was taken over by MBNA and I was issued with a new card. They
reckon - and are probably right about this - that the August 2004 payment
was for BB usage in July 2004 and I still owe them for August, September
and 10 days in October - which at £19-99 per month is about correct. But

Steve...

Up until Jan this year they invoiced you a month in arrears now you pay
upfront on the 3rd (or thereabouts) of the month.

why have I never received any invoices from them, despite their records
indicating that they have been despatched to me? Looks like I'm going to
have to pay - well if it's for services I have received then I don't mind.
Their total inefficiency seems to vindicate my and loads of other people's
decisions to depart the Tiscali ISP.
I wonder how much more than the outstanding amount it has cost Tiscali
than it would if I had received the invoice in the first place. I would
certainly have paid it. Overall I suppose this means that I have had a 15
month interest free loan from Tiscali UK Ltd. There's not a lotaa people
can say that. :)

Steve...

Well one good thing is it's now sortedish, did you ask them about black
marks on Credit Files?

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

No not yet - the guy from Fredrickson is 'phoning back in a few days time,
to give me time to contact Tiscali, I hope to remember to ask then. I
want to scrutinize the invoice Tiscali have promised to mail me first before
I talk to Fredrickson again. .

Steve...

or you can go here and click on the email link

Foxy at w**k...

Oh dear what a mess

the £46-43 is for.

noreen...

That is really bad FN and i know it must have given you a bad shock, I would
take Shaz's advice and contact computeractive ,they do seem to get onto
things very quickly,
Good luck what ever you do ;-)

Steve...

Interesting, I have been with Tiscali and Lineone for quite a while,
first on Dial Up and then to BB, the only problem I ever had was
upgrading from Dial Up to B. They were supposed to downgrade my Anytime
Dial up to a PAYG but forgot!!! I didn't notice for 3 months when I did
they credited my CC the same day as I called to let them know. I suppose
its all down to how good the person you talk to at the time of the problem.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Yes I started with lineone back in 1998 and stayed with them and Tiscali
until September 2004. There were two clinches for my change - 1 the BB
package I was on was 256Kbps at £19-99 per month whereas Plusnet were
offering 2Mbps for the same price (it has now reduced to £15-99 for my
particular package) - 2 I couldn't understand their operatives (and I'm
sure they couldn't understand me) in their foreign call centre whereas the
Plusnet call centre is in my home town and their operatives talk with the
same accent - dialect - as myself. I seem to recollect that when Troy's
Human moved from Tiscali they continued debiting his CC account for some
considerable time after he left them.
But weren't Lineone excellent. I remember when I was first setting up
an account with them I had problems. The help line operatives' line manager
'phoned me on his mobile so that we could go through the procedure together.

Rabbit...

I remember when the *Head Honcho* of Lineone used to post in the forums and
answer queries.

There was in fact quite a problem so he was on his 'phone for about an hour
helping me get the whole thing configured correctly.

Good luck with getting it resolved and make sure they put no black marks

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

Well my original CC was a Mastercard issued by Bank of Scotland, but their
CC interests were taken over bt MBNA - so I was sent a new card with
completely new number. So I would think that the issuer has also changed.

Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...

That's a concern - now how could I guard against that?

on your credit record.