Ok basically just to give you a bit of background, this was my basic problem: (from an earlier post by me, regarding my upgrade from HC to Tiscali)

I am ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED and AMAZED at the idiocy of Tiscali.

The engineer came as promised today, early even. Great I thought! He installed the new STB and Router fixed everything up, turned it all on... and nothing happened. It stuck on number four. He called his HQ or wherever and they said my line was not "provisioned" for the "new" Tiscali TV and it had not been set up at all (even though it was the 3rd of December when I received my MAC code from HC/Tiscali and ordered the "new" Tiscali)

I have to say I thought I had seen everything with Tiscali, faults lasting weeks, engineers not showing up, customer care reps not retuning calls. But this beats all that. It is amazing that they could make such a cock-up!!! I am totally disgusted TBH. Two of my friends were waiting till I got the box to see what it was like then they were going to sign up, they won't be now!

I called CS (of the new Tiscali) to ask what went wrong, after speaking to two people I got through to an American chap, who I have to say was the most helpful and polite person I have ever spoke to in HC/Tiscali ever! However basically he explained that they needed to change the service over from HC to Tiscali via BT to make it work! This usually takes upto 15 days (today is the 15th day) since the MAC request. (Because the new STB and old lil silver STB use totally different services and require the line to be set up differently)

So basically my line was not ready yet. However they still sent an engineer to install all the equipment. Need I say more?? Its like sending Virgin Media to install cable in a house which doesn't have cables running in there street! Fed up!

I wrote to Tiscali complaining about the amazing rubbish service, and there general incompetence, and the problems listed above.

Today I received a reply. To sum up, basically they said that the MAC code I supplied to go from HC to Tiscali TV was not correct. (even though they sent it to me and I still have the email with it in to prove it is correct)! Also they said that my telephone line is Tiscali (ex HC)... it needs to be a BT line to go on the new Tiscali TV service. So any HC customers who have there line from Tiscali not BT you won't be going over to the new service/new STB anytime soon!

They were also very quick to point out that HC and Tiscali are run as seperate companies! (Im sorry it says TISCALI on my bill and TISCALI on my Direct Debit... TISCALI IS TISCALI and this is who I pay for my service! (why I don't know))

They did not address my complaints of me having to stay in twice for an engineer for no reason at all!

Totally disgusted. Thinking about buying a Freeview PVR (which are in offer at ASDA about £70 I think) and cancelling with Tiscali altogether I am so fuming!

You see, this is way I am going to wait for Tiscali to change me over, as they said they would, instead of trying to jump the gun and get it quicker.

You were told, when you posted originally, that other people had been informed by tiscali that the switch over was impossible for HC customers until the exchange was upgraded. You decided to ignore that and try and wangle an upgrade anyway.

Surprise, it ****ed up.

Erm No! I was told by TISCALI and HOMECHOICE that it was perfectly OK to be changed over to the new service! In order to save money and get plus... Oh I am so so Peter, its obvious it was unreasonable of me to believe something that Tiscali and Homechoice confirmed several time that was OK and available! How silly of me!

There is no excuse of their incompetence in this example.

And as for it not being available yet to ex HC customers, the engineer told me he has upgraded some ex HC customers but others like myself he arrived and the same thing happened!

You tell him girl. Have to agree having had same experience. HC promised everything, even sometimes promised engineers visits, which then don't happen, only to be told someone forgot to put the correct details on an engineers worksheet.

Tiscali will pull the plug on it's TV business within two years. It's senior management are already worried with what they've bought and will only be able to convince investors to stay on this path if they can prove there is greater take up or extra value from existing customers - neither of which has happened. Sky has managed to prove both in the past 12 months, even Virgin has managed this.

Customer service and sales are the key to survival in this business and HC and Tiscali have combined to make one abysmal operation. I'm starting to think I will stay around to watch the demise, or until Sky BB is available in my area

ive also had a few problems to begin with... but now its all sorted its great

I tend to agree with unhappybunny.

It's not that I have changed from HC to Tiscali, I have been with Tiscali for a while. It's the way their customer service seems intent on just p*****g you off the whole time. Since I got my TV in September I have not had a correct bill. It took over 2 months and a dozen phone calls to get the line rental I was supposed to be on, I was charged a set up fee that was supposed to be free, I got charged for calls that were supposed to be free etc. Now they are charging me twice for the same channels. I was promised a correction but, suprise suprise, it has not happened. The prolem I have encountered time and again is I speak to someone for 30 minutes and a solution is agreed, but nothing happens. I ring back and get told a different story. With regards the install fee and charging for calls, I did get money promised as a refund and a figure agreed, but the amount refunded was about £20's short. So I rang up and the guy told me that basically the refund I had received was alot and I should be pleased with it. I started to point out that was not the point as I had been over charged, but just lost the will to talk and did not even bother. Not to mention you get charged the whole time for the calls. Perhaps this is the stratergy, charge less for the package, but make all the money back and more from the charges for the complaint calls. There is also the matter of promised engineer visits that did not happen and one customer service man that laughed at me the whole way through my complaint! (That really annoyed me).

I have said before that it is a shame the customer service seems so terrible as I am pleased with the system in principle. But if I was not on a 12 month contract I would cancel tomorrow and this is something I will do in August (assuming they have sorted out my bill by then).

It's funny how MK_Brett would reply to people asking for help about new channels and stuff with the standard "Something is coming soon but I'm not allowed to say what/when" replies but when a frustrated customer vents out he's nowhere to be seen

To Peter We: I think you'll find that calling "idiot" a fellow FM goes against the Forum's T&C, if he/she runs for the Alert button, you'll only have yourself to blame.

My 700th post!

What's SKY BB ??

broadband

Didn't you say that HC was fine unless you had a problem or had to deal with CS? Personally I'll take your advice and not temp fate, especially as I know switching from HC is impossible at this time.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...9#post20149639

marcouk76
It might be funny to you, but not to the afflicted.
I don't sit arround in here all day, I have a full time job to deal with.
Frustrated customers are free to vent here, always have done, always will. If, as per my "hello" thread, you want my help you know where to post. But, and this is a big BUT, I don't deal with complaints. I'm part of the tech support system. I try to help where I can, but I'm only one person.

Rubbish! Is that why Tiscali are investing $$$$$'s in adding 30 additional channels in the very near future and developing a new headend, moving away from the HC old site in wood lane? It's senior management really do seem concerned don't they

What channels? Source please?

Can't disclose channels as yet but I work as an IPTV equipment supplier to Tiscali and many more Cable / IPTV headends. I'd say Tiscali are taking IPTV / VOD very seriously and certainly have future plans and budget at the ready.

Just to update this, I had my bill this morning and still nothing happened dispite promises. I have worked out I am being charged 24.99 for variety pack etc as per website ad + 6.00 for entertainment mix. On top of this I am being charged 10.00 for tv big pack, which is ficticious!! So 10:00 too much a month. This was agreed by Tiscali and they were going to refund, yet no refund and still paying extra 10.00. Also, charged over 4.00 in calls to Tiscali to sort out and will probably get this again this month. I took this as it would be cheaper by not paying 12.00 in line rental to BT, yet am paying even more out plus all the agrevation. Am I really the only one getting this run around? I am sure if I had never had a problem I would find Tiscali ok, but trying to get a bill sorted out seems impossible. I am going to give them one more chance then I am cancelling my direct debit and they can do what they like.

So very seriously that they advertise it all the time!!!

No offence, but I agree with Unhappy Bunny and treatment by Customer Sevices at Tiscali made me go over to Sky. So glad I did. If Tiscali are so certain that the IPTV platform can be a huge success why don't they advertise it on TV or in a prime location on their website. It all seems very hush hush, or they are mightily embarressed by what they have bought from Homechoice/ Video Networks.

Yer, that's right

I see you've not worked in a corporate environment before and have never heard of a 'soft launch' Tiscali have their work cut out upgrading HC services, why roll it out to the rest of the country now when there are quite clearly technical issues with migrating the HC service over to Tiscali's own new services which is not complete. That's why they are not advertising yet.

Until the hardware is installed in enough exchanges to spread the iptv,what is the point of advertising nationwide and then getting people told they can't have it yet.That is just throwing money down the drain.If I was a baker selling bread I would light the oven before I started telling people I had bread to sell.

I think tiscalis management of existing customers is dire, and the homechoice website needs substantial redevelopment or re-routing to a tiscali site.

In tiscalis defence, they have started advertising the TV service. There are adverts on most days in Londons free metro paper advertising tiscali TV (specifically TV yes!), i even saw one today.

Excuse me I have a marketing degree, so I understand the term soft launch!!! BUT they didn't even advertise it in the areas where it was available. Homechoice used to go to areas to sign people up, which is how I became a Homechoice subscriber, but Tiscali since taking over last month have done nothing to advertise it in the London area. That is almost a year since take over. I can understand the fact that it still hasn't been rolled out nationally, but then they are seriously taking their time about it and from reports that I have seen they are losing customers hand over fist!!!
They need to improve their offering, especially with the likes of Freesat starting up. Also Orange TV starts in the next couple of months.