Breaking up is hard to Wanadoo (Freeserve)

Member Name: Nolly

Product:	Freeserve
Date:	11/07/04 (415 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Popular, Feature packed

Disadvantages: Dreadful customer service, Refuse to acknowledge their faults, Just like me, really!

This is a really weird opinion to write. I am writing as someone who, very recently, broke up a longstanding relationship. It was acrimonious and I didn't want to have to, but I did it, because I knew that in the long run I would be better off. Let me take you back...

In 1998 I joined the internet revolution with my trusty Pentium 166 computer and my 33k modem. After a brief flirtation with another ISP, I settled down into a cosy relationship with Freeserve, as it was the first ISP to offer just call charges with no monthly subscription.

Life with Freeserve was bliss. Well, it had to be, as I met my wife on the internet. Reasonably fast connection and all that jazz. In 2000 we joined up with 'Unlimited Freeserve'. a service that gave us cheaper phone calls and a 24/7 charge free internet service. Life, as you can imagine, was ultimate bliss. Then my chosen partner became a touch big-headed and self-centred.

We received an email saying Unlimited Freeserve was coming to an end, and we would have to firstly pay more and secondly join 'Freeserve Anytime'. This promised everything, call-charge free access, cream cakes and a cigarette after sex. Okay, I admit it, that's a lie, as cakes were not part of the deal. All was okay until it became even more difficult to access the service. Continual engaged tones, slow access (by now I was on a 56k modem but could only get 33000 bits per second), and calls to Freeserve's customer services gave us a new access number, which proved to be even worse than the original!

After a while we gave up on anytime, and joined hometime, while we joined up with ITV Digital (look, I know they were a shower but we only paid one month's rental before they went belly up and gave us a free set-top box, so there!). This wasn't much better, but at least we weren't paying £14 per month for an engaged tone.

Later we joined anytime again and everything was fine until Mar
ch this year, when our local exchange in Herefordshire was broadband enabled....

We had heard that Freeserve had schemes to keep customers migrating from anytime (£19 per month, free connection and free modem), so I rang up...

Day One- the screen froze at Freeserve's HQ - 'Please try later'

Day Two - The screen froze again - 'we'll be in touch'

Day Five - they got in touch - 'all sorted, all gone through, you'll get your modem in a week and will be connected by 19th April' - Orgasmic, my son!

Day 18 - I ring up...

Me: Hello, where's my modem?
FS: Er.. there has been a snag. We'll send another one out.

April 25th

Me: how' the order going?
FS: What order?
Me: My broadband order.

FS:
1- Oh, the order went through but no-one told BT to activate your number. It's best you cancel and start again. I'll put you through to an advisor.

2- You haven't received your free modem because you cancelled the order.

Me: When did I cancel the order?

F/serve: Today.

Me: You told me to!

F/S: I'll pass you on to someone.

3- You cancelled your order on the 25th.

Me: You told me this.

F/S: It was cancelled on the 19th automatically.

Me: Why?

F/S: It's just automatic. As is the order going through to BT.

Me: I was told no-one told BT.

F/S: Your address doesn't come up on our system.

Me: It did 10 minutes ago.

F/S: Your area isn't broadband enabled.

Me: Er.... yes it is.

F/S: You'll have to re-register.

Me: Okay

F/S: Are you a new customer or an anytime migrant?

Me: Anytime migrant.

F/S: We've run out of offer codes. Ring back tomorrow.

Me: This is your problem. Find one!

F/S: We can't. Oh, hang on! This code work
s.

5 minutes later.

F/S: There's a problem with the final page of the registration process. It's something we are aware of with other customers. Ring back tomorrow.

Five weeks later I got an email from Freeserve, sorry Nevadoo, saying that I couldn't have broadband on my number. I emailed them from my new broadband account with Pipex.

It's not that they are a bad ISP per se, just that they have become a victim off their own success and customer service is a joke - you feel like you have to apologise for disturbing them!

As an ISP they rate about 4 stars. With the appalling way they treat customers and refuse to acknowledge their inadequacies, as well as the increased contention (number of people fighting for availability on one line), this has to drop.

I'm sorry Wanadoo, as they say in the carnivore's valedictory speech:

'Sirloin, it's been good to gnaw you!'

Neil
July 2004

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