It's the person who maliciously stole your broadband, and he has a flamethrower.
So I got "slammed" and my broadband stolen
- Thread starter PaulCa
- Start date
Soldato
So I still have the risk of malicious intent. I need to know who moved it away so I can feel safer this is not a direct attack on me and identity theft. On that note, should I go to the police?
Don
My aunt had the same thing, for 'no reason' BT suddenly had no record of her and the broadband was deactivated, she had to wait around two weeks for it to be resolved.
:shrug:
:shrug:
Are people being serious? Compensation? The Police? Malicious intent? 
Clearly it's a simple mistake in that someone gave a wrong address or got the address and phone number mixed up. Your ISP is duty bound to inform you but NOT block the transfer by OFCOM regulations. They haven't technically done anything wrong and, IMO, have gone beyond what they have to do by giving you extra data on your mobile. If the service successfully transitioned to this new provider then it should take two weeks as it's also a transfer from them to you. If the line was ceased completely then if you ordered standard DSL then chances are you'd be active in 2-3 working days, on Fibre it can be around 2 weeks due to Openreach Engineer availability.
Automatic ISP compensation for loss of service isn't coming in until October.
Clearly it's a simple mistake in that someone gave a wrong address or got the address and phone number mixed up. Your ISP is duty bound to inform you but NOT block the transfer by OFCOM regulations. They haven't technically done anything wrong and, IMO, have gone beyond what they have to do by giving you extra data on your mobile. If the service successfully transitioned to this new provider then it should take two weeks as it's also a transfer from them to you. If the line was ceased completely then if you ordered standard DSL then chances are you'd be active in 2-3 working days, on Fibre it can be around 2 weeks due to Openreach Engineer availability.
Automatic ISP compensation for loss of service isn't coming in until October.
Soldato
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Only if you're not single, white and male
Are people being serious? Compensation? The Police? Malicious intent?
Clearly it's a simple mistake in that someone gave a wrong address or got the address and phone number mixed up. Your ISP is duty bound to inform you but NOT block the transfer by OFCOM regulations. They haven't technically done anything wrong
What's your address to see if you like it.
Apparently that's all it takes. Phone up a provider, give someones address, request broadband.
Considering how important Internet is these days this is ludicrous.
I have worked in Energy Retail and due to this kind of rubbish there are much tighter regulations there now.
I will also add that in an energy switch there is no loss of service. Being forced, through no action of your own to have to deal with no internet for 14+ days anytime someone wants to play funny buggers is beyond annoying.
Last edited:
Soldato
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Surprising your existing ISP didn't try harder to contact you.
When I last changed ISPs I was contacted a couple of times by email and also by post with 'sorry you're leaving us' type messages.
When I last changed ISPs I was contacted a couple of times by email and also by post with 'sorry you're leaving us' type messages.
Soldato
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Because they don't like you or you upset them in some way?
People do all sorts of petty things for no good reason.
People do all sorts of petty things for no good reason.
Ofcom rules say that the losing provider cannot use it as an opportunity to rescue the customer. Just inform them if any charges are due, and provide information for how to cancel the request.
I was more worried that someone had impersonated me to do it. Then transferred my phone number to another premises.
I understand that when we had MAC codes the problem was when you moved house, if the house you moved to had active broadband, you had to wait until that person requested broadband elsewhere and freed your line. That or contact them (or have your ISP reach out via the other parties ISP) for the MAC code. Forcing the take over took weeks otherwise.
There there was the issue of the outbound provider trying to delay and stall tactic leavers by not issuing the MAC codes in a prompt manor.
However the current "implied consent" unless told otherwise is seriously flawed and OfCom agree from what I have read. They encourage everyone who has been slammed to report it to them so they can build a case for the government.
Apparently (according to the guardian) this happens to something around 600,000 people in the UK every year. Although usually it's dodgy sales tactics by tricking people into saying the are "interested in switching" over the phone, the switch them without taking many details and later bill them by post. Dodgy tactics, miss-selling etc. It happens in the Energy retail sector too, as I mentioned, just take peoples names and addresses at a super market and switch them without their consent. In that sector there is no loss of service, just your billing provider changes, but they have put strict controls and measure onto the retails to try and prevent this happening. They also heavily fine them.
My understanding is this was government rules to encourage switching and thus competition, OfCom are against it, though you are correct, they enforce the rules on the ISPs.
There has to be a better way.
Emailing and lettering no longer works, because frankly I receive about 100 bits of junk through the door for every actual letter and I recieve about 1000 emails for every actual email I need to read.
Phoning me might work better.
Emailing repeatedly, like 10 days, 6 days, 3 days, TOMORROW!
but they did try to contact you, you just didn't read the email. yes it's frustrating, but that's what happens in an open market. You're free to change any time you wish and the losing provider emails you to say 'sorry you're leaving, if you're not please get back in touch'
It varies from ISP to ISP. Some text and email, others just email. In this case it's a clear error as during a transfer you would normally only be without service for an hour, maybe two at the most while they make the change. It's clear here this is a mistake which they're trying to put right. The delay in activation is most likely because it's a Fibre order and that takes around two weeks, mainly down to Openreach Engineer lead times. I'd be pressurising your ISP to expedite your Fibre order at their cost.
Exactly.
With a large scale ISP like Talk Talk, Sky or BT they receive hundreds of cease requests a day, 99% of them likely to be valid. Would it be cost effective to call each one just to check? And what if there's no answer the first time? Call back the next day when those 200 staff are dealing with the new cease requests from today, never mind yesterday's? It's fully automated and just not possible to call every customer to be met with 'yes I requested it, I was told you wouldn't call?! Why are you calling me?' on 95% of the customers you do actually get to speak to.
I really don't expect someone to steal my phoneline do I?
I'm sick of nonsense marketing spam so I read hardly any email anymore
So they emailed you to say that you were leaving but you chose to ignore it because you get too many emails to read and this is somehow your ISPs fault.
I can understand it's frustrating to lose your internet connection however you had chance to rectify the 'mistake' but decided the email was spam.
Associate
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Sounds like someone needs to sort out their spam filter...