It would have been longer if Zoe hadn't hung up on me. But that happened after Waiting in the queue (You have three callers in front of you... you have three callers in front of you...).
Nick was the first to pick up. I told him that as it was within 7 days of purchase, I wanted a refund. He told me verbatim what their later email said--I guess I'm not the only one getting defrauded through this trick. Here's the email:
"Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email.
When signing up for the account there was a tick box that had to be ticked to say that you had read and agreed to the terms of service and as previously mentioned you are able to see from your control panel the dates of all recurring invoices and cancel services before they are due so we are not able to issue a refund on this occasion.
Regards
Customer Support
Fasthosts Internet Ltd."
Sadly, I cannot check on this as I don't have a log-in. This can't be a surprise to them, after all the hassle they forced customers to go through when their server got hacked. So I ask Nick how I can get the details if I no longer have the company email I used to sign up. He says they'll mail it to me. I inform him I've moved and give him the new address. Then I ask why he can't give it to me over the phone. He says "security reasons." I then mention that he just agreed to send the details to a new address. "Isn't that a security risk?"
Later, after I tell him that agreeing to terms and conditions does not mean I forfeit my rights to the 7-day cooling off period under UK law, (he says it does--glad we have a legal mastermind on the phone) I ask to speak to a supervisor. There is no supervisor around. Odd, that. I end up speaking to Zoe (hand over the mouthpiece--'Hey Zoe--would you pretend to be supervisor for this jerk?'--and after one repetition of the problem she hangs up on me. I didn't swear, lose my temper, call her names, speak badly about her company... she just didn't want to speak to me.
What is 64 minutes out of your life? Your time means nothing to the companies that cheat you. They use it--amongst other tactics, about which more later--to wear you down. Well, I've spent more than 64 minutes on this weblog now, and funnily enough I don't feel worn down.
I didn't speak badly about her company on the phone. I will now. Fasthosts is using fraudulent tactics to perpetuate subscriptions that customers don't wish to renew. It is obvious from the repetition in language in both their emails and their scripted telephone conversations that this is a deliberate strategy to take money from people who do not want their services. Scummy thieves.
It has now been more than a week. They have not sent me the log-in details they promised, and they now have resorted to silence--my last few emails have not been answered. However, I am not going to pay their bill and I'm not going to let this go unresolved. I will, however, ask for help.
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