Zen have terrible customer service and over charge you.

I signed up to Zen for phone line and fibre last month, Since I was with TalkTalk for fibre, Zen told me I had to first switch to Zen's ADSL and then they will put the fibre order through once that is live. So I went for the "Home Talk" line rental at £11.22 a month and "Zen Active" ADSL at £25.52 a month. I ordered on the phone and was told the total price would be £36.74. Once that was active the fibre order would go through for "Unlimited Fibre 2" and after a few weeks once that was live I would start paying £45.44 (Line rental £15.44 and fibre £30). On switch over day to ZEN ADSL from talktalk there were problems and I had no phone line or internet for 3 days. Once that was sorted they put my fibre order through and I confirmed with them the line rental price would be £15.44 for my 12 month contract as I ordered before they put the line rental price up to £15.98.

Zen then started sending me proformas charging me £15.98 for line rental for the time I was on ADSL with what was supposed to be the £11.22 line rental and for the future months fibre line rental instead of the correct £15.44. I tried replying to the emails from accounts on the 5th September but no one replied to them. I tried various other emails customerbilling and customerservices but they only bothered to reply once without properly answering my email or sorting the problem. After that they would not reply. Even tried the live chat but just got "all agents are busy" every time I tried it.

I signed up to ZEN because they are supposed to have a good reputation here and else where and I was sick of how bad TalkTalk were. Although TalkTalk's customer service is also bad at least I always got a ticket number and a response every time I emailed them. Sure TalkTalk's replies consisted mostly of random copy and pasted script and didn't sort out the problem most of the time but at least I actually got a reply!

Not happy with being lied to when ordering on the phone, emails ignored for nearly a month and over charged. I really expected better from ZEN.

So now I guess my only option is to go through the Alternative Dispute Resolution process.

If anyone is thinking of paying the extra to join ZEN then I have to say they are really not worth it, I really miss quality ISP's like "Be Un Limited".

The price of £11.22 is for line rental without zen fibre. If you bring fibre with phone line then zen had the right to charge u £15.44 for line and fibre £30.

@adslmax

I know, as i originally said i had £11.22 line rental with ADSL for some weeks before fibre. For these weeks i should not pay for fibre line rental when i didn't have it.

Edited by Leki (Fri 26-Sep-14 17:12:54)

I agree about u have ADSL before but change to fibre will result increase in your line rental charge.

As I know it sound daft to increase line rental even thought u are zen customer already.

@adslmax

Yes i am fine with the price of line rental going up once I actually change to fibre, it just has to go to the correct price of £15.44 and not £15.98.

You can always take £11.22 line rental and your fibre from elsewhere

@professor973

That wont help me now and why would i want to? I just want ZEN to answer emails and provide actual customer service and charge me the correct about we both agreed to. I didn't think it would be so hard.

If they can't do that then they have breached the contract and i will leave ZEN and i wont be responsible for any cancellation fees.

My advice would be to call them and to explain the errors of their ways, of which their appear to be at least two from reading your post:

1) My bet is, because the line+FTTC order (for UF2) was placed on their systems *after* the price went up, this is now the price they have applied to your 12 month UF2 contract. Whether this is right depends on what they said to you on the phone and what was agreed on the phone regarding this whole migration process from TalkTalk, which you say had to be done first (normal ADSL+line switch over before the joint line+FTTC package could be ordered). So I would challenge them on that.

2) The £15.98 line rental charge during the period where you were on their ADSL package is also clearly an error and they need to fix this up too.

Call them, and speak to someone human. Explain to them why you believe their charges are wrong (clearly, at least 2 above is wrong for sure) and 1 has probably occurred for the reasons I've explained above. If the agent you speak to is unable to help you or correct things, escalate to a line manager and have this sorted out.

I am surprised 2 above has happened to be honest - their billing system seems solid, but something has obviously gone south in your case. Call them, speak to someone human. I did when I first joined (to correct my Direct Debit date) and had no issues at all.

Edited by deleted (Sat 27-Sep-14 04:37:12)

In reply to a post by Leki:

@professor973

That wont help me now and why would i want to? I just want ZEN to answer emails and provide actual customer service and charge me the correct about we both agreed to. I didn't think it would be so hard.

If they can't do that then they have breached the contract and i will leave ZEN and i wont be responsible for any cancellation fees.

Why would you want to? As you are sniveling over a few pence, I thought you may like to save several pounds.
"I will leave Zen" - You need to decide if you need a [censored] or a haircut..
" i (sic) wont be responsible for any cancellation fees" - I'm afraid you don't decide that.
If I was Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you leave.

@professor973 is always praise for zen management team

In reply to a post by adslmax:

@professor973 is always praise for zen management team

Wrong Mr. Know-all - I challenge you to find a single instance of my praise for the Zen management team - A reason for that, is that I have NEVER needed to contact them. All I have EVER done, is point out their LOW £11.22 line rental when penny pinching folks are looking for a better deal. Get your facts right.

@mixt

I think they said the fibre order was placed on the systems when I first ordered so that it was ready to go through when I had ADSL, which I think it right as the next time i spoke to them they already had the details and order number ready and just had to set the order to active. That was the last time I spoke to them and I asked the price and he checked and told me it was the £15.44 line rental price.

I prefer emailing companies instead of calling, I hate waiting on hold in queues being passed to different departments and having to re explain things over and over until you get to someone who can fix the problem. Then having to spell things out and letters getting misheard etc...plus I have to pay per minute to go through that heh... With emails they have everything there in front of them and can easily forward it on to someone else if needed. With Zen being an internet company I thought emails would be something they would be good with.

Anyway thanks for the advice, Phone lines are not open weekends so I'll wait a bit longer and see how things
go.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Why would you want to? As you are sniveling over a few pence, I thought you may like to save several pounds.

It's actually up to a few pounds now not pence, but it's not really about the money or the amount being over charged that is the annoying thing, it is being ignored and having to waste my time trying to chase it up. I wouldn't use a company that ignored customers no matter how cheap the line rental was. I understand problems do happen but it is all about how well a company deals with the problem that makes them good or not.

In reply to a post by professor973:

"I will leave Zen" - You need to decide if you need a [censored] or a haircut..
" i (sic) wont be responsible for any cancellation fees" - I'm afraid you don't decide that.

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2014/protection-for-c...
According to that i wouldn't pay cancellation fees and have the right to leave, I have a very strong case since I was not told of any price increase or given 30 days notice. I should also mention I have all my ZEN calls recorded where I asked and was told the price I would be paying, so I can easily prove I am right.

In reply to a post by professor973:

If I was Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you leave.

Sounds like you should get a job with ZEN, you would fit in well.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Wrong Mr. Know-all - I challenge you to find a single instance of my praise for the Zen management team - A reason for that, is that I have NEVER needed to contact them. All I have EVER done, is point out their LOW £11.22 line rental when penny pinching folks are looking for a better deal. Get your facts right.

Well lucky for you then that you have never had to try and contact them, I hope that you get some problems with ZEN soon and get ignored so you can see how it feels. If I were one of the penny pinchers you like to talk about all the time then I wouldn't be paying ZEN over £45 when I could get line rental and fibre much much cheaper with discounts and cash back and free modems etc etc with another ISP. No I went with ZEN because they were supposed to be better than most cheaper ISP's and so with paying extra I do expect them to be better and to actually answer emails etc.

In reply to a post by Leki:

In reply to a post by professor973:

Why would you want to? As you are sniveling over a few pence, I thought you may like to save several pounds.

It's actually up to a few pounds now not pence, but it's not really about the money or the amount being over charged that is the annoying thing, it is being ignored and having to waste my time trying to chase it up. I wouldn't use a company that ignored customers no matter how cheap the line rental was. I understand problems do happen but it is all about how well a company deals with the problem that makes them good or not.

In reply to a post by professor973:

"I will leave Zen" - You need to decide if you need a [censored] or a haircut..
" i (sic) wont be responsible for any cancellation fees" - I'm afraid you don't decide that.

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2014/protection-for-c...
According to that i wouldn't pay cancellation fees and have the right to leave, I have a very strong case since I was not told of any price increase or given 30 days notice. I should also mention I have all my ZEN calls recorded where I asked and was told the price I would be paying, so I can easily prove I am right.

In reply to a post by professor973:

If I was Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you leave.

Sounds like you should get a job with ZEN, you would fit in well.

I was suggesting saving "Pounds" when I suggested switching to Zen line rental for £11.22 and taking fibre from another supplier.
You are making a lot of noise and bad press over a simple error that can be easily rectified with a phone call, so I stand by if I were Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you left. Just as I stand by the fact that you don't decide if you leave penalty free.

In reply to a post by professor973:

I was suggesting saving "Pounds" when I suggested switching to Zen line rental for £11.22 and taking fibre from another supplier.
You are making a lot of noise and bad press over a simple error that can be easily rectified with a phone call, so I stand by if I were Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you left. Just as I stand by the fact that you don't decide if you leave penalty free.

You brought up "sniveling over a few pence", Like I have already said I want quality service and internet, if I wanted cheap I would go with Primus line rental for £8.75.
You say it is a simple error....so a simple error should be able to be resolved with one simple email. Not multiple emails to multiple addresses with the issue still ongoing for 3 weeks. Ofcom make the rules, the rules say I can leave penalty free if it is not resolved.

In reply to a post by Leki:

In reply to a post by professor973:

I was suggesting saving "Pounds" when I suggested switching to Zen line rental for £11.22 and taking fibre from another supplier.
You are making a lot of noise and bad press over a simple error that can be easily rectified with a phone call, so I stand by if I were Zen, I would ignore you in the hope you left. Just as I stand by the fact that you don't decide if you leave penalty free.

You brought up "sniveling over a few pence", Like I have already said I want quality service and internet, if I wanted cheap I would go with Primus line rental for £8.75.
You say it is a simple error....so a simple error should be able to be resolved with one simple email. Not multiple emails to multiple addresses with the issue still ongoing for 3 weeks. Ofcom make the rules, the rules say I can leave penalty free if it is not resolved.

There is NO RULE that allows you to leave penalty free for an unresolved problem. If that were the case, everybody could find something to leave for free for. Just pick up the phone idiot and you are still sniveling. Facts and figures show Zen to be one of the best, but nothing is perfect as you demonstrate very well.

In reply to a post by professor973:

There is NO RULE that allows you to leave penalty free for an unresolved problem. If that were the case, everybody could find something to leave for free for. Just pick up the phone idiot and you are still sniveling. Facts and figures show Zen to be one of the best, but nothing is perfect as you demonstrate very well.

I never said there was a rule that you can leave for any unresolved problem. Stop making up random rubbish. The rule states that if prices go up mid contract then I have to be told 30 days before and have the option to leave penalty fee. This is the case here since the price has gone up after I had ordered / activated and had entered into contract, I was also not given notice.

I have already given my reasons why I prefer to contact companies by email rather than phone in a previous post, I am also busy working 9am to 5pm when the ZEN phone lines are open. You are the idiot if you think a company like ZEN should not have to answer emails and that I HAVE to pick up the phone to get anything resolved.

Edited by Leki (Sun 28-Sep-14 01:03:47)

In reply to a post by Leki:

In reply to a post by professor973:

There is NO RULE that allows you to leave penalty free for an unresolved problem. If that were the case, everybody could find something to leave for free for. Just pick up the phone idiot and you are still sniveling. Facts and figures show Zen to be one of the best, but nothing is perfect as you demonstrate very well.

I never said there was a rule that you can leave for any unresolved problem. Stop making up random rubbish. The rule states that if prices go up mid contract then I have to be told 30 days before and have the option to leave penalty fee. This is the case here since the price has gone up after I had ordered / activated and had entered into contract, I was also not given notice.

I have already given my reasons why I prefer to contact companies by email rather than phone in a previous post, I am also busy working 9am to 5pm when the ZEN phone lines are open. You are the idiot if you think a company like ZEN should not have to answer emails and that I HAVE to pick up the phone to get anything resolved.

Ofcom make the rules, the rules say I can leave penalty free if it is not resolved

So what is the above then you darned halfwit? I am making up nothing. As I said, Zen will be well rid of you, with Primus more your mark.

In reply to a post by professor973:

So what is the above then you darned halfwit? I am making up nothing. As I said, Zen will be well rid of you, with Primus more your mark.

You are dumber than I thought, didn't think I would have to explain in so much detail and that you could work it out. If MY issue is not resolved then since MY issue is about the price increases mid contract then I can leave due to Ofcoms rules. If Zen correct the price so that there is not a price increase mid contract for me then they have not broke Ofcoms rules and my issue is also resolved. Hope that is now clear in that little brain you have

Nothing to do with mid-contract - I don't know of an ISP that switches to fibre without a new contract, so how about you stop the childish tantrum, then find a responsible adult to teach you how to use a phone.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Nothing to do with mid-contract - I don't know of an ISP that switches to fibre without a new contract, so how about you stop the childish tantrum, then find a responsible adult to teach you how to use a phone.

And maybe you could get a responsible adult to teach you how to interact with other human beings without being so nasty and rude. Also when you are at it, if you've never experienced something first hand then you should take it as a rule of thumb not to be so damn condescending. If you never seen a car before than you don't give advice to someone who driven one how to drive.

There is a child in the topic....just look in your mirror.

OP. I agree Zen should reply to you emails...there should be no need to phone them, it is the 21st century after all.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Nothing to do with mid-contract - I don't know of an ISP that switches to fibre without a new contract, so how about you stop the childish tantrum, then find a responsible adult to teach you how to use a phone.

Maybe you should actually try reading the Ofcom rules link I posted above, but you seem to have problems with that and other things so let me help you, it states:

"if a provider wishes to increase the monthly subscription price (or prices) agreed by the customer "at point of sale", customers should be given at least one month's notice of the increase and be allowed to exit the contract without penalty."

The point of sale is when I ordered on the phone and was told the price and agreed to it. That is when the contract started. If ZEN change the price from what we both agreed to after that point mid contract then they have changed the contract and I can leave with no fee.

I should also note that there was no "you must only contact ZEN by phone as only childish people use email" in the contract I agreed to. So please keep your phone obsession to yourself.

I have no phone obsession, it's just I don't suffer pain in the [censored] fools gladly. Try directing your points at Zen, instead of talking rubbish to me. Fortunately, a day at the races watching our horses run, and win, have cheered me up no end, so I will leave you to play with yourself.

In reply to a post by Cheatman:

In reply to a post by professor973:

Nothing to do with mid-contract - I don't know of an ISP that switches to fibre without a new contract, so how about you stop the childish tantrum, then find a responsible adult to teach you how to use a phone.

And maybe you could get a responsible adult to teach you how to interact with other human beings without being so nasty and rude. Also when you are at it, if you've never experienced something first hand then you should take it as a rule of thumb not to be so damn condescending. If you never seen a car before than you don't give advice to someone who driven one how to drive.

There is a child in the topic....just look in your mirror.

OP. I agree Zen should reply to you emails...there should be no need to phone them, it is the 21st century after all.

Who pulled your chain?

professor973 I suggest u go away and go to bed. This thread is childish act.

Suggest you keep your beak out of it.

In reply to a post by Leki:

In reply to a post by professor973:

Nothing to do with mid-contract - I don't know of an ISP that switches to fibre without a new contract, so how about you stop the childish tantrum, then find a responsible adult to teach you how to use a phone.

Maybe you should actually try reading the Ofcom rules link I posted above, but you seem to have problems with that and other things so let me help you, it states:

Save your energy Leki, Prof is one of those Internet denizens who just like to keep on arguing. Has he been of any help to you in this thread? I think not, so don't waste your time replying to him.

Closing a chunk of the thread as it has become a bicker fest rather than getting to the bottom of an issue.

[censored] mr saffron. you closing this thread?

im more than a little annoyed with zen slackers..

BT even more so.

and you lot? lol [censored] off and die somewhere quiet. [censored].

Edited by deleted (Wed 01-Oct-14 16:12:01)

I'm pretty sure if you ring their billing department and explain calmly they will be able to help.

They do seem to know (and care) about what they are doing, this sounds just like a small glitch that needs a human to correct, nothing sinister.

As someone who has used a variety of ISPs and come back to Zen I can say their service is the best.

Someone is more likely to help if you explain calmly.

Removed material that breaks the site rules which I suggest you read

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/faq_english.php#rules