I enquired, if at a later stage I could include broadband in the package as I planned to buy a computer. He said this was fine and that I fill in the application form and when I begin using the internet service my account would be activated.

These were both complete lies. I received a letter in the post about a week later thanking me for opting for direct debit. I rang the number provided on the letter and told the lady I did not want the direct debit option. She told me that I could not have an account with them unless it was direct debit. After some discussion I agreed to continue with the account.

About 2 weeks after that I received a call from someone in the broadband department who informed me that I had not included a username on the broadband application form. I expalined to him that was because I neither had a computer nor username, and explained to him what the salesman had said. He told me I was currently being charged for Broadband. After I was able to give him the salesman’s name he agreed to cancel all the broadband charges.

I got a computer after 2 months and attempted to get broadband. I got no satisfaction either online or by phone. I gave up on them and switched to another provider completely. All was well until almost 8 months later when I recieved a bill from BT Ireland for €26.83 and thanking me for the payment received the previous month. It gave no details whatsoever about what the charges were for. Obviously, the direct debit option comes in handy for billing people who are no longer customers.

Here I am now today. I came upon this site looking for someway of contacting them. Their website is down for maintenance. I have tried on several occasions and at different time over the last 3 days to phone them and always received the same reply ” sorry, you have called us at a very busy time, please try again later”.

I do not have an adequate “polite” vocabulary to explain just how up in a heap and disorganised their service is. A word I seen in a preview says a lot about them “a farce”

- cancelled my direct debit in their favour;
- cut me off when - unsurprisingly - they weren’t being paid (but they hadn’t bothered to tell me);
- send me a warning letter after they cut me off;
- to help them out, i made them a once-off payment from my credit card whilst I re-instated the direct debit in their favour that they had managed ot screw up;
- they went and debited my credit card twice;
- i disputed the second payment;
- they sent me threatening letters about this mistaken second deduction;
- they manage to cancel my direct debit in their favour again;
- this morning they’ve shut down my service.

This has been going on for months; I have called, mailed, faxed, written, explained everything in colour-by-numbers details and been polite throughout. They’re nice people, but their CEO / CTO or whoever is responsible for their billing “system” should be sacked.

And, yes, that guy is spot on – I lecture in IT law on occasion; and “-sucks” domains are legit; and any attempt to remove him is legally misconceived and commercially hopeless.

I have never before seen a company that cancels your payments to it and then chases you for the money that they then don’t receive …

What a farce.

Seán Mac Cann