Hi. I have been on ADSL for the last two years. In the last 8 months
the service has gone drastically downhill since the ADSL provider I
was with "Central Point Broadband" CPBB was taken over by Fast24.

Since last summer I have been telephoning, emailing, faxing, writing
letters etc to try and get a MAC Code.

Every time I have managed to get through on the telephone it is the
same person speaking to me, leading me to think that this is a one man
operation! Plus the fact it is his voice on all the robot answering
machine for all the telephone lines. I have so far not been able to
get the MAC code, and I think it is a deliberate tactic on their (his)
part not to give them out. He made some excuse about having trouble
getting MAC Codes from his provider??? He is the provider, shouldn't
he be able to get it quite easily to give me?

I think my only option left now is to cancel the payments (if that's
possible?) It is coming out of my bank account every month. How do I
go about stopping that? Bearing in mind that I am well past the 1 year
time span where I have to stay with this company, and since they took
over the company I was with I have been communicating with them and
requesting the MAC code for about 8 months now.

When I go online to my bank, the payments for the broadband to Fast24
seem to be listed as MAE which says "Maestro Debit Card Transaction".
I have recently had a new card issued by my bank. If this has a new
expiry date and issue number, would this stop these payments from
going through do you know? Or would they still continue to go through?
Would I need to call my bank to have this cancelled? Or would I need
to telephone Fast24 and have it cancelled? They know that I have
wanted to leave for the last 8 months because I have kept asking them
for a MAC code and have made this plainly clear. I really hope I don't
have to call them to request that this is cancelled because you can
bet your life the payments will still continue to flow if I do have to
get them to cancel it.

Unfortunately I can't see any other way, cancelling payments seems to
be the only option to get the message across, and hoping that the ADSL
line is freed up as soon as possible so I can sign with a better
alternative provider? I think I may have to use a 56k dial up for up
to a month while the line is being freed? Is this correct, and is
there anyone I can contact eg like BT so the line can be freed up
quicker?

You can bet your bottom dollar if I take this route there will be
problems as well and I will be without broadband for a number of
weeks. It has to be done though, they are not playing ball and giving
me this MAC code, I can just tell that Fast24 are fobbing me off and
simply not giving the codes out. The customer service is atrocious.

Help! What to do? I thought all my problems with broadband would be
over when I ditched NTHells cable service, and things were going great
guns with CPBB until this Fast24 took over.

Drat, Drat and Double Drat!

John

Thus spaketh John:
With credit cards and debit cards even if you get replacement cards with a new
number, dates etc, you will still be liable for CCCA's on your original card.

John wrote:
....


Eh? Just allocate your own, like this:

Mac Code vers:2.1 system:mac/8.0 CPU:1/PPC601/60MHz RAM:24Mb mac:-)
since:1987 use rsrc:-) BeOS win:P dos:P unix:| apple:-) M$:-( code

John,

You can report the ISP to ofcom for failing to provide the MAC code. They
have to provide this to allow service migration. Have a look at
http://www.ofcom.org.uk for more info.

Failing that give them the required period of termination notice in writing
and then cancel the payments after this period. You can cancel direct debits
easily and they are covered by legal redress if the supplier takes money out
of your account they are not entitled to.

Best of luck.


Phil


"John" <speedyG@nzales.com> wrote in message
news:h3ihu11vdbf3d93ht4a1fdtl4iaua73f54@4ax.com...

Thus spaketh Phil:
I think they mean they require a MAC or Migration Authorisation Code, though
they did actually ask for the details you post, or they have asked for a
Migration Authorisation Code code.

{{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
Aha, I wondered what it meant.

Phil

"Phil Dyde" <phil.dyde@btinternet.com> wrote in
news:dsan0k$3hc$1@nwrdmz03.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com:

No, this is a *voluntary* code of practice at the moment. Fast24 use
Netservices PLC for most of their connections, neither F24 or
Netservices have yet signed up to the code (see
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/codes/bbm_cop/).

F24 is notorious for this, and to be fair to their office drones the
problem is known to be with Netservices, who happen to be a very big
supplier who do not really care about their smaller resellers.


mine last month, they haven't debited me since. The line is still ADSL-
active, and this will pose a problem when I decide to order a new ADSL
service. Again this is a known issue with F24/Netservices and good ISPs
can push the right buttons with BT to get the line released for a new
service. If you have a look through the group archive, there is quite a
bit on how to force BT to release lines when this occurs.

HTH

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 17:56:36 +0000 (UTC), "Phil Dyde"
<phil.dyde@btinternet.com> wrote:

I thought that legally ISPs were slightly different to Mobile Networks
in that they don't have to issue a MAC. I don't think complaining to
Ofcom will do much good. It is probably more hassle than its worth.

I have already given them written notice that I want to leave and
would like a MAC back in I think it was September of last year. Would
this still count, or would I have to send a new letter in writing
giving another 30 days in addition to the 8 or so months they've
already had?

Unfortunately it's not a direct debit it is a recurring Maestro Debit
Card payment every month.

I honestly think it will be a big hassle. They never bothered
responding to my last letter which I sent recorded. I think they would
just continue taking the payments, and it looks like a new card isn't
going to stop that. There's only one thing for it. Close down bank
account, open new bank account. I think this will be the easiest. I
haven't been too impressed with my bank in recent years anyway, so it
will kill two birds with one stone. I'll have to set up all my direct
debits though on a new account elsewhere which will be a pain.

Perhaps I will drop a short note to Ofcom about making it a
requirement that ISPs issue the MAC promptly?

John

"John" <speedyG@nzales.com> wrote in message
news:h3ihu11vdbf3d93ht4a1fdtl4iaua73f54@4ax.com...
Worryingly i cant find an entry for Central Point Broadband or similar at
Companies Housr....

John wrote:
He is probably not the BT Wholesale customer, and resells someone elses
connection - whilst he is your provider he must get MAC codes from his
provider (who in turn get them from BT).

Further, he/they are not required to give a MAC code - your alternative
is to cease the service and re-order with another provider once the line
is clear (probable downtime 10-14 working days).

Phil Dyde wrote:
Really? Care to cite chapter and verse?

Regarding your payments... this is known as a continuing authority,
and to stop them you must ask the payee, not your bank. A very dodgy
area unless you have a good deal of confidence in the firm you're
paying.

Tiddy Ogg.
http://www.tiddyogg.co.uk

"Phil Dyde" <phil.dyde@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:dsan0k$3hc$1@nwrdmz03.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...
I *think* you will find that its a voluntary code of practice that the ISPs can
opt out of, with regard to issuing MACs
A lot of these reseller ISPs are having similar problems getting MACs
out to the customers
A cease and reprovide seems the fastest way of leaving TBH


No One Here

Not Here wrote:
Frain it's not, in practice, as it can take months for the ISP to get
around telling BT to release the line so another ISP can provide
service

"Kraftee" <kraftee@pleasedon'tspam@kraftee.plus.com> wrote in message
news:43e9f744$0$1467$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net...
Well, in that case the OP seems fooked tbh
Wont get a MAC for months, wont get a C&R for months
Move house perhaps?

Not Here wrote:
*If* the current ISP won't give a MAC code or cease the service, he can
"change the status" of the BT line - BT will initiate a cease of the
ADSL and he can re-order with another ISP.

As to the specifics of what BT consider a "change of status" in this
context, I'll leave a BT person to answer.

Not Here wrote:
More like, change of number as the DSL is linked to the telephone
number. Mind you I have known 1 end user who cancelled his telephone
& the DSL worked merrily away until he return to BT about 3 years
later. Then it was ceased & they had to pay to get it reconnected.

Tiddy Ogg wrote:
I think the OP said the card was due to expire - in which case if the
company does not respond to the instruction to cease then they may not
continue after the expiry date. There are ways they may try that might get
them the money - but I would have thought you would have had cause to
complain to the bank if that happened.

Tiddy Ogg wrote:
I think the OP said the card was due to expire - in which case if the
company does not respond to the instruction to cease then they may not
continue after the expiry date. There are ways they may try that might get
them the money - but I would have thought you would have had cause to
complain to the bank if that happened.

Not Here wrote:

Switch to Bulldog ? Get something "incompatible" with ADSL maybe
(no, sorry, cannot think of anything easy that'd do it... and to
change phone number might be too awkward, or get line change to
Light User Scheme [and when they say 'but you have ADSL on the
line' say "they said they had cancelled that"] perhaps...)