Freeserve signs up new broadband support opo

Freeserve has signed up a Hartlepool-based company to provide support for its broadband customers after ending a contract with Dixons.

Garlands Call Centre is understood to be taking-over the running of Freeserve's broadband support service from the end of March, although the hand-over is expected to begin later this month.

The ISP says the move is part of its expansion and will help it "concentrate skill sets on specific products and services going forward".

Freeserve's narrowband customers will still be supported by Dixons, which set up the ISP in the late 1990s. A spokesman for Dixons insisted that its narrowband contract with Freeserve was safe.

Both Dixons and Freeserve maintain that the move will not result in any job losses at Dixons' call centre in Sheffield. Instead, those working on broadband support will be moved to handle Freeserve's narrowband customers.

However, insiders have told The Register that despite assurances from Dixons there are concerns about the future of some jobs. One told us that proposed changes to shift and working patterns would put pressure on some to quit.

"The attitude seems to be - 'these are your new shifts, like it or leave'", said the insider.

In a statement, Freeserve said: "We have every confidence in Garland's technical and service skills and capabilities - they have a wide ranging experience and work for a number of key clients whose services and customer bases are not dissimilar in terms of service and support requirements." ®