Pipex to shutter UK Bulldog call centres
More customer service cutbacks
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Updated: Struggling ISP Pipex is closing UK call centres serving subscribers to Bulldog, the broadband provider it bought from Cable and Wireless last year.
Staff at Bulldog's UK outsourcers were told last week their services will no longer be needed in 90 days' time. Last month, we revealed that Pipex would be cutting back its in-house customer service operation.
When we called the Bulldog technical support line this morning, an agent dodged the question of where the service would go, until eventually denying that support would be offshored.
Pipex refused to offer up a similar denial, and wouldn't address our questions about why customers were being told categorically that technical support would stay in the UK.
In a statement, it said: "Pipex has no plans to reduce the level of support for customers with a Bulldog service nor has it any plans to change the way that the customer can contact the support teams."
Which boils down to: "It'll be the same phone number." Bulldog has an extremely checkered history on customer service.
This news will do little to build confidence in Bulldog's recovery, or in Pipex's broader strategy. Bankers recently failed to find a buyer for Pipex's 570,000-strong customer base.
Pipex sent us the following statement from Dominic Crolla, managing director of Pipex's residential division: "We are not planning to offshore and will continue to offer one of the best and fastest connections in the UK supported by UK staff."®
COMMENTS
How I stopped them billing me
Like William Donelson and the unnamed poster above, I was continually billed by bulldog for £0.00 for 5 months after I cancelled, despite repeated attempts to get them to stop I was never able to get them to do so because allegedly no one at buldog knew why the bills were coming out (!).
I stopped them by saying that if I received one more bill from them I would be lodging a complaint with my local police force for harrassment and would also report them to Ofcom and the ISPA, I didn't hold out much hope and assumed that my bluff would be called, but no bill this month (so far!)
Bulldog are THE most incompetant ISP in the UK in my experience and that's one hell of an achievement give the piss poor standards in this country!
Nothing changes
Pipex has been for sale officially and unofficially for at least four years. The infrastructure is shoddy, the management more than a little cliquey, and have only been buying up other companies to buy time and make their bottom line look good to potential buyers. I'm glad I stopped working for them - in fact working for them put me off working for corporations for life.
Good riddance
Bulldog: Bad Dog! Bad!
Here's hoping they drag down Pipex with them.
( I cancelled my account last October within the rules, and service was immediately discontinued, but despite 20+ phone calls to the BOARD OF DIRECTORS of Pipex, I am STILL getting bills every month! They agree the bills are wrong, but don't know how to stop the bills going out! )
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