Shame on you Demon Internet

Shame on you Demon

Woeful customer service since the Vodafone takeover

Like many early adopters I was thrilled with the service offered by Demon in the early nineties.  Cliff Stanford and his team produced the first "real" ISP that was accessible by all and offered decent modem based access coupled with proper technical support and customer service.

Flash forwards around 20 years and the present day Demon couldn't be further from the original thing.  As a reseller I've seen things steadily decline since Cable and Wireless sunk their teeth in and features such as a dedicated partner support line disappear without a trace.

Ironically, in this case I wanted assistance with my home ADSL connection.  This has been with them in one form or another since it was first available as a pilot in Surrey in 2001.  Time has marched on and thanks to (I won't say "the wonders" as I can't bring myself to use this expression when mentioning BT in any guise) the local BDUK initiative FTTC is finally available in my area.  Since this isn't a Demon offering I telephoned for a MAC code to start the ball rolling.

I think the Customer Service department is probably the biggest contradiction in terms I've recently had the misfortune to encounter.  To be disinterested and apathetic in one thing; to actually be positively proactive in trying to make a consumer's life difficult is quite another.

First, the dreaded security check - I'm sure I did set up a security phrase on the account.  Sadly I can't remember what this is and in an almost Michael McIntyre sketch moment I'm forced to recall a number of vague details about the service and its payment.  To add insult to injury this takes the best part of 10 minutes owing to some kind of systems meltdown.

When I finally penetrate the first line of defense and state my request - "I'd like a MAC code please" I'm greeted with the type of response that I'm not even sure I would discredit BSkyB with with.  

Agent:

"I will need to take your details so one of our customer retention team can call you back - they will do this within the next 48 hours" (bearing in mind this is 4pm, Friday afternoon). 

Me:

"But surely you can just give me a MAC code, you can create them dynamically and just drop me an email"

Agent:

"Ofcom says that we have up to 48 hours to produce a MAC code"

Pretty sure that starting to quote regulatory information within the first minute of answering a customer query doesn't feature in any literature I have ever read about customer service.

To spare you the entire painful debacle, I will summarise the next next ten minutes of call resulting in me swearing and hanging up:

- I complain and tell them not to quote Ofcom at me, gently tell them that I'd like to try and get my FTTC migration sorted over the weekend.

- Brick wall

- I complain and let the agent know this is shoddy service and what I think of the service level since the Vodafone takeover

- Brick wall

- I point out that I wouldn't migrate from them if they had a fibre offering.

- Brick wall

- I ask to speak to the agent's supervisor

- Placed on hold for approx 5 minutes

- Agent comes back and tells me that as I haven't successfully cleared security (i.e. I don't know the mystery word), the supervisor won't speak to me (WTF???)

- I point out that I have cleared everything else, that I understand that it's Friday afternoon and they don't want to deal but please, help me out here.....

- Agent still flatly refuses

- I ask how this can be resolved as I need to be able to clear security, can I send something on company letterhead etc. etc.

- Agent advises me to email enquiries@ www dot demon dot net

- I laugh and ask if he actually knows what he's advised me

- Final brick wall of flat refusal to help.  Basically points me to the enquiries form on the website.

- I swear at the agent and hang up.

I'm presently waiting eagerly for my 48 hours to elapse and find out if someone is going to phone me, else I suspect a call to corporate complaints coming on or perhaps I will just post a link to a recording of the call on their Twitter feed to see what occurs!

Oh how the mighty have fallen - Cliff and his friends (some of whom I should point out are my friends too!) would be disgusted at what their brainchild has become.

Avoid Demon / Vodafone Internet like the plague my friends - I may even recommend TalkTalk in preference, and that's saying something!