Sales and Marketing Code of Practice
1. Pipex Homecall – Background
Pipex Homecall is a company registered in England (company number 4063120).
Pipex Homecall is part of the Tiscali group of companies. The Broadband and Voice Division of Pipex Communications Group were acquired by Tiscali U.K. Holdings in July 2007.
Although we have changed ownership, the current business remains unaffected and continues its focus on the provision of quality broadband and residential telephone services.
2. Purpose of Code of Practice
This code of practice provides a summary of Pipex Homecall products and the standards which we are committed to delivering for our customers. This code contains useful information about how Pipex Homecall provisions and supports it services, including our contact details, terms and conditions, cancellation policy, billing information, and internet usage.
This code of practice will be reviewed and updated if necessary, on a quarterly basis.
3. Our Services
Pipex Homecall provides a comprehensive range of telephony and broadband products to UK residential customers. For the most up to date information, please refer to our website at www.homecall.co.uk. All Pipex Homecall Broadband products include email access. Customers also receive an amount of webspace to design web features. The size of webspace is dependent upon the service taken.
To be eligible for our service, you must have a BT or similar telephone line if you wish to order a Pipex Homecall product. Please note all cable telephone lines and Kingston Communications do not support Pipex Homecall products and services
The use of Pipex Homecall residential accounts for business purposes is strictly prohibited.
Ordering Pipex Homecall Products and Services
- You can order our products and services online at www.homecall.co.uk
- You can initiate an order on the telephone with our dedicated Sales Teams who are available to provide professional, friendly advice and information on all of our products
- A limited range of Pipex Homecall products are available within P4U stores nationwide
Dedicated Sales Teams: 0871 663 3300
Technical Support Teams: 0871 663 3300
Opening Hours
Sales: 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday & 8am - 5pm Saturday & Sunday
Technical Support: 8am - 9pm Monday to Friday & 9am - 6pm Saturday
Pricing Information
Pipex Homecall will ensure that all pricing information provided clearly states which charges are included and excluded. We will also make all reasonable endeavours to ensure that all pricing is accurate and up to date at the time it is published.
A timescale of 30 days notice will be communicated following proposed changes in product prices/service provision.
Service Provision & Information
Pipex Homecall is committed to ensuring that the service you purchase is available for use as much as is reasonably possible. We actively monitor the performance of our services, and where possibly, we notify affected customers using System Announcements.
These are announced on our phone system when dialling the support teams on 0871 663 3300 and are also available on our Internet Site.
Customer Satisfaction
Pipex Homecall welcomes comments and feedback on all aspects of our products, service and customer experience. Engaging with our customers is a vital ingredient of our Company's philosophy. Please feel free to send your comments to: care@pipex.net
You can also write to our Customer Care team on the contact details shown below.
4. Our Key Commitments
Commitment to Quality
Our service delivery ethos is about much more than providing you with a service and leaving it to manage itself. We have always been committed to delivering quality throughout every aspect of our operations - from initial phone contact to pre- and post-sales support. This continued commitment is reflected in Pipex Homecall achieving registration to ISO 9001:2000 by the British Standards Institute after an assessment visit in December 2003.
The purposes of these commitments are:
- To provide you with a standard of protection over and above that provided by law;
- To ensure that our sales and marketing activities are practiced in a responsible manner and deliver good practice;
- to help you understand more about our services and the quality of service you should expect in every contact with Pipex Homecall;
Our commitments within these Codes deal with any concerns arising before, during and at the point of sale, with particular emphasis on the avoidance of mis-selling and misrepresentation. Our main aim is to ensure that you understand the services offered and the key terms of any contracts you are entering into.
Our Commitment to you
Pipex Homecall believes in providing the highest levels of customer service and satisfaction. We are constantly reviewing our services and processes in order to provide our customers with the best service available today. Should a customer require any assistance, Pipex Homecall has dedicated Technical Support & Customer Service teams that are staffed by highly trained, friendly people who are there to help. Contact information is shown above.
- Customer approaches may occur in a wide range of ways e.g. by TV, radio or press advertising, promotions in shops or shopping centres, post, fax, electronic mail, telephone or in person. Regardless of the way in which sales and marketing activities are conducted, we are committed to acting responsibly.
- Your wishes will be respected where you have registered with any relevant preference service, including the Mailing Preference Service, the Telephone Preference Service, the Fax Preference Service and the E-mail Preference Service
- Our advertising and promotions will comply with the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion. All our advertising and promotional literature will be clear, unambiguous, accurate and fair, containing no false or misleading information about price, value or service. We will not denigrate other Providers.
- All our Sales representatives will be recruited and trained in a manner consistent with the procedures set out in this Code
- All our Sales representatives will comply with the Rules of Conduct described in this Code.
- We will comply fully with all applicable legislation of relevance with the Sales and Marketing of our services.
- We will retain all sales and marketing campaign records for six months, including the date and the approximate time of any contact, in order to deal with any complaints or queries that arise about our activities.
- Any agreement can only be made to persons aged 18 and over, payment being made from a residential UK bank account by Direct Debit.
- Any agreement forms will be designed such that the contractual nature of the document is clear to you.
- We will carry out regular audits of systems, procedures and documentation to ensure that we are acting compliantly with all the commitments in this Code.
As a responsible Company, Pipex Homecall follows the guidelines of the UK Communications Industry Regulator OFCOM. Please visit their site for more information.
Office of Communication
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA
Website: www.ofcom.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7981 3000
Fax: 020 7981 3333
5. Our Commitments on Recruitment and Training of Sales Agents
In recruiting sales agents involved in direct contact with you, we will ensure they have been carefully selected with due care having regard to the following:
- behaviour and appearance, recognising that the sales person may be seen as the ‘public face’ of the industry;
- security – references and relevant convictions for criminal offences to be checked and taken into account;
- evidence of mis-selling or lack of integrity in any previous selling employment.
For UK sales employees the following requirements will need to be observed:
- the applicant must provide proof of NI number, proof of address and two references;
- referees cannot be related to the applicant;
- business referees must not both be from the same company;
- If a sales person transfers to another company, a copy of his or her records will be retained for a minimum period of three years. The identification badges of staff leaving the company should be returned.
For sales-staff not based in the UK, equivalent procedures are applied.
We will ensure that all Sales Agents in direct contact with consumers undertake training courses to ensure that any relevant advice given by such person about our services is not misleading. Topics covered will include:
- arrangements for competition in the supply of telecommunications in the UK;
- the services we offer and how these differ from other competitive telecoms products;
- the process for ordering our services;
- the relevant principles of consumer protection law;
- the prices charged for our services and our terms and conditions of service and, in particular, methods of payment, duration of contract and any termination fees;
- the nature, and cost, of any additional services on offer;
- the process for cancelling the contract both during the cooling-off period and at any time following commencement of the service
- our complaints process
All sales agents will be regularly monitored for quality purposes. In the case of call centre sales staff, a minimum of 1 call per week will be reviewed. Monitoring records must be maintained to record the results and corrective action, if any, arising from the process.
The way we pay our Sales Agents will not encourage poor sales practice and non-compliance with the commitments in this Code.
6. Our Rules of Conduct
General
- Sales Representatives must clearly identify the business (Pipex Homecall) and the purpose of the contact at the beginning of the conversation.
- Sales Representatives must be courteous, use appropriate language and offer clear and straightforward explanations. Representatives must cease contact with any person who indicates that the contact is inconvenient, unwelcome, inappropriate or too long.
- Sales Representatives must take care to ensure that customers entering into contractual agreement understand all details and information provided to them.
- Sales representatives must not sell to vulnerable individuals. Calls to individuals who clearly do not understand or are confused by the call must be politely ended.
- Sales representatives must not direct sales to those who are under the legal age for entering into contracts (under 18).
- Sales representatives must ensure that the person agreeing to the sale is authorised to do so by being the account holder or confirming that they are an authorised decision maker for that household.
- Sales representatives must ensure they don’t give out false or misleading information about price, value or service or denigrate or make false allegation against other providers.
- At the customers’ request, full written information about tariffs must be made available.
Rules specific to Telephone Sales
- No telephone to new customers should be made outside the hours of 08.00 to 21.00, unless a customer requests otherwise. Telephone calls at weekends must be limited to 09.00 to 17.00 on Saturday and should not be made on Sunday.
- Sales representatives must immediately identify themselves, the company they represent (Pipex Homecall) their purpose and the expected duration of the call.
Rules specific to all face-to-face sale
- Customers should be given clear information in writing covering details of who we are and the services we are offering, including current prices. Details should also be provided on how any services will be delivered to you and the terms and conditions of supply - including your rights to cancel.
- If Customers agree to take our services, they should be provided with a copy of the agreement at that time.
- Customers should be alerted to the existence of this Code. If you require a copy of this Code, we will arrange for you to receive one free of charge.
Rules specific to Web Based Sales
- The sign up process via the website must be through secure web pages.
- The website should provide a clear hyperlink to the Pipex Homecall privacy policy and to all relevant information about the service, including full terms and conditions.
7. The Transfer Process and your Rights to Cancel
If you order our services, we will send you a Welcome Pack and notice of transfer letter in accordance with the industry-agreed process. This will inform you of the full details of the transfer including:
- phone numbers affected;
- expected timing of switchover;
- our contact details
You have a ten day ‘cooling-off’ period during which you can cancel your agreement with us before your services are transferred from your current supplier. We will not apply any charges for such cancellations.
You are permitted to cancel orders and terminate contracts by telephone, in writing, by e-mail.
We will review the procedures by which contracts are agreed and take appropriate steps to prevent recurrence of any problem identified.
8. If you have a Complaint
Although we pride ourselves on our standard of service, we may occasionally get it wrong. If you're unhappy with the service you've received, please tell us and we will do all we can to resolve the matter quickly and satisfactorily.
We will always try to resolve the matter during your first telephone call but if we can't; we will give you an approximate timescale and return your call.
If you're not satisfied with the way we've handled your complaint, please ask to speak to the manager of the customer services team.
If you feel your complaint has not been resolved and you remain unhappy please refer to our Complaints Code of Practice.
Complaints about this Code
If you believe we have failed to meet our commitments regarding our Sales and Marketing activities, please contact
Gary Rodgus, Customer Relations:
Telephone: 0871 663 3300
E-mail: care@homecall.co.uk
Web: www.homecall.co.uk
Address: Pipex Homecall Limited, Christie Fields, Derwent Avenue, Manchester, M21 7QS
9. Disclaimer
Pipex Homecall take every care to ensure that the content of this document is correct at the date of publication, but accepts no liability for any error or omission therein. Pipex Homecall products and services are continually under development, and for this reason published information may sometimes not be fully up to date.
Please therefore check the latest situation either by visiting our web site at www.homecall.co.uk or by telephoning our Customer Services Department on 0871 663 3300
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