Stay away from onspeed.com
June 15th, 2006
Onspeed is a tool for speeding up web access. This is useful if you are on GPRS (i.e. pay on bandwidth services) as it uses compression to reduce the size of web and email transfers.
I tried it out last year as I do a lot of GPRS access, but found that web pages are still too expensive to really use, and email can be screened using download headers. It was also incompatible with the anti-virus I was using at the time.
Around Xmas it started popping up an alert window telling me to pay to upgrade to get a better version. Every time I connected. So I removed it, and found the web browsers seemed to start up quicker.
But the most annoying part is the email I just recieved saying that the year of service is up. They were going to bill automatically. If my card details had changed I could click a link and change them. To cancel though you have to phone up to their national rate number. In fact:
Please note: to cancel your automatic renewal, you must call ONSPEED. Requests via e-mail, fax or post will not be actioned.
Well thats lovely isn’t it. I sign up online but can’t cancel on line. I spent 5 minutes waiting in a queue to cancel this. I could write them a letter but they will IGNORE it.
Think carefully. Do you want to want to get involved with a company that doesn’t respond to written requests to stop charging you?
I got the same email and agree that this is not just about bad customer service, but they actually try to trick you into forgetting about the subscription or making you stay on because of the hassle of cancelling. Reasons why I believe this is the case:
- despite having an onlyne account/control panel it does not provide an option to cancel your subscription
- when signing up I really wasn’t aware that auto-renewal was mandatory, bu then I admit I didn’t read the terms and conditions in detail
- almost as if they expect users not to know that they signed up for aut-renewal they include the following line in the remainder email: “Automatic renewal is covered within ONSPEED’s standard Terms and Conditions.”
But when I went to the trouble of looking up the terms and conditions I found the following: “11.5 You may inform us in writing (including by email) at any time that:
(a) you wish to stop using the Service immediately; or
(b) you do not wish to use the Service after the end of the Minimum Period or the then current Additional Period as the case may be.”
I wonder if stipulating not to process written cancellations is not only a nuisance but actually illegal, espacially if you announce something different in the terms and conditions. I wrote to ONSPEED about that but haven’t received an answer yet.
You find the terms and coditions at http://www.onspeed.com/en/tandc.php
Comment by Bgx — June 21, 2006 @ 9:40 am
Very interesting. I was looking at going the VISA route as i think you could be pretty sure that not responding to written requests would be frowned on. What I forgot to put in the original article of course was that the number was 0870, so the company was taking a cut of the cost of the call.
Comment by Ian — June 21, 2006 @ 10:10 am
I’m trying to cancel from this now and I can’t get through on their international number. Am I calling wrong? Its really annyoing. I don’t know how I’m going to get ahold of them if the number they give doesn’t even work. I need to cancel by Next Thrusday Aug 17 or they will charge my card again. The service sucks i didn’t even notice a difference, or it was such a small of a difference that it wasn’t worth it.
Comment by Denise — August 12, 2006 @ 4:19 pm
Very interesting Ian. I too was looking at onspeed but will stay away! Thanks for the info’!
Comment by Jane — September 15, 2006 @ 10:47 am
I live in Ireland and use a prepay credit card for all online trasactions this removes all that hassle.
Comment by jim — October 17, 2006 @ 9:30 am
Jim…your solution sounds good..can you tell me which card to use? I’m thinking of using ONSPEED as dial-up is pretty hopeless in Greece and broadband is not available where I live…cheers
Comment by Stuart — October 18, 2006 @ 11:47 am
I Used onspeed for 18months & was prepaid untilFeb 2008.However onspeed tried to takeover every programme,eventually crashing everything & I had to reinstall everything from scratch
I sent them an e mail saying I knew they were experimenting–I had read this in a MAGAZINE, & WERE TRYING TO PUT IT RIGHT. they replied saying they were cancelling my contract but would not charge me further! Cheeky considering I was paid in advance! I told them I would let people know–as they had asked,& about the bad service.
Comment by DON hunter — July 29, 2007 @ 9:23 am
Hi Guys, If you are experiencing difficulties in cancelling with these ‘crooked people’, contact your credit card provider/s, and inform them that you wish that ‘NO’ more money can be extracted from your account to this company. Problem solved. Onspeed, CANNOT take money from your account once you have informed your credit card to NOT allow this transaction. Hope this helps. ReggieRareBreed. XXX
Comment by ReggieRareBreed — October 7, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
I live in North Cyprus and am amazed that so many are influenced by just one guy who may have a big chip on his shoulder. I have been with Onspeed for about 3 years and have always found them honest and efficient…..they have my credit card detail but never charge without checking with me.
Harry Dodds catalkoy mersin 10
Comment by harry dodds — March 10, 2008 @ 9:33 am
I have been trying to cancel my subscription to Onspeed for the last 5 days. I, too, have had no response from Onspeed, their telephone number is obsolete and the only response I have had is from a company of which I have no knowledge asking me for personal details. I told them I was not willing to divulge information to them, so I then came to a brick wall. Eventually, I went on to onspeed website, clicked on live contact and had an almost immediate reply. The lady informed me that my account would be immediately cancelled !!! I found it difficult to believe, after many e-mails and phone calls to my Bank, that hopefully I have now been successful. I will, of course check with my bank that Onspeed has not taken any money from my account. I really began to suspect that this might be a scam and waspreparing myself to take it further. I really believe that this company should be investigated.
Comment by Sue Barnes — March 11, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
The automatic renewal is part of the ONSPEED Terms and Conditions. Prior to renewing your account we sent out an email requesting you to contact us should you not wish to renew. When we did not receive any response we charged the card.
Comment by Karan — April 5, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
Well Karan - That is not good enough.
What if, like I did - bought the product 4 -5 years ago? I dont use or have the program any more and have got a new email adress???
Onspeed have just taken 49.99 dollars from my VISA card.
Comment by Jette — April 10, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
Had a shock when I was debitted £24.99 this year, must have missed it last year. I like others have a new computer E.Mail address and server, so did not receive renewal notifications.
However as one of the above advised, I contacted Onspeed through their chat line and the matter was solved painlessly and quickly.
Jack
Comment by JACK — July 11, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
My mother has just been charged £24.99 for this service. Someone has taken the money from her debit card; she is 74 and does not even own a computer.
Unable to call these people and am having to rely on them answering my message.
Very worrying for an old lady getting over a stroke.
Comment by Wanda — August 10, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
Onspeed caused my computer severe broadband connection problems. Then i discovered I’d been debited £24.99 via automatic renewal (which can be unticked, i’ve since discovered) but, hey, isn’t it part of the terms and conditions?). Ho hum will now try to get my money back.
Comment by Paul — August 23, 2008 @ 9:36 pm
Hi, just been caught by the same scam. Hadn’t used Onspeed for 2 years then wallop £24.99 on my credit card. Got that used to deleting their e-mails that I missed the one that said if I didn’t say they would automatically renew my contrat. Feel I have been well and truly duped and am trying to get a refund. Steer clear!
Comment by Mark — October 8, 2008 @ 8:36 pm