I recently had to move ISP after Slingshot increased their prices inside the contract period. So I decided on Sky and signed up via their website. Skys signup website told me that they could see that I already had fibre at my address, so I expected it would be a simple transfer after filling in the form.

I arranged the date to be 5 days before my next billing period with Slingshot. Near the date I emailed Slingshot to let them know I was moving ISP and told them it was Sky, including the address and account details etc . I also emailed them a few days after the switch as I hadn’t heard back from them.  However I was previously told that when a transfer occurs, the old ISP will be notified automatically and will cancel the account, and that was confirmed by Slingshot as well.

 I however have just received a bill from Slingshot and they haven’t canceled my account even though my internet is now with Sky. They have told me that Sky have set up my Internet on LAN2, and my existing connection is on LAN1, and Sky have set it up as a new connection instead of a transfer, so I now have two internet connections and paying for both. When I contacted Sky they said that Slingshot should have told them that it was a transfer.  Slingshot have said that Sky should have done it as a transfer, not as a new connection. So they are blaming one another.

I asked a Sky manager to phone me back as I couldn’t get a straight answer why it hadn’t been processed as a transfer.  I was told one would phone in a hour as they were all in meetings,  but they didn’t get back to me. When I phoned back to find out why I hadn’t been contacted, I was told that their managers only work until 4pm and had now left.  This is the 2nd time in a row when I have changed ISP, where  it has gone wrong and ended up wasting hours of my time to sort out. Last year I ended up without internet for a day after the transfer to Slingshot went wrong. I did contact Chorus about what process SKy should have followed but there doesn’t appear there are any standards or processes that ISPs must follow when it comes to transferring a fibre connection.

Anyone know who is actually at fault here?  Last time I did a transfer last year,  Chorus emailed me a feedback form and wanted to know how the transfer process went. I told them about the problems and they said they would look at improving things.  But when I phoned them today the woman I spoke to didn’t seem very interested and said Chorus only deals with physical ONT installations,  and said it was an issue with the ISPs