Comments on: Demon Internet and their un-fair usage policy

By: paul shepheard

paul shepheard — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:50:08 +0000

Demon is like many large companys, the distance between its customers and its highest management might just as well be infinite.
Its extremely obvious that on top of everything noted here they have even missed the opportunity to make money.
I like many would gladly pay for higher limits.
There FAQ is woefully wrong out of date and leaves out so much needed detail about the true way it works its scary.
You can for instance download as much as you like between 12am and 9am they don’t go out of there way to mention that.
I have been capped 3 times now they don’t send out warning emails, if only they did that would help.
And they don’t throttle to 128kbps its more like 60kbs practically unusable you can absolutely wait for in excess of 5 minutes for a web page to load, and I am very seriously not exaggerating. Because they don’t tell you your about to go over when you do its an absolute nightmare. I run a business and need reliable dependable broadband and I get just that until this happens.
I realise this is a complete waste of my time but just in case there is a spark of entrepreneur alive somewhere in Demon. Offer a way for high users of bandwidth to purchase more bandwidth, and actually send the warning notices that you say you send that you in fact don’t, come on guys its not rocket science. If Demon were my company there would be a lot of vacancies right now, for sure.
Telling it the way it is, not how you imagine it.

By: scoob

scoob — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:53:59 +0000

Hi there – in answer to the Pedant there is a method of checking your download usage – I used to access it at something like usage.demon.net – you then piut in your user name and password and it’ll come up. The web address has no www. or http in front. Its also probably not that address either but you can get it from demon directly by emailing customer service or ringing them.
I left partially on price/speed grounds but mostly on download limits and am now contented with Sky and unlimited downloads.

By: The Pedant

The Pedant — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:10:47 +0000

Isn’t at least part of the problem here one of monitoring as much as anything else. Having now received two FUP warnings from Demon over the past two days, I’m wondering what tomorrow will hold in store. It would be useful if I could see how much we’ve downloaded in the past 24 hours. Without that it’s largely guesswork as to whether we’ll receive another warning (and possible throttling) tomorrow.

By: Peter Smith

Peter Smith — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:39:26 +0000

Demon are better than other ISP’s like BT that charge you for each GB over the limit. Also, since its a rolling 30 day period you should be back up to speed in 6 days, not 30.

By: Nick B

Nick B — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:19:39 +0000

They have just done the same to me and I can confirm everything said above.
Support – very polite but totally utterly useless.
Been with demon for over 15 years and as an IT bod I need my connection to connect to work. They cap me in the week when I need it most for work (Exchnage migration) – I cant connect to my office remotely now. I got the email telling me on the morning it was capped – no warnings – just an instant cap.
I am leaving immediately BUT..

I have the CEO’s email address and I’ve mailed him and I have a response – Ill post again if I get anywhere.
My point is the FUP says regular misuse will result in a cap. Not once – regular.
Demon used to be the choice of ISP for a IT person – I cant use them after this…
I feel like an idiot now as I have remained loyal to Demon all this time

By: Henry C

Henry C — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:58:47 +0000

I’ve also been with Demon Internet since it was 56k dial-up. However, since the Thus takeover their service quality has plummeted. The latest cock-up they orchestrated was over my account renewal in January. This happens automatically so when I suddenly stopped receiving mail last week I thought there was a technical glitch so emailed them with the details. I was then called by their Customer Services department 2 (2!) days later advising me that my credit card had failed, so they’d suspended the account! They also noted that they’d sent me two letters (not emails, even though they’re supposed to be an Internet company!) explaining there was a payment problem. I paid the outstanding account and my mail was restored.

The two letters arived 2 and 3 days later! Both had no dates on them and both had been sent by second class post!!

I think it’s very sad (but typical of the UK) how a company that used to be very good in its services and support becomes successful, gets bought by the corporate giant and then everything goes down the toilet.

I’ve submitted a formal complaint and recieved the normal “please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience or distress caused” guff, but no response to my challenge to them on “what are you going to do to convince me to remain as a customer?”.

Time to find a new ISP I think – any ideas who wins for speed, service and cost without having to change my phone line and satellite service as well?

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:14:26 +0000

Agreed. I have been a customer with demon internet since it was 56k dial up. I chose Demon ADSL Home Office as the price was competative, the UK based customer service was always excellent and the package was unlimited downloads at a high 8Mbps.

I have been a happy customer up until a year ago when they rate shaped Torret traffic down to 20Kbps and now have put in place a 60GB limit on downloads capping your connection to 128Kbps when exceeded. I have no notice of this and only found out when I called Technical support.

Technical Support has now been outsourced to India and they are all utterly useless. It took me over 45 minutes to speak to someone. They state they do not have control over thier own technology so they are unable to lift any 128Kbps caps.

Upon Speaking to customer services they state the only was to get around the issue is to purhcase the £40p/m business package. Let me see £40 p/m for the same diabolical service but with no download limit or O2 currently offer 20Mbps with no limit for £9.79p/m.

Demon were competative with great service, now they are overpriced and offer a shocking service.

I urge you to stay away. if your exchange supports local loop unbundling (O2 and Be) then go with these 20Mbps on thier own network with no limits and all for less than a tenner a month.

By: Scoob

Scoob — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:44:55 +0000

Hit the same problem as pretty much everyone else – several days off work = heavy download. As a reult I’ve fallen foul of the FUP. However I was never informed of this by Demon and spent several frustrating hours restarting computers, routers, running spyware scans et al. When I did eventually get through to a person in their call centre he never mentioned the FUP just got me to do all the above again whilst I expensively waited on hold. The next day I tried again and was informed I’d breached the FUP – after a few minutes of trying to work out how unlimited broadband can LEGALLY mean limited broadband I tossed my toys out of the pram and demanded my MAC. Having got that and that took being quite rude to several of the call centre people. If I want my MAC why are you not giving me one but instead burbling on about how long a costumer relationship we have etc. If I stopped paying them my access would be withdrawn and no matter how much I mentioned our long customer relationship nothing would get it back till I gave them money.
Anyway I’m now considering staying because they’re relatively cheap, better the devil you know etc. BUT I have downloaded a program called NetWorx which keeps account of my usage on this comp and reports it pretty well so I can see if I’m likely to hit my Unlimited usage cap.

By: Andy M

Andy M — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:21:50 +0000

I’ve been in touch with Demon only to find their support staff in India only read from a script and say they do not have the control to change anything? As I’m using BT, the only way I know of to connect to Demon Internet, any faults are always a BT fault.
After being passed around alot, I was told I would get a call back, the next day. I didn’t.
Called again a few days later and got the same run around and still awaiting a call back.
Can someone explain to me why I should pay for a call for something that is clearly a Demon Internet problem.
I think now Demon Internet, part of Thus, now part of Cable and Wireless? Is poor to say the least.
Customer Support was once a hall mark of the company. Sadly, I think Demon are over priced, lacking in business and customer focus and supplying a customer base to another more appretiative supplier, to be taken on.
I’ve been with Demon for along, long time, 10 maybe 15 or so years, and I would not wish them on anyone.
Shape up or Ship Out Demon Internet.

By: jmw

jmw — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:42:32 +0000

its not for a month its untill the last 30day average is below the downloading limit.
i had the same problem