Direct Save Home Broadband Reviews

Abysmal rude customer service. Check terms & conditions as they will charge £20 when you leave even when out of contract & £35 for the router they provide even though it's faulty.
Look else where as this company are very much amateurs!

I didn't realise just how bad this company was until I couldn't take it anymore and ended up just walking away & actively choosing not to pay them another penny.

Within a week I was threatened with court action (if you're reading this, DST, go nuts, OFCOM are aware of you and they have been sent every single call recording since I signed up with you) and they even had the nerve to charge me for an unreturned router! (£35 for something that is more useful as a paperweight) Never have I known a company do that, once again proving just what kind of penny-pinching scum actually run this diabolical company.

After much research, it turns out this is a rogue telecoms broker. Working (it seems) in primary conjunction with providers like Vodafone, which, funnily enough, is who I ended up going to directly within days of leaving DST. I've got the exact same package at around 30% cheaper, and the best part? No morally devoid, ignorant staff to deal with when there's a problem.

One of the funny things you'll notice about direct save (should you decide to sign yourself up to a 24 month typhoon of hell) is how quick they are to pick up the phone when calling the sales department, but as soon as you need help, you're on hold for at least half an hour. They lure you in with pricing (that genuinely seems to change slightly every time the sales agent repeats the cost to you) and then once you're signed, you're essentially their bitch. I hope you can read this and decide you're not going to become that.

The sad fact is, when I signed up to this company, I had an awful credit rating, so bad in fact, that I couldn't even convince a provider to sign me up even if I paid 50% of the contract up front. (Yep, that's how bad it was) so Direct Save Telecom were boasting about how credit wasn't an issue, I desperately needed internet so I signed up.

As soon as I agreed to the 24 month 38mb Fibre, that was it. Issues started. Charges were coming at me from nowhere and the tone of the "staff" went from "Welcome aboard!" to "Walk the plank, you scum".

Initially I was told my line would be up and running within a couple of days, it ended up being at least a fortnight. I was also told an engineer would not need to visit the property, it turns out they did and you won't be surprised they had the nerve to try and bill me for it - which i disputed and eventually didn't pay for it as I had to take a day off work to wait around for the engineer.

The engineer shows up, he's never even heard of Direct Save Telecom. Not only that, I got this look of "Do these clowns even know what they're doing?" When he saw I had been sent a Hub and no router (at the time, both were required). Let me just clarify the hub I was sent was a piece of... you know where I'm going with this. The cheapest rubbish you can imagine.

After 2 hours of the engineer trying to get it running, everything was ready to go but I still had no internet. I called Direct Save, and it must've taken another 2 hours on and off the phone, I literally had to go into settings on the router with an agent over the phone and do everything he said. In the end I got there, but shitting hell, never have I gone through such a ball-ache process to get an internet connection.

Within hours, I couldn't maintain a solid connection, it kept cutting out and losing signal, long story short I EVENTUALLY got a new router sent out which was then fine after.

Now, once the connection had settled and a new router was sent, the actual quality of the connection was really good, in fact, one of the most reliable I'd had. I realise I've given nothing but the negative side up until now, but credit where it's due - This is ultimately, why I ended up going to Vodafone DIRECTLY as soon as I left DST. (Oh, believe me, I also made Vodafone aware of what DST is doing, grossly mis-selling, over-charging, etc).

After a few days I suddenly had £10 leave my bank account, and guess who took it? So I called them up demanding to know why money has left my account, money which i was not informed about and asked what the hell it was for. I was told it was the rest of the "£60 connection fee" of which I paid £50 on the day I signed up. I knew nothing of this, as I was told on the phone that it costs £50 and THAT'S ALL. Fuming, I told them I want it back as I wasn't informed. They (hesitantly) refunded the money.

When the first direct debit left my account after 2 months ( should've been 3 months as I was promised 3 months free when I signed up, only got 2 - don't fall for this one either) I was billed for about £10 more than originally agreed. Yet again I found myself calling them and expressing my disappointment. I asked what this charge was for - Turns out they like to charge people for paper billing, admin costs, all sorts of crap that in reality is worth nothing and is just an excuse to see if they can squeeze a few extra pennies out of you. They are NOTORIOUS for this, as I continued to find out through the 14 months I tolerated them.

So again, I disputed, getting angrier by the minute. But me, being the naive muppet I was, brushed it off, accepted the refund and requested it not happen again. So another month went by, and guess what? ANOTHER HIGHER BILL ORIGINALLY AGREED. Bare in mind, I signed up to a contract that was around £33 per month. I don't recall ever seeing a bill for that amount.

I was reaching the end of my tether, I cancelled the direct debit and told them I will be calling every month to make a set payment on my card because I don't trust them to take the correct amount. Perfectly reasonable, right? Not in their eyes. I was told Direct Debit HAS to be in place in order to use their services (total bollocks, I know) and they would charge me extra every month if I didn't pay this way (weren't you doing that anyway?!)

So, another month passed and a couple of days before I planned to call to pay the bill, I went to my online bank to find more money had been taken from my account via direct debit. That's right, this company actually set up direct debits without my permission. TWICE. Highly illegal, which once again I have the call recording asking why they did it and got the response "You have to have direct debit to be with us, sir"

So a few more months passed and I kept cancelling it every time they set it up, more stress than I needed as you can imagine. In the end, I called Vodafone directly (the supplier they put me with) and explained the situation. Out of my own choice, I stopped paying direct save telecom as I believe in my mind it was never fit for purpose. (Be careful especially if you're signing up to evening and weekend calls as they WILL try to bill you for minutes used within the allowance, another sly trick in the hope you won't notice) I can't bare to think how many Vulnerable/Elderly people this company has scammed.

Now I'm with Vodafone directly and so far it has been smooth. I got my first bill and it says exactly £26 on it which is what I signed up to. It's a nice feeling, I imagine direct save are going to hound me with letters threatening me with court action if I don't pay, and to be honest, I have enough evidence of their shenanigans that I would GLADLY fight this in court. I'm not particularly bothered about a couple of hundred quid, but the word Principle couldn't be any more relevant than it is now.

I hope you are informed after reading this essay on what I believe to be single-handedly the worst company I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with.

My advice to you, if you really are desperate for internet, is be smart, act dumb. Record all your calls, take notes, make sure you document as much as you can because believe me, you will thank yourself (and me) later. If your credit rating is bad, suck it up if you can and just go without. It might do you some good :)

Very poor and very bad company. . They just took money for nothing. . IT'S A KIND OF CREETING .. I PAID THEM 109 POUNDS FOR VERY BAD SERVICE FOR ONLY 28 DAYS ..ACTUALLY NO SERVICE AT ALL. MY ADVICE NOT TO SIGN ANY CONTRACT WITH THEM.. THEY ARE CHEATER AND THEY ARE USING A KIND OF FRAUD.BEWARE .. USE ANY OTHER COMPANY BETTER THAN THEM

Like so many other reviewers on this site, my experience with Directsave Telecom has been utterly appalling.

When I decided to switch to another provider, I initially made the mistake of not giving 28 days notice, for which they charged £54.45 "admin fee" and router charge. As soon as I realised this, I used the new provider's cooling off period to cancel the switch, checking very carefully and repeatedly with Directsave that if I did this they would not take this charge. Their employee checked with the manager, confirmed that the charge would not be taken, and emailed confirmation.

Shortly afterwards the £54.45 was deducted from my account by direct debit.

Following multiple attempts to contact DST by phone, which were either unsuccessful or resulted in pointless conversations with people who knew nothing about my account, I cancelled the direct debit and gave 28 days notice to leave.

Since then (this was in November 2016) they have been sending me bills with the £54.45 still included, have demanded rudely that I send the router back, despite there being no mention of sending the router back anywhere in their Ts & Cs, and have billed me for service for the whole of November and December despite the fact that I left them in mid-November. In their latest bill they appear to threaten me with court action.

So ... like many others, my advice is DO NOT EVER, EVER THINK OF USING DIRECTSAVE - GO ANYWHERE ELSE.

By the way, I am now paying much less for 52 MB fibre than I was for 4MB with DirectSave.

Do not use this company. I have been with them for 18 months. They are trying to charge me £ 130 for engineer. Told me to buy my own router.... Still doesn't work. They are terrible, we still have no wifi!!! 18months later DO NoT USEever!!!!

I transferred to Direct save because Talktalk could not resolve problems with the phone line And when i applied to direct save i was told it would be a lot cheaper so far in five months they are trying to charge me £345 pounds they say i had engineer visits which i did not whe i questioned them about these visit and ask where are the job sheets which i would have signed for these visits i was to the don't operate that way so in fact the can bill you without any proof that the visit occurred i have told them thatb i am not prepared to pay for visits i have not had but i am told that the bill still stands i have been disconnected for 3 months now and they are still charging me for connection those of you who say direct save are tops must be the lucky ones i am not DirectSave do not live up to customers service that they promise the are slow if not at all to return a call the do not follow up on complaints they don't answer emails or letters that are sent but are quick to send court proceeding letters if you query bills that you dispute. Over all this provider can charge you what they like and expect you to pay with out question.

The initial experience of the company was ok - probably similar to other providers if expensive.

Upon leaving to move to another provider I was hit with charges for things I didn't order, exit fees and ultimately a Notice of Court Action despite the fact I was dealing directly with the operations manager (Lewis) who didn't resolve the issue and had no interest in resolving whatsoever.

When I complained again all I received was a very abrupt e-mail and no care at all whether I posted in Trust Pilot or not!

Unbelievable - avoid at all costs!!

After being let down with talktalk not fulfilling their promise i tuned to directsave. i have been with them 4 month and to be honest i dont get a great speed (9mbps) but at-least it was up on t/talks at a fraction of the cost...Lets hear the good for directsave.

Been with Direct Save for the best 3 years. No problems what so ever, all these people complaining is not true, there is nothing wrong with the service!

I HAVE BEEN WITH THIS COMPANY FOR SOME 9 YEARS AND IN THAT TIME I HAVE FOUND THEY ARE 100% BETTER THAN BT .ALL IF ANY PROBLEMS HAVE ALLWAYS BEEN SORTED OUT VERY QUICKLY AND THE STAFF ARE SECOND TO NONE .WHY DONT YOU ALL STOP GIVEING THEM A BAD TIME (TRY BEING POLITE AND NOT ABUSIVE OR BULLYING THE PERSON AT END OF PHONE ) .IT SEEMS TO ME YOU SPEAK TO THESE PEOPLE LIKE YOU BLAME THEM FOR EVERYTHING GOING WRONG IN YOUR OWN LIFE . THEY OFFER YOU A SERVICE WHICH IS CHEAPER THAN BT AND AT LEAST YOU GET TO TALK TO THEM BEFOR YOU ARE CUT OFF FROM YOUR BROADBAND . AS FOR OVER PAYMENTS WELL BT CHARGED ME £700 FOR 1 MONTHS INTERNET AND WOULD NOT EVEN TALK OR HELP RESOLVE THESE ISSUES .I HAVE NEVER BEEN OVERCHARGED OR CUT OFF DELIBERATLY BY DIRECT SAVE .KEEP THE GOOD WORK UP AND THANK YOU .
JACK

we had to install a temporary phone line during a renovation project, the rolling phone contract was perfect up and running on the same day as I ordered it

Truly awful customer service.This company should not be allowed to operate. They renegade on all verbal agreements and charges. They take monies from your direct debit that bear no relation to the prices quoted. They never return your calls. They blatantly lie to you and are so rude. When you ask them for proof of the extra costs they add to your account they put the phone down on you! DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM AS THEY ARE TOTALLY UNTRUSTWORTHY.

Direct Save got their billing wrong throughout the term of the contract then they deducted more than £300 from our account via Direct Debit even though the amount was in dispute. They said they would refund it but they didn't. We are now awaiting the end of the 8 week period before going to the ombudsman

Bad service in fact no service at all.no engineer .no call back.no email response .

Absolute load of rubbish. Stuck in a contract for another 6 months yet. Last 12 months have been hell. Internet that goes off for up to 48 hours at a time. Constantly losing connection.slow speed.when it does work it's poor at best. Customer services palm you off with restarting router every time this is a temporary fix as it just goes again within the hour. Router constantly flashing! They say the light stays solid when a good signal is made but never had that yet. Can't wait to be rid of this awful provider and go with someone else. Would pay more for reliable Internet as we use it for work and home life. Don't waste your time even phoning these guys they set you up super quick and call you a lot in first few days to ensure all is well.....so you think they are a good company.... false sense of security believe me it's all been down hill since then.

Poor Customer Experience so far. Took a chance having read poor reviews as Cheap. Phone activated within 3 days,
Router arrived after 7 days. Not responded to request for Broadband Activation Date. Lack of overall Communication, Billed me an unexpected additional charge. Not Answering EMails. Think may have made mistake, neighbour doing much better with Sky. Ray

This company should not be allowed to operate and Of-com sitting back doing nothing. Their customer service is below poor, they never respond to any email and they cannot be trusted as they do not deliver what they say they would. I have suffered a great deal of stress trying to talk to a manager who seemed to be always unavailable

I have been with DST for many years and only had a couple of minor broadband issues which were resolved quickly and professionally. So I was a bit bemused when reading the poor reviews initially"........but recently I had to call technical support and the usual competent technical.person appears to have been replaced with someone from the "turn it off and on again" team. Also I wanted to upgrade to fibre but the Sales team don't handle that and said I should contact customer services but refused to transfer me. I now know why.........I spent 15 mins every day for 6 days trying to contact them without any success. I resorted to requesting a callback. Five days later I got an email saying I should call them!!! WTF something has changed this year and not in a good way.

After 9 months and 3 complains about broadband speed I was told by somebody from customer servoses thay would cancel 12 month deal and for me to find another surplyer so having paid land line up front I have asked for rebait on service I have not received to make things worse if had phone call today asking y I'm leaving them having had request off new supplier to take over line .having been in business for 28 yrs I'm sure if I treated my customers like direct save I would have not lasted as long I would not recommend this company to anybody as customer care and complains department not botherd .did try to find out who owns company but no luck so obvious thay take our money and run after giving us all the lies thay can blaming everyone but their company Yours unhappily GRAHAM KEIGHTLEY

Two serious complaints addressed to a supervisor have never been answered
Customer service rating 0