Code of Practice

Code of Practice Regarding Complaint Handling and Dispute Resolution for Domestic and Small Business Customers

Ofw 248

1: Introduction
	Who the provider is, with a brief introduction to what it does and provides: Ask4 Limited, a company registered in England with number 03980594, providing internet access to student halls of residence including IPTV, secure online storage, enhanced computer gaming access, VoIP and other related online services
2: Contact details
	Postal address of major office: 4 Milton Street Sheffield S1 4JU Customer service phone number(s): 0845 123 8713 or Text ‘Help Me’ to 07797 800 545 Customer service e-mail: customerservices@ask4.com Web site: www.ask4.com
3: Terms and conditions, including prices and tariffs	Terms and conditions are available at http://www.ask4.com/students/terms/. Prices vary from site to site and are available clearly displayed as part of the online sign-up process or in the reception of the Hall of Residence and can be found at portal.ask4.com. The one-off fees cover the period from sign-up to the end of the student’s initial tenancy in hall. In some cases the Ask4 Base service is included in the room rental. A summer service may be available on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. VoIP is charged on a pre-paid basis. Charges vary from site to site and are available clearly displayed on the Ask4 website or in the reception of the Hall of Residence.
Our services	List the range of services, including any maintenance service (e.g. repairs), with description and which of these is subject to a periodic rental charge or subscription charge, with appropriate contact details for further information: Services include broadband internet access, IPTV, secure online storage, enhanced computer gaming access, VoIP and other related online services Subscription fees include access to the Ask4 help desk which is UK based and open 8.00 - 22:00 Monday to Friday and 10:00 – 20:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day are excluded. The help desk can be accessed by telephone on 0845 123 8710 or by email to support@ask4.com. In addition, if the customer sends an SMS (text message) ‘Help Me’ from a mobile telephone to 07797 800 545 the help desk will make a return telephone call to the mobile telephone.
Access	Brief explanation of how the customer can obtain these services (including overall access) and how to order them: Sign-up to the broadband internet access and online services is done online. The customer is provided with a ‘Getting Started’ CD as part of the move-in process. When the customer connects his/her computer to the dedicated wall socket in the bedroom in the hall of residence, the customer is directed to the sign-up portal automatically. Payment can be made online by credit or debit card or by purchasing a voucher from Ask4 representatives or hall staff. A voucher may be provided by the hall operator as part of the tenancy arrangements. Access to support services is as set out above.
Pricing information Standard tariffs (including special discounts and special and targeted tariff schemes) should either be included, or the customer should be advised of how to obtain them.	List here (include information for all services and products offered): Prices vary from site to site and are available clearly displayed as part of the online sign-up process and in the reception of the Hall of Residence. The one-off fees cover the period from sign-up to the end of the student’s initial tenancy in hall. In some cases the Ask4 Base service is included in the room rental. Use in the summer months is charged on a daily weekly or monthly basis. VoIP is charged on a pre-paid basis. Charges can be found on the Ask4 website, go to portal.ask4.com, or from hall staff.
Contract conditions Including any relevant minimum contract period and how service can be cancelled.	Standard conditions: Terms and conditions are available at http://www.ask4.com/students/terms. The one-off fees cover the period from sign-up to the end of the student’s initial tenancy in hall. Use in the summer months is charged on a daily weekly or monthly basis. The service is for a fixed period corresponding to the student’s initial occupation of the hall of residence. Customers have the right to cancel and receive a full refund during a 14 day cooling-off period following the first receipt of the service by telephoning the help desk. After the end of the cooling-off period customers can cancel the service at any time by telephoning the help desk but will only be entitled to a refund of fees where cancellation is due to a breach by Ask4 of its obligations. VoIP is charged on a pre-paid basis and there is no minimum contract period. Ask4 has the right to terminate the user agreement in the event that the customer is in material breach of his/her obligations or commits persistent breaches of his/her obligations. If the user agreement is cancelled in this way no refund of fees will be made.
4: Customer service
Compensation or refund policy	Any compensation and/or refund policy, including specific details of any compensation and/or refund schemes offered: No contractual compensation is offered. Customers have the right to cancel and receive a full refund during a 14 day cooling-off period following the first receipt of the service. If customers cancel the service after the end of the cooling-off period they will only be entitled to a refund of fees where cancellation is due to a breach by Ask4 of its obligations
Complaint handling processDescribe in relation to public electronic communications services for domestic and small business customers.	If you should have cause to complain about our service, please note the following: Ask4 agrees in its standard terms and conditions to comply with the Code of Practice set out in this document and in particular to deal with any complaints relating to the provision of any services provided by Ask4 in accordance with this Code of Practice. The customer should address any complaint by email to support@ask4.com or by letter to the Complaints Officer at 4 Milton Street Sheffield S1 4JU. AsK4 is a member of CISAS (Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme). Any dispute that cannot be resolved by negotiation will be referred to CISAS for their decision. Ask4 is bound to accept the decision of CISAS.
Alternative dispute resolution procedureDetails of alternative dispute resolution arrangements in relation to the provision of public electronic communications services to domestic and small business customers.	If we have not resolved your complaint to your satisfaction after 12 weeks or if you have received a letter from us saying that your complaint has reached “deadlock”, you may make a complaint through CISAS, an independent alternative dispute resolution scheme. We can provide you with details of this service. For further information on CISAS go to http://www.cisas.org.uk. Or write to CISAS c/o Dispute Resolution Services The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 12 Bloomsbury Square London WC1A 2LP Telephone 020 7421 7432 E-mail kkorubo@arbitrators.org or mekpenyong@arbitrators.org Web site: http://www.arbitrators.org/cisas/index.asp
5: How to obtain this Code of Practice
	This Code of Practice is published on our Web site at http://www.ask4.com/students/codeofpractice/.Additional copies are available on request and free of charge to any domestic and small business customer. It is also available in large print by calling the help desk
6: Contact details of related organisations

7: Additional information	This code of practice applies to customers of Ask4 who are resident in student halls of residence only. There is a separate code of practice for customers of Ask4 residing in multi-tenanted residential property.
	This Code has been approved by Ofcom for the purposes of section 52 of the Communications Act 2003. The Guidelines for producing codes of practice are on Ofcom’s Web site at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/g_a_regime/gce/ccodes/ccodes.pdf