CODE OF PRACTICE
1. INTRODUCTION
This code of practice provides you with clear and useful information on us, the services we provide, and key parts of our terms and conditions.
2. WHO THIS CODE OF PRACTICE APPLIES TO
This code of practice applies to all end-users of our broadband or voice services in the UK. It does not apply to our data centre services or IT support services where we don’t provide a telecommunication service.
3. WHO WE ARE
We are Ask4 Limited, a company registered in England with number 03980594. Our registered office is Devonshire Green House, 14 Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield S1 4JL. In some cases, for example if you are a business customer, we may act through one of our group companies.
4. THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE
We provide wired and wireless internet access to multi-tenanted residential buildings. We also provide related online services such as VoIP services. Further details on the services we provide are set out below:
THE INTERNET SERVICE
The Services shall enable you to connect the Registered Devices to the Internet by either a Wired Connection and/or by 4Wireless as shall be stated in the Service Information.
The Service will not be compatible with or support the use or connection of connected devices such as wireless speakers or printers or the use of TV casting devices.
The Service is necessary for you to be able to subscribe to any Additional Services.
We aim that the 4Wireless service will be available but cannot guarantee this.
The number of Registered Devices depends on our Agreement with the Owner and/or if you subscribe to any Additional Service. This will be confirmed in the Service Information.
Please note our service relies on power being provided to the rooms within your accommodation where we have active equipment (often called a “comms” or server room).
This means in some cases where the power issue is localised, our service will continue to work if you have no power within your unit. However, in limited cases, you equally may not have service where power is available to your room but not the “comms” or server rooms within your accommodation.
If making calls or accessing the internet is critical to you when there's a power cut, please make sure you have access to an alternative battery-powered technology, such as a mobile phone.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
4Network
4Network allows the devices registered to your ASK4 account to be able to communicate with one another over the wired and wireless network within your accommodation.
This means that you can connect your devices within your own virtual, private and secure wireless network via the building’s shared infrastructure, facilitating the use of devices like digital media players (e.g Chromecast), network-enabled printers, wireless speaker systems and Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems.
Without enabling 4Network, your wireless devices will be able to connect to the Internet but won’t be able to see or connect with each other.
4Backup
4Backup is an unlimited backup service that we offer via Livedrive.
4Backup keeps a copy of your files securely online and lets you view them from any web browser, anywhere. You can install it in minutes and once it’s installed it works in the background to back up your files.
4Connect
4Connect is an add-on service that enables a resident to register and connect multiple devices (e.g. iPads, games consoles, laptops)
4Voice
4Voice allows you to make calls over your internet connection.
Please note the service may be used to connect to emergency services by dialling 999 but the connection may not be to the emergency services centre closest to you and the service should not be relied on as the only means of calling emergency services as the functionality of the service depends on the availability of power, the internet connection and other factors outside of our control.
Support
We’ll provide assistance by telephone, email, text message or by other means we may determine to enable access to the Service and Additional Services via the Registered Devices
We may, at our absolute discretion, provide for support engineers to assist you at your Residence, but we are not required to do so.
We can only support access for Compatible Devices and we cannot provide general support for any Registered Device outside of support to get it to connect to the Services or Additional Services.
We cannot provide support for software installed on any Registered Device or any peripheral devices connected to any Registered Device.
We cannot assist with any virus, Trojan, Adware or other malicious software infection or any fault arising out of the use of any Registered Device.
5. OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS
We may have slightly different terms depending on the type of service you take or the country you’re based in. All our terms and conditions that apply to student or residential customers are available at: https://support.ask4.com/hc/en-gb/articles/18743176085789-Terms-and-Conditions.
Business customers can obtain a copy of our terms and conditions on request by contacting: info@ask4.com.
6. OUR PRICES AND TARIFFS
At most student accommodation, the internet access we provide is included within the rent paid to the accommodation provider.
Where we charge for internet access or if you purchase additional services, the price will depend on the building to which we are providing our service. These prices will be clearly displayed as part of the online sign-up process. Unless you sign up to our residential service where you pay by monthly direct debit, we will take payment for the service in advance when you sign up.
Calls made by our VoIP service are charged on a pre-paid basis and there is no minimum contract period. Charges are available online at: support.ask4.com/hc/en-gb/articles/18591840237981-4Voice-FAQ-s.
Our processes that apply if you fail to pay for our services are set out in our terms and conditions.
The nature of our services means that if you fail to pay for the basic internet service, either directly to us or as part of your rent to the building owner, we may suspend this internet service. Your access to associated services may also be suspended or not possible even if payment has been made for those services.
7. CONTRACT DURATION
Most services are offered on contracts with either annual, 6-month, or 3-month minimum terms, but this may depend on the service you are taking and the building to which we provide the services. The minimum term you will sign up for will be displayed as part of the online sign-up process. The minimum term will run from the date we accept your order.
Our Guest Wi-Fi and the other services we offer in student accommodation outside of the academic year may be subject to shorter contract durations or other time-based limits on usage which may not be able to be extended. These terms will also be displayed as part of the online sign-up process.
Unless you sign up to our residential service where you pay by recurring card payment or take a business service, your service will automatically end once the minimum term expires. If you continue to take a residential or business service after your minimum term, you go on to a rolling contract.
8. REFUNDS AND COMPENSATION
We don’t guarantee that the service will always be fault-free or uninterrupted. If you tell us about a fault, we’ll make a refund or pay compensation in accordance with our terms and conditions and for individual customers opposed to businesses your legal rights in respect of services which have not been provided with reasonable skill and care.
9. MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT
Where we provide a managed service on behalf of a building owner, we’ll carry out on-going maintenance and support to ensure we provide a service that meets the service levels we have agreed with them. We also offer end-user support and remote fault diagnosis and maintenance 24/7 (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day). The help desk can be accessed by contacting us as set out below:
Post: Devonshire Green House, 14 Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, S1 4JL.
Telephone: 0114 303 3232
Email:complaints@ask4.com
In some cases where we determine it is necessary to provide support, we may provide for engineers to attend the building where the service is provided.
10. SERVICE LEVELS FOR BUSINESS CUSTOMERS
We provide our business service via leased lines and our service levels depend on the connectivity we can offer to a specific site. Please contact sales@ask4.com for more information.
11. 999 CALLS AND 4VOICE
The 4Voice or other VoIP services we may provide to business customers may be used to connect to emergency services (by dialling 999).
However, our VoIP services should not be relied on as the only means of calling emergency services as the functionality of the service depends on the availability of power, the internet connection, and other matters outside our control. In addition, although we aim to register the location of the building, the connection of a call to the emergency services may not automatically be made to the emergency services centre closest to your site. We are also unable to register individual units, offices, or flats within a building with the emergency services.
COMPLAINTS CODE OF PRACTICE
1. INTRODUCTION
In this Complaints Code of Practice, we’ll tell you how to get in touch with us if you want to make a complaint about our internet services and how we’ll deal with your complaint.
It applies to our student, residential and small business customers who have 10 employees or fewer. It does not apply to our data centre or IT support services.
2. HOW TO GET IN TOUCH IF YOU’RE NOT HAPPY
You can get in touch to make a complaint by the following methods:
Post: Complaints Team at Devonshire Green House, 14 Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, S1 4JL.
Telephone: 0114 303 3232 if you’re within the UK
Email: complaints@ask4.com
The quickest way to get in touch with us to raise a complaint if you have raised an issue and are not satisfied in how it has been dealt with is via the online form available here.
3. HOW WE WILL TRY TO RESOLVE YOUR ISSUE
Once you get in touch by phone we’ll try and resolve your issue straight away.
If this isn’t possible and you wish us to escalate your complaint you should raise it with us either via complaints@ask4.com, post or via the online form available here.
We’ll aim to acknowledge your complaint within one working day of receiving it. We’ll then aim to provide an initial response or, where possible, a formal response within 3 working days of that acknowledgement.
Where an initial response is provided, we will aim to send a full formal response within 7 working days of receiving the initial response.
We’ll only close a complaint when you say it has been resolved or we haven’t heard from you in 28 days.
Where we resolve a complaint over the phone you have the right to ask us to provide a copy of this complaints code of practice and the outcome of our investigation in writing.
4. IF WE CANNOT RESOLVE YOUR ISSUE
If we have not resolved your complaint to your satisfaction after 8 weeks or if you have received a letter from us saying that your complaint has reached “deadlock”, you may make a complaint through the Ombudsman Service.
The Ombudsman Service is a free independent alternative dispute resolution scheme.
You can find more information on the Ombudsman Service at: www.ombudsman-services.org/communications or contact them on the details below:
Post: Ombudsman Services: Communications PO Box 730 Warrington WA4 6WU
Telephone: 0330 440 1614 or 0330 440 1600 (text phone)
Email: enquiries@os-communications.org
Where we reach “deadlock” we will also inform you about your right to go to the Ombudsman Service. Please be aware that the Ombudsman cannot deal with commercial policy decisions like our decisions on where to supply our service or the prices we set. They also cannot deal with complaints from businesses with more than 10 employees.
5. THIRD PARTY RAISING AN ISSUE ON YOUR BEHALF
You can ask a third party to raise a complaint on your behalf. However, we will need to see some evidence that you have agreed to this and we’ll need to be able to locate your account.
6. HOW TO OBTAIN THIS CODE OF PRACTICE AND ACCESSIBILITY
If you require this Code of Practice as a hard copy or require it to be provided in an alternative format (such as large print), please get in touch using the details above and we’ll provide these free of charge. More accessibility information is available here: https://support.ask4.com/hc/en-gb/articles/18732585215901-Accessibility-Services