NEWS UPDATES

April 2019 The Ofcom automatic broadband compensation scheme went live in April 2019 for telecoms providers and 5 UK providers have joined the voluntary scheme: BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media & Zen Internet.  These companies will now automatically compensate customers when services do not work.

Why therefore would ANY consumer sign up to a telecoms provider that has NOT voluntarily signed up to the Ofcom automatic broadband compensation scheme? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47768666

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February 2019 - Indeed appear to have removed the review text from ALL the BAD 1 & 2 star reviews about working for Kinex / Verastar Ltd prior to February 2019 and only the good 3, 4 & 5 star reviews remain visible https://www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Kinex/reviews

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January 2019   Deleted twitter accounts   Please note that the Kinex  and Clear Business Twitter accounts appear to have been deleted and no longer exist https://twitter.com/kinexuk      https://twitter.com/clearbusinessuk  (The Clear Business Facebook page was deleted some months ago https://www.facebook.com/pg/ClearBusiness)

November 2018  The Clear Business Facebook page which contained multiple customer complaints about Clear Business is no longer available and appears to have been deleted 

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8 October 2018 It would appear that a Kinex / Verastar Ltd employee felt strongly enough to set up an alternative Facebook and Twitter Kinex accounts to describe his working experiences 

https://www.facebook.com/kinextelecoms/          https://twitter.com/KinexTelecoms

The above grievance sites set up by a former Kinex employee on Twitter and Facebook no longer exist online as from 10 October 2018

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3 August 2018 Clear Business / Verastar Ltd acquire Aurora  WELCOME AURORA

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23 July 2018   BBC RADIO 4 'You & Yours' consumer programme  Unicom, Kinex, Verastar Ltd make the lead story 

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10 July 2018 Daily Mail  - Unicom / Verastar Ltd Hits Retired Mobile Customer with £10K Bill for 17GB of UK data 

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27 April 2018   An unhappy Verastar Ltd customer has set up a petition on the calling for Ofcom, Companies House to take action on Verastar /  Unicom  https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/take-action-on-verastar-unicom

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14 March 2018  ‘Unaccountability in Scotland’ respond to Clear Business   http://unaccountablescotland.org.uk/index.php/water-charges/83-clear-business-on-gaps

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6 September 2017  Unicom / Kinex / Woav / Clear Business / Verastar Ltd are mentioned in Private Eye in issue 1452 on page 7

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News Update July 8 2017 - SKY NEWS - Utilities firm Verastar revives £500m float after Ofcom fine.

A provider of telecoms and utility services to small businesses is dusting off plans for a £500m stock market listing two years after it was fined by regulators for misleading its customers.

Sky News has learnt that the owner of Verastar - which was previously called Unicom - has lined up investment bankers at Jefferies to take the company public.

http://news.sky.com/story/utilities-firm-verastar-revives-500m-float-after-ofcom-fine-10979175

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News Update July 2017 - Verastar Ltd acquires ‘Aimera’ one of largest independent Scottish water providers

https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/company-news/item/14192-verastar-acquires-one-of-largest-independent-scottish-water-providers

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News Update August  2016  TITAN TELECOM registered a change of name and are now known as Clear Business 

Titan Telecom rated as POOR on Trustpilot.  Click HERE to view 

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News Update 18 Oct 2016    VERASTAR ACQUIRES OVO COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS

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News Update 6 Oct 2016   Verastar granted water and sewerage licence

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News Update 25 July 2016  Verastar enters UK insurance and media market after aquiring Insurance Octopus & Media Octopus

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News Update 1 June 2016  Unicom upset Tommy Cannon from Cannon & Ball fame. Click HERE and HERE

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News Update 12 May 2016   Unicom were mentioned in the latest issue of PRIVATE EYE magazine on 11 May 2016 and previously on 1 April 2016

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News Update 6 April 2016   Unicom / Verastar have launched another new brand  under the name of WOAV TELECOM to provide telecom services to small businesses.   Other brands under the Verastar / Unicom umbrella include Unicom Telecom / Kinex / Titan Telecom / Marble Telecom / Business Comms Solutions / Advantage Telecom / Crown Telecom / Optimum Calls  / Premier Calls / Talk Plus Telecom / Elite Calls / Sunstone / 118 777 / Universal Debt Collection /  Clear Business Water / Economy Gas / Woav Telecom

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News Update 31 March 2016   PRIVATE EYE magazine which was published on 29 March 2016 includes a piece about Unicom on page 16.  The article mentions Unicom's image problem and also mentions the high rating score that Unicom have achieved on the Trustpilot review site compared to the low rating score on the Review Centre site. (Unicom subscribes to Trustpilot's paid business service)  

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Update 19 March 2016  Unicom / Verastar Ltd acquire 'Business Comms Solutions Ltd' which also trades under the names of Advantage Telecom, Optimum Calls, Premier Calls and Talk Plus Telecom.  Click HERE and HERE for more information

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Update Feb 17 2016  A former Unicom customer has uploaded a video clip on You Tube of the conversation his advocate had with Unicom to discuss a Court Claim Form he had received and this was his comment under the clip  'This debt was passed from Unicom, originally was about £45.. This was passed from debt collectors! Even despite cancelling with Unicom during the 14 day cooling off period, this was somehow put up to nearly 8 THOUSAND POUND! They sent me a claim form (drafted) claiming as such and admitted practically that A. The debt was over 6 years old and B. The "claimants solicitor" is not registered on the Law Society,

 Click HERE to watch the Youtube clip  (12 May 2016 This Video has now been removed from You Tube)

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Update January 2016   A former Unicom customer has created a detailed blog called 'Unicom Dispute - My Story' to describe the experiences he had with Unicom after he closed down his business.  Click HERE to read his story

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Update 11 January 2016  BBC Radio 4 ran an item about Unicom / Verastar on the You & Yours consumer programme. The story was about a Sheffield dinner lady who commenced court action against Unicom to claim a refund of termination fees and to claim compensation for the harassment she had to endure due to Unicom's debt collection practices.  Unicom settled out of court and paid the full amount that was claimed.  The BBC Radio 4 programme can he heard by clicking on this link HERE 

More details about this story can be seen by clicking on this link HERE  and HERE

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Unicom have been featured a number of times in the past on Radio 4's You and Yours and the broadcasts can be heard by clicking on the links below

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27026272

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wc6qp    (The Unicom item starts at around 15 .00 minutes)  First Aired 11 January 2016

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b063d55p    (The Unicom item starts at around 36.40  minutes)  First aired 30 July 2015 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0639wy5    (The Unicom item starts at around 5:05  minutes)  First aired 29 July 2015 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tkvk6    (The Unicom item starts at around 22:10 minutes)  First aired 11 May 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pvp7n    (The Unicom item starts at around 2.00 minutes and is the lead item)  First aired 28 November 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pbmjb    (The Unicom item starts at around 18.00 minutes)  First aired 19 November 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04cf9gx     (The Unicom item starts at around 2:20 minutes and is the lead item)  First aired on 6 August 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045bss8     (The Unicom item starts at around 6.30 minutes)  First aired 4 June 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040hhnp     (The Unicom item starts at around 40 minutes)  First aired 14 April 2014

NEWS UPDATE 14 October 2015

Ofcom have launched an investigation into the difficulties of cancelling or terminating your phone or broadband contract and if it is not straightforward, Ofcom want to hear about it.  For details please click HERE

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NEWS UPDATE 9 October 2015

Universal Utilities T/A Unicom registered a change of name at Company House and have renamed themselves to Verastar Ltd T/A Kinex.  Interestingly, the VERASTAR.co.uk domain name appears to have been registered on 15 July 2015 which was just a couple of weeks before Ofcom's £200k fine of Unicom for mis-selling was announced.

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NEWS UPDATE 29 JULY 2015

Ofcom has today fined Universal Utilities T/A Unicom £200,000 for mis-selling landline telephone services

The decision also requires Unicom to take a number of steps to help compensate customers affected by the mis-selling and to guard against it happening again.  Details of the Ofcom investigation can be seen here by clicking HERE The Unicom response to the Ofcom decision can be seen by clicking HERE

(This was Ofcom's third investigation of Unicom)

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NEWS UPDATE 6 May 2015

Ofcom have announced the provisional rulings of their Universal Utilities / Unicom investigation which was launched in March 2014.

Ofcom has determined that there are reasonable grounds for believing that Universal Utilities Ltd (trading as Unicom) has contravened GC24.3 of the General Conditions between 1 March 2013 and 8 July 2014. General Condition 24.3 states that ‘Communications Provider must not (a) engage in dishonest, misleading or deceptive conduct;' Unicom will now be given time to respond before Ofcom makes a final decision.

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NEWS UPDATE 26 November 2014

Parliamentary Debate about Unicom Telecom raised in House of Commons by John Healey MP

John Healey MP raised an adjournment debate in Parliament about Unicom Telecom on Wed 26th Nov 2014  naming Unicom as a ‘shameful company that was ripping off his elderly vulnerable constituent (Mr Jones) for £3,500 in termination fees’.  Mr Healey MP also criticised the Ombudsman Services for failing to protect his constituent.  Mr Jones had battled with Unicom for two and a half years but within 48 hours of this matter being raised in The House of Commons, Unicom had released Mr Jones from the contract and waived the termination fees. Details can be seen by clicking HERE

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NEWS UPDATE 1 October 2014

Unicom was featured on BBC 1 'Rip-off Britain' on 1st October 2014 and although it is no longer available on iPlayer, a summary of the programme can be seen by clicking HERE

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NEWS UPDATE 24 March 2014

Ofcom UK opens investigation into Unicom's Sales & Marketing tactics following complaints from consumers as well as an assessment of evidence submitted by Unicom in the course of an own-initiative enquiry.  (This will be Ofcom's third investigation of Unicom)

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Disclaimer:  Any suggestions given on this site are our opinions and not a substitute for legal advice from a solicitor or an organization like Citizens Advice.