SiPalto offers high quality VoIP, fixed, mobile and broadband services to business customers throughout the UK, both directly to end-users and via selected channel partners.
SiPalto understands that customer satisfaction and service delivery are the most important part of its business. Our company values are based on this, which is why our team strives to ensure that you get what you want, when you want it. We will do our best to meet your requirements to your satisfaction.
SiPalto values its customers and aims for the highest standards of account management and customer service. By investing in our people and in systems to support our customer care activity and by continually developing our services, we aim to deliver the best in customer care to stay ahead of our competitors.
This Code of Practice (CoP) aims to give you, the client, a clear statement of how we conduct our business and to describe the relationship between you and us in all matters concerning your purchase of services from us. This CoP provides a statement of the services available from SiPalto to business and residential customers and those interested in finding out more about SiPalto.
It explains how we provide these services and the key support services and company policies that underpin them. It describes your relationship with us and how you can and should contact us when you need help or want to change the services you have and how we will respond. It also describes what you should do in the unlikely event of something going wrong.
SiPalto uses its resources of talent and expertise to continuously strive to find new ways to meet customers evolving communication needs. We offer governments, businesses and individual consumers a variety of superior solutions using a range of new, emerging and established technologies. All of these services are described in greater detail on our website at www.sipalto.com. The information on our website is available in English only.
We own and operate our own communications facilities, as well as sharing infrastructure with other carriers and distributing the services of other network operators. We offer our services through authorised resellers and have a direct sales force. The industries and sectors which use our services include but are not limited to broadcast and new media, oil and gas, Government / military, shipping, business services, transportation, manufacturing, aeronautical, energy, mining, cruise, engineering/consulting, yachting, rural communications, humanitarian/disaster relief, resource exploration and individual business users.
There are a number of ways that you can contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions and explain our services to you. Our contact details are also set out under Contact Us on our website.
Tel: 0330 580 8080
Email: sales@sipalto.com
Tel: 0330 580 8080
Email: support@sipalto.com
Tel: 0330 580 8080
Email: billing@sipalto.com
For any customer service enquiries, please call our customer care number 0330 580 8080 which is open from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) or you can contact us via our website at www.sipalto.com.
If you would prefer to write to us instead, please address your letter to:
SiPalto Ltd, 12 Melcombe Place, London, NW1 6JJ
SiPalto provides a wide range of communications services falling into four broad categories:
Examples include our own SiP Cloud solution for business as well as SiP Connect our SiP Trunking service and any associated hardware.
Examples of these services include direct and indirect phone line services, CPS, IDA, number translation services, premium rate services, private circuits, non-geographic numbers, and digital lines (ISDN).
Examples of these services include standard mobile services, messaging (SMS and MMS) and other mobile data solutions and mobile virtual private networks.
Examples of these services include co-location, hosted and managed firewalls, internet connectivity including Ethernet and xDSL, leased line based services as well as private wide area network and other professional services.
Like all UK communications operators, SiPalto has a number of obligations laid down in UK legislation. These are aimed at providing individual clients and small businesses with less than 10 employees, with both choice and consumer protection. SiPalto takes these responsibilities very seriously, while aiming to deliver excellent service and a range of services to meet our customers communication needs. The formal details of the general terms and conditions of our contractual relationship for clients can be found in the section on our website found at www.sipalto.com.
In addition to being available online, all service-specific terms and conditions are also detailed on each relevant order form.
We offer a wide range of services and our sales team can confirm the serviceability of your address for each of these services. Delivery timescales are agreed with customers in advance of installation.
If you want to have a particular number barred so that it cannot be dialled from your phone, please contact our support team. Please note that this option may not be available with all SiPalto services.
Your phone number is by default displayed to the person whom you are calling. However, you can alter this by requesting that your phone number should not be displayed to the person whom you are calling on a call-by-call basis or for all calls. However, even if you request withholding of a phone number, we are legally obliged to pass it on in certain circumstances e.g. to the emergency services in case of an emergency. To request any of the above facilities, please contact our support team.
SiPalto carry out preventative and corrective maintenance over its networks and services. Our aim is to minimise inconvenience and correct faults through remote diagnostic tools used at our National Service Centre and/or with other technical support centres. However, should a network fault occur which is within our direct control, we aim to clear this type of fault (i.e. that does not require a customer visit) within 8 hours.
We encourage our customers to call us for technical support, via our telephone support number regardless of the nature of the problem. There is also a range of support documentation on our website at www.sipalto.com
The level of repair commitment, fault fixing and service availability depends on the type of service you purchase and the terms and conditions under which you obtain that particular service from us. If you subscribe to a service carrying a specific service level guarantee, we will credit you accordingly if we fall short of our guarantee. Unless otherwise stated in a separate contract between you and SiPalto, your repair and fault-fixing rights and obligations are set out in SiPalto Terms and Conditions, posted on our website at www.sipalto.com
All staff who visit customer premises carry official company identification e.g. a business card, which should be clearly displayed. Customers should request to be shown this identification if it is not immediately visible before allowing anyone into their premises.
Customers are able to cease their service with us at any time in accordance with the terms and conditions of their service contract.
Equipment purchases may be returned within 14 days of delivery providing they are unaltered, unopened and in resellable condition. We regret that we cannot accept returns of any item where the packaging has been unsealed. You are responsible for any shipping costs when returning an item. A refund will be granted only if the returned product is unaltered, unopened and in resellable condition, if this is not the case, no refund will be granted. Cancellation of any of our monthly services or pay as you go pre-paid calling credit will not be subject to refund.
We invoice our customers monthly on one combined bill. As part of the initial ordering procedure clients may need to pay a deposit in advance. This is calculated as part of a standard process and is determined by the customer's credit status, past history with SiPalto (if any), and the type(s) of service requested. If a deposit is required it will be returned, by credit to your account upon request, after a satisfactory period.
We expect customers to settle their bills within their agreed credit terms. There may be a non-standard charge for late payment. As a client you are responsible for any charges incurred on your account. Customers are requested to pay their invoices by Direct Debit. Other options including BACS transfer or credit card may be possible by prior agreement with our billing department. Full details of how to settle your bill are provided on each of your SiPalto invoices.
SiPalto publishes its prices in electronic and paper form available from our sales and customer service teams. We may change these from time to time either permanently or for limited periods (offers and promotions) and will provide at least seven days public notification of such changes to our customers. Our intention is to be competitive with other leading communication providers and to offer our customers excellent value for money.
We expect our clients to:
- pay their bills promptly.
- inform us of any significant change in their circumstances, for example if you are going to be away for an extended period which may affect bill payment.
- be straightforward with us when providing information.
If a customer experiences problems in paying their bill, SiPalto has a consistent policy designed to:
- help the customer manage their costs.
- protect both SiPalto and clients in general.
- help minimise debt, suspensions and disconnection.
- promote good customer service.
We offer a range of methods for customers to pay their bill (see above Billing and Payment), and have a number of ways of helping customers minimise the risk of large debts for their communications services. Where appropriate, if a customer needs support, a third party or a nominee can be appointed to help the customer with their bill payment, e.g. by ensuring the customer remembers to pay it by the due date, converting to Direct Debit payment, or dealing on the customers behalf if the customer is away for an extended period. The nominee will not have any legal responsibility to pay the bill although they may do this if they and the customer wish but simply to help the customer to manage their account. The respective responsibilities will be made clear to both parties that clients are required to pay their bills within their agreed credit terms. Where this does not happen, SiPalto may, according to its terms and conditions, chase payment by contacting the customer and / or sending reminders. If there is no response to the initial contact made and / or full payment of the arrears is not made, then the customers services may be restricted. The customer may be reminded that continued non-payment will lead to full disconnection of the service. We will follow this by debt recovery procedures, which would include disclosure of relevant customer information to the appropriate credit vetting agencies leading to a possible bad credit history. Any debt recovery procedures will be carried out professionally and in accordance with relevant UK legislation and best industry practice.
If a customer is in genuine dispute with SiPalto and makes this known to us, then the disconnection process may not be invoked, pending the outcome of the dispute resolution, any un-disputed portion must still be paid in full.
We are aware that some customers can get into financial difficulties unintentionally, and this is taken into account when dealing with instances of non-payment. We will advise the customer of our processes to minimise debt and help them manage their bills. Customers may of course wish to take advantage of help from external debt counselling agencies. SiPalto reserves the right to disconnect any customer without notice if the company has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is an unacceptable credit risk, for example through suspected illegal behaviour (e.g. fraud) or a breach of the contract with SiPalto. We will carry out a review of any such decision if the customer requests it. Any customer must settle any outstanding debts, and may be subject to credit checking and payment of any appropriate published reconnection charges, before new service can be re-provided. In the unlikely event that SiPalto were to disconnect a customer incorrectly the customer would be reconnected free of charge.
If you are unhappy with our service please contact us and let us know. It is through your feedback that we are able to review and improve the service we provide.
We are committed to addressing any complaints as fairly as possible and within a reasonable time. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, please contact us and we shall do our best to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We operate a complaints procedure to help ensure that any complaints are dealt with to your satisfaction:
- you can phone us on 0330 580 8080 and our support team will do all they can to resolve any problems while you are on the phone. If your problem cannot be resolved during the phone call we will agree a course of action with you.
- you can contact us by email at support@sipalto.com. We aim to reply to you as quickly as possible.
As soon as we become aware of your complaint we give it a complaint reference number. If you are unhappy with the way in which your complaint has been handled you can ask for it to be escalated. Escalation may happen immediately if you are on the phone or we shall arrange for a manager to contact you.
In the unlikely event that your complaint has not been resolved by us to your satisfaction within a period of eight weeks, or if during the process of investigating your complaint a deadlock situation is reached, you have the option of referring your complaint to The Ombudsman Services Limited for independent consideration.
The contact details for The Ombudsman Services Limited being:
Ombudsman Services: Communications
Post: P.O. Box 730, Warrington, WA4 6WU
Tel: 0330 440 1614
Email: enquiry@ombudsman-services.org
Website: www.ombudsman-services.org
The Ombudsman Services resolves disputes between member operators and their residential and small business customers. SiPalto is an Ombudsman Services member.
At SiPalto we take our responsibility towards disabled customers very seriously. We are aware of the requirements of the current regulations (Telecommunications Services for Disabled Persons Regulations and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and have been working hard to accommodate their requirements.
We offer a number of different services for our customers with special needs. These services are designed to not only meet the demands of the current regulations, but to also enable us to offer the best possible service to these customers.
If you would like to request any of our literature, including this code, in large print or audio format, please contact the Support team with your full name, address and telephone number so that we can send it to you or contact you in the unlikely event of a problem.
In the event of a fault, where any client or special needs client has a need of urgent repair, and where the product or service is supported for it, priority is given to restoring such a customer's service. Please note that priority fault repair is only available for some products and services and may also incur a separate charge.
In order to take advantage of our priority fault repair service, customers with special needs must pre-register their requirements with us. In order to register please call our support team on 0330 580 8080.
Disabled customers who are dependent upon the internet may nominate somebody who can help them deal with SiPalto bills, and their account in general. Specifically, this nominee can:
- be the person to whom the customer's bill is sent.
- be the person to whom any enquiry will be made by SiPalto in the event of a bill not being paid.
- pay the bill on behalf of the customer - but will not be held legally liable for the bill.
In order to take advantage of any or all of the elements of our Protected Service Scheme, customers with special needs must register their requirements with us. In order to register please call our support team.
Clients who have problems reading the terms and conditions of their contract should ask for their SiPalto salesperson to explain it to them or for an audio copy.
We will treat any information we have about you in confidence and will not disclose it to anyone except you, or in accordance with any instructions you have given us. However, there are circumstances in which we may be required by law to disclose information. Such requests normally come from Statutory Authorities, for example, Police Forces, Customs and Excise etc. Any such disclosure will be strictly controlled and will be made fully in accordance with current UK legislation, in particular the Data Protection Act.
We believe in effective communications with our customers. Customers can contact us by phone on the numbers specified above (How to contact us ), or at any time by e-mail.
We will also promote our services, including special offers, through a variety of media. In doing this we will abide by the industry-accepted standards, in particular by:
- following the UK Direct Marketing Association guidelines on when to ring customers (only between 8.00 am and 9.00pm, unless specifically requested to call outside these hours).
- stopping specified promotional contact with individual customers if requested to do so by the customer and according to their wishes, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Mailing Preference Scheme (MPS), and the Facsimile Preference Scheme (FPS).
- following the rules of relevant regulatory bodies such as the Independent Television Commission (ITC), Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS), Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC).
- abiding by the Distance and Doorstep Selling, and other relevant UK and EU regulations. The existence of this code will be brought to customer’s attention in appropriate ways.
SiPalto takes its role within society and its responsibilities to its employees seriously. SiPalto is committed to developing and maintaining good environmental standards. SiPalto monitors areas such as waste management, energy and water usage, and transport. For further information on our social responsibility statement please contact the customer services team on the details provided above.
SiPalto will review this Code of Practice annually, or more frequently should events require such a review.