Freeserve goes for judicial review over AOL

[engine]

ISP Freeserve has issued judicial review proceedings against Customs and Excise over its refusal to require rival AOL to charge VAT for its services in the UK.

[revolutionmagazine.com...]

[brotherhood of LAN]

well, IMO because its European law and what happened with steel last week, I wouldnt be surprised if Freeserve came out best

[IanTurner]

Nice find engine, this one could run and run. There are lots of spinoff problems to think about too.

[engine]

Right Ian,
Not just the fact that VAT-free should means cheaper surfing.

[mole]

Perhaps Freeserve could redirect their efforts towards providing a higher quality service than their competitors - then the issue of charging VAT or not becomes pretty much irrelevant.

At the moment, IMO, having studied the un-metered dialup packages from several major ISPs in the UK, Freeserve do not rate well.

[brotherhood of LAN]

Mole, Ive been with Freeserve over a year

They are OK for price, and service greatly improved when they were bought over (Energis Communications?).

They've been doing that hippy freestyle marketing campaign (im sure everyone in the UK has seen some component of it) and have been promoting their service heavily lately.

The connectivity to the ISP has plummeted lately, no doubt due to new sign ups

Looks like they wanna be players in the ISP market hand in hand with BT IMO by ridding of AOL in the UK market

[mole]

OK, but my point is that the difference in levels of service between the UK ISPs - look at some of the biggies, perhaps, AOL (UK), Freeserve, BTOpenWorld, is greater than the difference in the prices they charge, and I don't really think that VAT is an issue.

Both BTOW and Freeserve both charge VAT, their prices for un-metered access are £14.99 and £12.99 monthly. One of them is much better than the other - the feeedback I'm getting is that one of them is 100% better than the other, not just £2 per month, or 17½% better.

[Crazy_Fool]

>>Perhaps Freeserve could redirect their efforts towards
>>providing a higher quality service than their
>>competitors - then the issue of charging VAT or not
>>becomes pretty much irrelevant.

whether or not VAT is charged will always be a factor. if both companies provide perfect service at cost price, one has to charge VAT so will always be more expensive than the other.

IMO, VAT is damaging to British industry and should be abolished.

[gethan]

> and service greatly improved when they were bought over (Energis Communications?).

Bought out by Wanadoo - biggest french ISP.

Energis, Dixons and Planet online originally set up the freeserve company. Energis is now so debt laden that it's yours for a packet of peanuts.

[4eyes]

Looks like AOL lost, The Register is reporting that they will be made to charge VAT from July 1, 2003.

[theregister.co.uk...]