Hihi Reviews: What Customers Say About the Phone System & Alternatives

What Is Hihi?

Hihi (hihi.co.uk) is a UK business phone system built around an Android-based desk handset paired with cloud telephony. The pitch is a premium-feel hardware device — touchscreen, integrated apps, stand-mounted screen — that replaces a traditional office phone with something that looks more like a tablet with a handset attached.

On paper it is a modern product. In practice, Hihi has become one of the most complained-about business phone brands on Trustpilot, with a distinct pattern of issues that UK businesses should understand before signing anything.

We are Compare The Networks, an independent, OFCOM-regulated business telecoms comparison service. We have been helping UK businesses compare mobile, VoIP and broadband deals since 2008. We are not affiliated with Hihi or the companies that sell it. This article lays out what customers publicly report, who is actually selling Hihi, and what the honest alternatives look like.

Who Actually Sells Hihi? The Corporate Confusion

One of the first things business owners notice — often after they have signed — is that it is not obvious who they are dealing with. According to 1-star reviews on uk.trustpilot.com/review/hihi.co.uk, customers describe being uncertain whether their contract is with Hihi, 4Com or Campfire. As one reviewer put it: "It's unclear who you're supposed to be dealing with, HiHi? Campfire? 4Com?"

Here is what is publicly knowable:

Hihi is the branded phone system — the hardware and the service name customers see.
4Com is the predominant reseller. A large share of Hihi installations come via 4Com's sales teams.
Campfire is another name in the corporate family that appears in customer complaints and billing.
The finance agreement for the handsets is usually held by a third party — customers name Propel or BNP Paribas on Trustpilot.

So a single Hihi deal can involve four different company names: the brand (Hihi), the seller (4Com), an associated billing entity (Campfire) and a finance company (Propel/BNP). When something goes wrong, customers describe being passed between them.

We have a dedicated breakdown in our Hihi, 4Com and Campfire corporate connection article.

The Signature Issue: 7-Year Equipment Leases

The single biggest pattern in Hihi Trustpilot complaints is contract length. Customers repeatedly describe signing up for what they understood to be a standard business phone service and discovering they are tied to a 7-year equipment finance lease for the handsets.

Seven years is an extraordinary term for any office technology, let alone a phone. Most reputable VoIP providers run 24-month to 36-month service contracts. A 7-year lease means you are paying for handsets for more than double the useful life of most office hardware.

Reviewers report early termination quotes of £27,000 or more to exit a Hihi deal early. That is not a typo. Read our full breakdown in the Hihi 7-year lease article and the early termination fee article.

Recurring Complaint Themes on Trustpilot

According to 1-star reviews on uk.trustpilot.com/review/hihi.co.uk, the same themes come up repeatedly. We are not making direct accusations against any specific company — we are reporting what reviewers publicly state. You can read the reviews yourself and judge.

1. High-Pressure Sales

Customers describe being visited or called and pressured to sign the same day. Multiple reviewers say they felt they could not take the paperwork away to review.

2. Misleading Pricing

A recurring quote from reviewers is that they ended up "paying almost 10 times the monthly price quoted" once handset finance, line rental, call charges and add-ons were stacked up. See our Hihi price increases article.

3. Unclear Contract Terms

Reviewers say the 7-year term was not made plain at the point of sale. The lease is a separate document from the service agreement and the two together create a much longer commitment than customers report being told about.

4. Hidden and Creeping Fees

Charges for support, software, maintenance and price rises appearing after signing.

5. Phones Breaking

The Hihi desk phone has a large screen mounted on a stand. Reviewers report screens cracking or failing. More on this in the Hihi equipment problems article.

6. System Downtime

Multiple reviewers describe phone lines being down for days or weeks — one Trustpilot reviewer states their system was "down for a month."

7. Unresponsive Support

Promised callbacks that never arrive, tickets closed without resolution, and difficulty reaching anyone with authority.

8. No Cooling-Off

Business contracts do not carry the 14-day consumer cooling-off period. Customers report only discovering this when they tried to cancel. See the Hihi no cooling-off period article.

9. Price Increases Mid-Contract

Annual increases applied on top of the lease payment.

10. Forged Signatures

Some reviewers allege that signatures on contracts or variations did not match what they signed. We cover the dispute process in the Hihi misselling article.

11. Stonewalling Complaints

Customers report complaints being ignored, deadlock letters being slow to arrive, and escalation being actively discouraged.

12. Shorter-Contract Customers Treated Worse

Some reviewers say renewal incentives and service quality favour newer, longer deals over customers nearing the end of their term.

13. Stuck for 8+ Years

Because the lease term is 7 years and renewals sometimes stack, reviewers describe being "stuck for 8 years" in a single relationship.

What Hihi Gets Right

To be fair, Hihi does have positive reviews. The desk phone is a visually distinctive product. Some customers praise the video calling, the screen-based directory, the call recording and the smart-home-style integrations. The installation engineers are often named positively by reviewers.

The issues are overwhelmingly commercial and contractual rather than technical. The hardware can be attractive — it is the 7-year finance lease, the corporate structure and the sales tactics that dominate the 1-star reviews.

How Hihi Compares to Mainstream Business VoIP

A properly structured business VoIP service in 2026 looks like this:

24 to 36 month service term (not 7 years)
Handset ownership or a 24-month lease option
Per-user monthly pricing with transparent call bundles
Mobile and desktop apps included
One bill from one company, not stacked lease + service + add-ons
Annual price rise in £ and pence (required by Ofcom for consumer contracts from 2025; most reputable B2B providers now match this)
Clear exit terms

Our business VoIP page shows what the honest market looks like. See also our hosted VoIP guide for UK business.

Alternatives to Hihi

If you are currently with Hihi and looking to leave (or considering signing and doing last-minute research — good instinct), here are the realistic alternatives:

1. A Mainstream Hosted VoIP Provider

Providers like 8x8, RingCentral, Gamma Horizon, bOnline and others offer business VoIP on 24-month terms with per-user pricing. Handsets can be bought outright or leased over a sensible term. See Business VoIP for a comparison.

2. A Virtual Landline

If you do not actually need desk phones — if your team is mobile or works on laptops — a virtual landline gives you a UK number that routes to mobiles or apps for a fraction of the cost.

3. Mobile-Only

For small teams, a pool of well-specced business mobiles with softphone apps may be cheaper and more flexible than any deskphone system. Get a quote to compare.

4. Microsoft Teams Phone / Google Voice

If your team already lives in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, adding telephony there is often the cheapest and cleanest option for office workers.

How to Read Hihi Trustpilot Reviews Honestly

A fair reading of Hihi's Trustpilot profile requires filtering:

Sort by most recent to see the current picture, not historical installs.
Sort by 1-star and read 20-30 reviews. Look for patterns, not outliers.
Check the responses. How the company replies to 1-star reviews tells you a lot.
Compare to 4Com's Trustpilot at uk.trustpilot.com/review/4com.co.uk. Because 4Com is the main reseller, the 4Com review profile is directly relevant. See our 4Com Trustpilot reviews article.

If You Are Already a Hihi Customer

You have three practical paths:

Path 1: Ride Out the Contract

Calculate exactly when your lease ends. Put the date in every calendar you own. Start comparing alternatives six months before the end date, not after. Providers offer the best deals to customers who have options. See How to leave Hihi.

Path 2: Dispute via CISAS

If you believe you were mis-sold — particularly if the 7-year term or true total cost was not clearly explained — CISAS (the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) is the independent adjudicator for UK telecoms disputes. Complain to Hihi in writing first, wait 8 weeks or get a deadlock letter, then file at cisas.org.uk. Full guide in our Hihi complaints and CISAS article.

Path 3: Pay to Exit

If the early termination quote is less than the savings from switching (and less than the cost of staying), exiting early can be the rational choice. See Hihi early termination fees.

In all cases, keep everything in writing. Never accept a verbal resolution over the phone. Written evidence is what counts if this ever goes to CISAS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hihi the same company as 4Com?

Not exactly — Hihi is a branded phone system, 4Com is the predominant reseller, and Campfire is another name in the corporate family. Customers on Trustpilot frequently describe confusion about which entity they are actually dealing with. Read more in our Hihi, 4Com and Campfire article.

How long are Hihi contracts?

Reviewers repeatedly describe 7-year equipment finance leases for the handsets, usually arranged via Propel or BNP Paribas. The service element is sometimes shorter, but the lease is what locks you in. See the Hihi 7-year lease article.

How much does it cost to exit Hihi early?

1-star Trustpilot reviewers report early termination quotes of £27,000 or more for 7-year leases. The figure depends on your monthly payment and the months remaining. See our early termination fee article.

Can I dispute a Hihi contract if I was mis-sold?

Yes — you can complain to Hihi in writing, wait 8 weeks or receive a deadlock letter, then escalate to CISAS. Some Trustpilot reviewers describe successful CISAS outcomes. Keep everything in writing. Full guide in our Hihi misselling article.

What are the best alternatives to Hihi?

Mainstream hosted VoIP on a 24-month term, a virtual landline if you do not need desk phones, or mobile-only with softphone apps. See our business VoIP page and virtual landline guide. Get a free quote to compare.

Explore Your Options

Get a free VoIP quote and we will show you what honest business VoIP looks like. 24-month terms, transparent pricing, one bill.

Or read more:

Nearly 20 years helping UK businesses. Over 1,000 verified reviews on Trustpilot. OFCOM-regulated. Free.

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About this article. Claims reported here are attributed to public reviews on Trustpilot and similar platforms. They represent the opinions of the reviewers cited, not statements of fact by Compare The Networks. Brands named may dispute these claims. If you are a brand representative who believes any content requires correction, please contact us.

Hihi Reviews: What Customers Say About the Phone System & Alternatives (2026)