BT: Lying or just generally stupid? - Solved!

Rufff

I've been with BT Total Broadband for 11 months now on 'Option 3' (and I'm jumping ship the moment the contract finishes next month), I used to be on a package with speeds of upto 512Kbps with my old provider so when I switched to BT saying "get upto 8Mbps" I thought it would be great getting much faster speeds.

On the day it switched over there was no difference in speed whatsoever, the BT website said to allow 10 days for the line speed to become stable but still there was no difference in speed and the website said that some areas experience slow broadband because of distance from the exchange and nothing can be done, this made me really fed up because there are several people in my house who want to use the net at the same time but it slows down to a crawl when they do but I just thought "oh well" and so I put it down to that.

10 months down the line and I get suspicious when people living nearby say they get much faster than me and I checked my distance from the exchange and it was less than 800 yards:mad: , ring BT and say to technical support it must be something other than this, so they send an engineer round.

When the engineer tested my line he thought I was taking the mickey and wasting his time, saying "the line quality is fantastic you should be getting 6Mbps easily you just aren't on the right package, you need to upgrade" but I'm meant to be getting upto 8Mbps, so he said that my IP Profile was wrong and hadnt been changed when I signed up for BT Broadband so it was limiting my speed and I needed to ring BT again.

So BT sort the problem out and Im getting 7Mbps now, I ask about a partial refund for my broadband because I have paid nearly £250 over the past 10 months for a service that wasn't being delivered, now they say they can only give me a rebate on my bill from the day this problem was reported to the day it was resolved which is about 12 days worth as a "gesture of goodwill"...

I think this is really insulting because BT's view seems to be its MY fault for not spotting and problem THEY caused in the first place!:mad: I'm making a formal complaint and posting it off recorded delivery tomorow.

Sorry for this being so longwinded but I'd like to get a few peoples opinions on this because I think BT is in the wrong but would you agree with me?

barclaysguy

2 was to look at it;
you should have told BT so they can sort it out (when you did 12 days is very good i think)
BT should have noticed you were not getting great speeds.

I go with the first and get over it!

nevadagirl

I can't really offer any practical advice but can sympathise. We had a terrible time with BT when I moved into my flat - they denied we existed and refused to come out and check without the £125 call out fee. They kept telling us we were a new build - even though the plaque at the end of our row says 'Built in 1896' and there was a little box in the flat saying 'BT' on it, that if it had been connected to the exchange, would have allowed us to make calls.

Then they told us the only way they could connect us up was if we could find out the telephone number of the previous owner - which we got from our solicitor - if we 'genuinely did have a line installed, they could then connect it back up'. It took a bit of messing about to get the number out of the solicitor as they decided they needed to ring the previous owner for permission, but after 5 months we got the number and got connected. In the interim we phoned back a few times but always got the same response, we were in a new build, so couldn't possibly already have a BT line installed. Apparently there were no UK records of our address...

And then, surprise, surprise, we suddenly became connected after providing this number to them, and they didn't have any problem finding us to send us the bill. So much for us being in a new build or not existing...

That probably doesn't help you but I feel better for the rant.:rolleyes:

cazziebo

PM'd you.

BT customer service are just mince. They have outsourced so much that there is no real knowledge around any more, so the ability to empathise with customers and solve their problems has gone.

And sadly, I don't think the people at the top are at all aware of how serious and widespread the problem is...

Charis

I was told today of a local guy who works from home, had bt phone line & broadband, used by the whole family. Said guy rented a cottage on his land to someone who wanted telephone & broadband. Fine, they said, no problem. Tenant got his line but they cut the household off. Six weeks later, phone line has just been reinstated, still no broadband. Maybe they should spend less on advertising and more on providing the service they say they can offer.

Rufff

With some help from cazziebo, I managed to get in touch with one of the top people at BT and was called back 2 hours later by someone from BT's UK based support and they fully understood the situation, apologised and offered a refund of £170!

Thanks to everyone for your opinions and help!

Mike_by_the_Sea

Hi rufff

I would recommend that you have a look at http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ and ask on their forum about your broadband speed. They are a very helpful bunch there and can give you an insight into what speed you could expect and what solutions there may be.

All the best and well done with the refund

Mike

Rufff

Even better news, I just got a call from the assistant to the BT Chairman & Chief Exec.'s office apologising, asking if the problem had been resolved and If was happy with the result - which I definately am! Thanks again for helpin out! :T

Bosie

Rufff wrote: »

Even better news, I just got a call from the assistant to the BT Chairman & Chief Exec.'s office apologising, asking if the problem had been resolved and If was happy with the result - which I definately am! Thanks again for helpin out! :T

I'm new to this internet forum but just to say well done, so good to get something inportant looked at and get a brilliant result.

I have had probs with BT and their call centre staff just bluff me off, and give me a load of useless guff.

Again, well done

Bosie x