Problem with new BT phone line

pigtails_21

We moved into a new house in February 08, and ordered a new phone line at the end of the month. I took the day off work, and no-one turned up. I rang up to complain, and had to place a new order.

Again took a second day off work, and nobody turned up, so no new phone line. By then this was the end of March 08.

To cut a long story short, April-July was spent constantly calling BT (all on the mobile) and trying to get it sorted. I was told I couldn't place a new order until they'd refunded my £25 deposit. It was silly - the new order people said we needed to speak to complaints, who passed us on to the new order people.

Eventually it got beyond a joke, so I e-mailed by MP. Amazingly, BT managed to install a phone line immediately then, after my MP passed the letter onto them. I didn't even get an apology, when I spoke to a person at BT.

I've now received a bill with the costs of full installation on - £124.99. When I rang my contact name, he said I'd have to pay it originally. Eventually he's offered to waive the costs (but even then it's only worth £100 as he won't arrange for my £25 deposit back) + a bottle of champagne.

I'm not really sure what to do - it's cost us a lot of money, without a phone. I've easily spent nealy £100 on calls just to BT, and lots more as well to other places. When we moved, all the things like sorting out gas/electric had to be done on the mobile. Plus no mobile companies get signals inside our house, so I had to be constantly outside, in not always nice weather. I've also taken 2 days off work (having a young child means we tend to try and save our holiday for when she is sick and can't go to nursery). Add on costs of recorded delivery complaining letters etc, it really mounts up.

Plus I've also taken a quick look at the thread to get a new line for £29.99 and I probably would have done that - so just by giving me free line installation, it doesn't seem much.

I'm not after much compensation - I just feel its fair my costs are covered (and by that I'm only bothered about mobile costs etc). I'm just not sure what to do next.

Sorry it got rather long.

Thanks for any help/advise anyone can offer.

P.S - At least we now have a working phone line. Thanks to our MP, my princess can now talk to Nanny :j

azurecat84

Once you get to this stage, the magic word is 'Ombudsman'. In this case, it's Otelo. http://www.otelo.org.uk/

I had a MASSIVE set of problems with British Gas earlier this year and the Energy Ombudsman helped me to sort it. Give them a call and see what they say.

I am waaaaay earlier in these stages with BT - just moved into a new flat and they can't/won't/don't seem able to reconnect my already existing BT line. Every time they send me a new "start date" and "phone number" the day passes by and still I pick up my handset, get an-o-so-deceitful dialtone but then when I try to ring any number get the good ol' "Beepbeepbeep the number you have dialled has not been recognised". Been bounced between faults dept and cust service dept so much that Tigger would be dizzy. Plus calling BT is wrecking my mobile phone bill. Anyone got any advice? Can't go to Otelo until 12 weeks in, by which time I will have gone mad. Would go with Virgin, but they're more expensive and their broadband isn't as good a connection/cost as O2, who I was going to go with (am O2 customer so good prices).

Any advice gratefully received!