BT have charged me a connection fee that they never mentioned?

iscrimger

Hi, I just got a call from my bank telling me my BT DD had been declined as it was £185 and not enough in my account. I instantly lost it. I never use my phone so got straight online to check my bill.

I phoned BT in March to perform a home move. They took my account details etc and new address and said my old line would be disconnected at mid-day next day and the new one activated 1 minute after that. No mention of a connection charge. My new home already had a BT line and the previous tenant had a BT account.

However 14 days after activation the line still didn't work so they sent an engineer out - still billing me line rental for a line I no longer had or could use. It took them over 30 days to get the line working as the line had been assigned the wrong number but the engineer who came out instantly sorted it and mentioned nothing of a connection charge.

My latest bill shows a one-off charge for Connection at £107+VAT. I phone and the woman tells me the charge stands and I have to pay it. I tell her I will not pay it at all as not one person mentioned any charge as I would have refused connection.

She then goes on to tell me I was the first person to move into my flat and therefore I have to pay a connection charge. Incorrect the flat has been here since 2005 and the previous tenant had a BT line.

Now not 1 person mentioned any connection charge as I've said and I am actually not going to pay it at all. I have complained via the form online - the woman on the phone told me I have to phone home-movers tomorrow to enquire about this further.

Who else should I complain to or what else can I do?

PaulK_3

BT.com wrote:

Moving home
BT makes it easy to move your BT phone number, BT Broadband and Calling Features to your new address with one simple phone call. Find out how to get moving below.

Starting your move
If there's a working BT line in the property connection should be free of charge, but if the line needs to be reconnected to BT or a new line is required, a connection charge of £124.99 will apply. Our advisors will confirm this when you call.
Call 0800 800 150 to get moving (Monday to Saturday, 8am - 8pm, and Sunday 9am - 6pm. Calls are free from a BT landline)

If you are moving your business click here.

http://www.bt.com/movinghome
It is stated on the site that a reconn fee will be payable if the line has to be reconnected at the new property if it is out of service, unless there was still dial tone on the line when you moved in then the line was not connected at exchange hence the reconn fee.

iscrimger

When I initially phoned I was told they couldn't find my address and I would have to have a line physically installed. Trying to explain the flat already had a line and the previous tenant had used it seemed to not get through so I said I'd call back. I did - straight away to get someone in this country who told me there was no physical line at the address and that they couldn't find the address at all. I hung up after about 15 minutes. They didn't have any of my account details this time.

I then went to the new flat and plugged my phone in and tried to dial out. Met with a dial-tone then the BT voice telling me the number was not recognised or similar.

The next day I phoned up and the woman found the address perfectly and said it would be all working and in order the next day. That didn't happen and they booked an engineer to come round on the 21st July who found out it had been given the wrong number stoping it from working. This charge is dated the 21st July but the engineer said nothing about connection charge nor did any of the emails I got from BT trying to organise this engineer.

I swear I will not pay it lol

JodieUK

almost the exact same thing happened to me and i wrote a letter of complaint the fee was waivered and they even waivered my whole first bill i think i got about an extra £50, I wrote to
Mrs G Lewis
Customer Service Director
BT PLC
Correspondence Centre
Durham DH98 1BT

hope this helps - make sure DD is cancelled so they cant try and take it and write to the with the details.

JodieUK

Just to add the reason i got a gesture of good will is i included my mobile phone bill - which highlighted the calls to BT to their "freephone" number which is not free from a mobile, re-reading your post it is exactly what happened to me, told line would be set up when i moved - previous tenant had line and was with BT, yet when i moved they couldnt find address, then they sent someone out, an engineer, then they charged me without telling me, also check with your bank if u have been charged for the DD not being paid, include a statement and ask BT for this back. At the end of the day whether its in terms and conditions or whatever they should tell you PRIOR to an engineer coming what the charge will be, at least give you the option. Good luck

iscrimger

Just to update, I phoned this evening, was put through to several departments. 5 to be exact who all passed me onto another until eventually I got the Service Charges department?

Seemed fairly straight forward a process and he told me the charges would be taken off the account. Each other department said the charges are for connection. Stating the obvious. I do wonder if they will actually remove the charge. We shall see when the next bill comes in. Until then they're not getting the money for it lol

JodieUK

to be honest BT have been crap (and im no longer with them becasue of this) but each time i have complained officially by letter they have called me, or wrote to me, apoligised and given me every penny plus a bit more that they have wrongly taken off me, so i wud think that they will take the charge off.

iscrimger

I'm not convinced because each department I was put through to made a song and dance about it. However the last department had it sorted within about 30 seconds.

However if it does get taken off I will have confidence in those foreign call centres for once.

linksix

I'm having the same problems with BT. Apparently my address doesn't exist, despite my brother, prior to him moving out, having an account with them for the exact same address . . . Been told 'you must be in a new build flat' - only one problem, the flat is in a Victorian tenament, and has had a BT line since before I moved in.Got letter from BT yesterday saying line was active. . . If it is, then when I dial the number from my mobile the phone is ringing in someone else's flat. . .So I managed to speak to an engineer, he gave me a number to dial to get a line check. To get the reply 'this circuit is identified as *****....' - A completely different number to which I was given.If I lived in a cable area I would not be at the mercy of BT.For reasons best known to the call centre seem adamant that they have the correct details and number and I must be wrong. . . Anyone else having problems like this?

PaulK_3

The call center only see what is on their screen, your problem is that an engineer has connected you up incorrectly, probably got the wrong wire pair in your junction box if this is a flat. You will need to call faults or complaints and tell them that your line has been wired incorrectly, the number you have been given is dialling another flat in your block and that your line is identiying as X.

syko29793

the charge you quote sounds like a £124.99 connection charge less the vat. if you was n not told you dont have pay. ask if it was a start order or a provide order. if it was a start the no charges should apply. keep at it i know its a pain being passed all over but be polite and state you case.( i do work for bt and if you told me what you said( in a polite manner i must stress) then i would refund you straight away. call back be firm explain an dont shout or be rude.