BT Basic Line Rental: Get a landline for £4.50/month

darren72

bpinskerb wrote: »

Also, when applying for Broadband, your line will show as 'Clear' and you can apply from any provider you wish.

Anyone know what happens for those who already have Broadband on LUS ?? - Just it get disconnected as part of the changeover ??

Has anyone experienced the changeover from LUS to Basic already, who had broadband before ?

Thanks

Jemma-T

I hope they don't connect ADSL! They have no permission from me or the ISP and if it is disconnected it'll have to be put back on = more delay.

I wouldn't worry.

janster1988

I have had similar problems with the fantastically helpful staff that work in the BT basic department!!!!

It has been a case of requesting about 6 app forms over 3 months!!! Each time they have informed me they have requested one to be sent to me each time and couldn't understand why I hadn't received them. They first blamed the postal service, then it was the fact that I was down as Mr instead of Miss on there system and that maybe why it hadn’t worked. Yet oddly enough I still received my bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I logged a complaint about the diabolical service and requested to speak to the manager however every time there was no one available and Was told they would call back on 3 separate occasions however they never got back to me!!!!:mad:

I threatened to take my complaint to otelo and all of a sudden I received a call back from them saying how very sorry they were that I had been having problems and unfortunately they had a "problem with their system"!!!!!!! The long a short of it is that they have now agreed (after an ear bashingTo put me on the BT basic rate without an app form and have credited my account with £20 as a gesture of goodwill!!:T Good luck you’re going to need it!!!![/font]
BT are hopeless!!![/font]

airds

airds wrote: »

Right, now I've calmed down a bit, here is my latest in this LONG drawn out and pathetic saga.

As suspected - yet ANOTHER "lost" form - see my post from 15-12-2008 #154.

24 days to send out a simple form? And it is simple, just a N.I. number and signature. Oh yes, I've filled one in previously - but that replacement form was "issued too soon" - and so that initial order was cancelled - but of course, they didn't have the courtesy or sense to inform me.

So this'll be another two weeks to cancel the replacement order again and reissue another form to fill in. Then "3 or 4 weeks Sir" to confirm eligiblity and hopefully get on the scheme.

Great how I've never had a lost B.T. bill in 20+ years ain't?

bpinskerb

I'm now on BT Basic, and my broadband is connected. But Beware.

BT Basic is payable 3 Months in advance, and if you miss the 'please pay by' date by one day there is a £7.50 late payment charge. There seems to be no flexibility/reminders like there is on LUS and other BT contracts.

I got my confirmation letter and then a 3 month bill two days before the 'please pay by' date. You have to pay it immediately to avoid the £7.50 charge. I might have just about made the payment, but was told that it takes BT 'time' to process the payment.

In my book that is a draconian penalty on people already in financial difficulty. If they charge me a penalty, i'll kick up an almighty stink. What if my bill had been lost or delayed in the post?

diamonds

^ id Ofcom that late payment charge as not in line with all other BT products, penalising BT Basic's customers

As for BT Basic application form YOU ALL should notify Ofcom the difficulties faced - it seems a standard procedure when BT could make the application form downloadable from their website

Jemma-T

More than a month late [from my usual billing cycle], I've finallly received a rather jumbled and complex phone bill. I assume they've been working on it for weeks. Just how jumbled and complex it is I'll not know until the next bill.

Here's the bill: http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9284/btbill13january2009ni3.jpg (not sure what the 'Free Calls' refers to -BTBasic I assume)

It's a good bit cheaper than the last bill and there's mention of BTBasic so I assume the account is now BTBasic (never really had a confirmation).

So, pleased with that and hopefully BT are getting better by learning from all these maladministration errors we've been reading about here. My online account still doesn't show any change (ie it's still broke) and I have the same account number.

That's around 7 weeks from I applied that I now know BTBasic is running (but I've not really had a confirmation of course).

Can I also just dispel the rumour That BT does in fact stand for BritishTelecom and not BollyTelecom

diamonds

Bloody Twa ts

davidcrofter

I phoned up to enquire about BT Basic just before Christmas and like everybody else who has posted on here been left frustrated by the BT Call Centre Staff - who seemed to be based on Planet Pluto ...

The girl must have asked me at least 10 times to confirm my name and my phone number, she then put me on hold to look up my account details about 5 minutes later she came back and said Yes I think you may be suitable for BT Basic and she would attempt to switch my account to BT Basic while I waited (alarm bells start ringing here) ... well I waited and waited about 5 minutes later she then said she was having problems switching the acccounts please hold (more alarm bells) while she tries to transfer the account - another 5 minutes later no joy (btw what is my address, name and telephone number again?? !!!!!!) she would have to send a form out to me to sign. I then enquired as to whether I would still be able to pay the BT Basic through my online BT Account - eh yes she said no problem.

I put the phone down ... two minutes later I get a phone call from this Pluto Bt Staff Member asking to confirm my Phone Number and Address again (eh you phoned me) she then informs me that I cannot pay online as my Account is paid via my mothers credit card/bank what did she want me to do (you really want to know??)- by this time I could have really lost it, but I remained calm thoughout and just informed her to send the form out and I will pay at the post office.

What an absolute JOKE - didn't help that she seemed to be from another country (or maybe another planet for all I know) but she tried everything in her powers to try and get me to NOT SWITCH to BT Basic ... 3 weeks later and I still haven't got the form yet - might need another half hour phone call to BT methinks ... wish me luck!!

Jemma-T

davidcrofter wrote: »

I phoned up to enquire about BT Basic just before Christmas and like everybody else who has posted on here been left frustrated by the BT Call Centre Staff - who seemed to be based on Planet Pluto ...

The girl must have asked me at least 10 times to confirm my name and my phone number, she then put me on hold to look up my account details about 5 minutes later she came back and said Yes I think you may be suitable for BT Basic and she would attempt to switch my account to BT Basic while I waited (alarm bells start ringing here) ... well I waited and waited about 5 minutes later she then said she was having problems switching the acccounts please hold (more alarm bells) while she tries to transfer the account - another 5 minutes later no joy (btw what is my address, name and telephone number again?? !!!!!!) she would have to send a form out to me to sign. I then enquired as to whether I would still be able to pay the BT Basic through my online BT Account - eh yes she said no problem.

I put the phone down ... two minutes later I get a phone call from this Pluto Bt Staff Member asking to confirm my Phone Number and Address again (eh you phoned me) she then informs me that I cannot pay online as my Account is paid via my mothers credit card/bank what did she want me to do (you really want to know??)- by this time I could have really lost it, but I remained calm thoughout and just informed her to send the form out and I will pay at the post office.

What an absolute JOKE - didn't help that she seemed to be from another country (or maybe another planet for all I know) but she tried everything in her powers to try and get me to NOT SWITCH to BT Basic ... 3 weeks later and I still haven't got the form yet - might need another half hour phone call to BT methinks ... wish me luck!!

That a pretty shocking story, and it's nice to see someone not completely raging with anger!

I'm starting to think BT (BollyTelecom) couldn't do this BT Basic so the UK BT (BritishTelecom) had to start from scratch and like any business if you dump all your staff and move things to a foreign country you're in for a shock when you try to provide a new service. I reckon more and more businesses are starting to realise the error of their ways. It's not really got anything to do with the 'foreign' aspect but the removal of high quality long term well trained staff.

I see it every day on the paths, dug up by idiots who have no concern/idea/care for their vandalism to the public highway. This is sub-sub-sub-sub contracting. Which is what BT has done by passing their customers to BT (BollyTelecom).

Oh well, such is life after the sell off of our nation by Thatcher to people who ripped the heart out of the services while stealing the land and cash then sold off what was left to the banks [who paid with money they never had] who we now own.