Please help close to tears with BT (new customer)

bockett

Hi Guys and gals

What a frustrating morning/afternoon. Sit down with a brew it's a long one

Here's what has happened.

I recently moved into my first home after leaving the nest and wanted to get online

I noticed O2 were doing a great deal on home broadband but required a BT line to have this package. A line was already in place but no connection. So i went on the O2 wesbite entered my postcode to check availability of braodband in my area and was successful so it told me.

On that basis i took out the basic plan with BT @ £11.25 per month with free weekend and evening calls at no extra cost on a *12 month* contract.

Received my paperwork from BT to find the surname was wrong although correct when i set the contract up online? i hadn't been opted out for the ex directory and my paper free billing wasn't on there either. So after a 20 minute call sorting that out i gave O2 my new home phone number. They said i wasn't eligible for home broadband with them and when asked why i was told i have a TPON telephone line and to contact BT.

So i rang BT again to mention this and was told that i would require a Copper overlay connection. And that i should contact the third party BBand provider (O2) and mention this.

So i rang O2 again and they said they would not cover the charge to have this copper overlay installed and were very sorry they could not set me up on a broadband contract.

So i told BT this and they said there was nothing they could do about it but if i went with BT broadband they would levy the copper overlay charge. So after much frustration and anger i said to them can i just cancel the contract.

They said once you line is activated you can't leave. You can only leave before the line is activated. My order was placed on the 2nd May and activated on the 3rd meaning i had 24hrs to cancel???

So i left it at that fuming. I went on the BT website and looked at the broadband tariffs available and found one that sufficed on a *12 month* contract same as the phone line. Now bearing in mind when you go on the BT website and look at broadband tariffs they all say you need a minimum £11.25 per month basic line package which i have.

So i thought ok well i already have that so i will just pick a tariff with my basic line and off i go. So i rang them and stated i wanted a broadband line on 12 month contract to match my phone line didn't want any combined packagaes (as the basic broadband and phone line package was a case of my line i had + the broadband i was going for with no extra saving) and was then told i have an 18 month phone line contract???

So i then had to ring around again as to why it was 18 months when in writing it stated 12 months. All i kept getting was on the system it says 18 months please speak to this department. Several departments later in the UK and India this is still not sorted. As it stands with BT i am on an 18 month contract not the 12 that is documented in my confirmation and no broadband as i do not want the broadband on 12 months and phone on 18 months.

Although i have my order email conformation stating it's 12 months. I have been on this case from 10:30 this morning and it's still not resolved.

I feel backed into a corner first by being stuck into having my boradband only with BT then to be told i cannot leave then to find out it's 18 months not 12 and finally i haven't took out my broadband as i want it on 12 months and they cannot answer as to why i have an 18 month contract.

I have been through several different numbers and am getting no where.

Initially it was the problem of the line being a TPON line so when i gave in and accepted the fact i could only have a BT broadband package it then started again with the 18 month to 12 month issue.

I have never experienced this before and see this on watchdog etc and feel so sorry for the people involved. I feel powerless and bullied and am very upset but all of this

If anyone can help i would be very grateful

Ben

PNPSUKNET

The same happened to me, bet they sting you with a connection charge to. If they dont sort it Im going to take my paperwork to the regulator as they have to stick by it, no where on their website does it say 18 month contract

bockett

HURRAY SORTED!!!

A very calm call for the last time to BT mentioned i was very unhappy and was told by the helpful operator to hold on.

She returned saying i had been moved onto the 12 month contract!!!

I then proceeded to take out my BT broadband on a 12 month and the BT broadband operator knew nothing about the TPON line?

But said her system showed no restraints on it and went through with the package.

So very happy. finally

McKneff

Phew, large glass of red coming up I would say

bockett

Indeed. Such a relief

Pssst

Whats a "copper overlay connection "anyway..??

Buzby

Pssst wrote: »

Whats a "copper overlay connection "anyway..??

TPON stands for Telephony over Passive Optical Network - basically a 'kludge' invented in the 1980's to fit a large number of phone lines to new build premises where they didn;t have capavity in the area. Another type used whre individual lines were in short supply was DACS, a 'virtual' line that used an adjacent pair of wires (a neighbours) whilst your service was carried on a modulated carrier. The downside for both is that data including ADSL just doesn;t work over it. They are now no longer provided.

Pssst

So it means replacing a DAC'sd line with a proper copper pair?

bockett

Ok so finally got the broadband things seem ok then one evening last week we receive a sales call. Strange as i thought we were ex directory. So i rang up and they said the would put us on some BT privacy thing that is apparently more secure and less chance of the number leaking out.

20 mins ago another sales call. Raging as i thought we were ex directory and we wouldn't get these sales calls phoned BT AGAIN!

I told them about the mistakes they made at the beginning of the initial setup and that i was very unhappy then told them about the ex directory issues. The operator said well how can we help sarcastically i said well if i breached my part of the contract then you'd soon contact me so i expressed how i felt they had breached their end.

They then said well you've still got your service so what do you want me to do about it? And went on to say that ex directory only stops the general public contacting you not businesses. I know feel as out number is out there this will never end

Stunned by his response and lack of help was fuming. I did lose it i must admit not the norm for me and said things i regret and put the phone down. Then a few seconds later received a call with some kind of mumbled insult down the phone

This is beyond a joke and wish i'd never set this up. Can anyone advise

I'm at my witts end

Many Thanks

Heinz

Being XD does not stop people (or, more likely, machines) calling you, it just keeps your number out of the phone book (excluded from directory).

Joining TPS (which BT includes in BT Privacy) reduces such calls though.

bockett

Heinz wrote: »

Being XD does not stop people (or, more likely, machines) calling you, it just keeps your number out of the phone book.

Joining TPS (which BT includes in BT Privacy) reduces such calls though.

How do i go about joining TPS. Am i already on this as i have been told i'm setup for BT privacy