Post Office Home Phone

cathal_3

Hi Folks,

Ok so I am currently with Post Office for my home phone and broadband package. On the 24th December I started receiving phone calls that weren’t meant for me, i.e. someone was dialling a number and it was ringing in my house. If i tried to ring my phone number then it would just come back with a dead tone. I got on to PO and advised the tech support of this, they told me that there seemed to have been a block on the line? I asked them that if there was a block on the line was it normal practice for me to receive someone else’s phone calls? They then looked further into the problem and said that there had been a 'cease' on the line and the only people who could deal with the was the revenue management team, but they would not be opened until the new year. After endless phone calls and been passed to numerous people i finally got through to the manager of the RM team and he said he would look into the case and get back to me. So a few hours later i get a phone call from him, he advised me that yes the line had ceased and said it seems to have been a problem with someone else signing up with another provider and BT accidently using my number. So where do i stand? That’s the interesting bit, I now need to pay a termination fee for ending my contract early followed by a reconnection fee for getting connected back again and the best bit about the whole lot is a loose my number that all my friends and family have!

What can i do? I have been told by post office to take it up with ofcom and get them to get BT to disclose who the provider was that made the error and get compensated for the disconnection and reconnection fees but i still loose my number? I think PO have handled it very poorly surly they should be trying to find out all this information rather than sending me off to do it all ?

Very P'd off and any help you folks can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Cathal

Mark_In_Hampshire

From your post, it sounds as though BT Openreach, who are responsible for the physical line itself, have repurposed your line and given it to someone else.

Your contract is with the Post Office. You do not need to deal with or pursue anyone except the Post Office and it is up to them to rectify the situation, which strikes me as being 1. Void the termination charges, 2. Void the reconnection charges, 3. Compensate you.

That said there remains one possible issue with all of this. If your line was originally ceased due to non payment, none of the above will apply and the disconnection and reconnection charge may stand.

The fact you're getting calls for someone else is annoying, probably even more so to the intended recipient who wonders where their calls are going, but that's up to them to take up with their provider.

DVardysShadow

Yes, agree with MarkIH here. I do think that it is outrageous that the customer is charged termination and reconnection fees by the PO for Openreach's incompetence.

Customer should pay fees by cheque with an accompanying letter saying that this is done under protest and put the matter in for complaint immediately.

cathal_3

There was an debt on the account but i was disconnected before the due date of the bill so obviously it wasnt for that. What im annoyed about is the fact that yes they are looking for me to pay my fees but also that i have lost my number and could wait months before anything moves. What is the best plan of action to take?

Mark_In_Hampshire

You need to write to the Post Office setting out what has happened and what you want to happen e.g.

a. The line reconnected
b. Your old number back
c. Waiving of all disconnection and reconnection fees
d. Compensation @ £x per day

Personally I think you'll be lucky to get b or d but there's no harm in trying.

From what you have described, the PO are in breach of their contract with you, so you need to start by giving them the opportunity to put matters right and saying what you want.

If that fails, you may then need to go to the regulator and/or use legal means.

That this has happened would appear to be the fault of BT Openreach, the Post Office are blameless for what has happened, but that does not in any way absolve them of the responsiblity to correct the matter, even though it will financially disadvantage them through no fault of their own. It is up to them to claw back compensation from BT.