BT have closed my account

terra_ferma

Something very strange has happened, BT have closed my account by mistake and have allocated my number and address to a business.

They have stopped my DD and given me a final refund. I phoned them several times and now they say that they can't reactivate my old account and a new one will tie me in for 12 months.

At the moment I'm using the phone for free, bills come to my address but in the name of the business (and with business rates :eek:!).

I'm planning to change over to a different phone company but could I have problems if the phone is not in my name?

All I want is to go back to have my account and set up my direct debit again.

I will contact the business as well to let them know they are accruing a debit in their name.

Anyone else had the same problem?
BT have been unhelpful, the last guy I spoke to very rude, as if I was asking him a favour!
My phone works fine.
Closing my accounts stopped a one-off deal I had for free calls that I will not be able to reactivate, very annoying.

Can't wait to get away from them, but I'm not sure what will happen to the line???

PS I have broadband on this number, is this going to be a problem. I can't be without it, it's essential for work and I can't be without even for one day!

PPS just spoken to 02, who provide my broadband and they can't put in a new phone line if the existing one it's not in my name.... In addition £15 charge if the line is closed by BT....

Mark_In_Hampshire

This one is a real mess. As you say, the broadband is your key issue.

If you let things run their course without any action on your part, the line will eventually cease when BT get notified by the business that they haven't had any bills, or when they realise what they have done.

Rather than this being ceased on a set date I suspect what will happen is that the line will abruptly terminate. At the moment "you" aren't the customer for that line so far as BT are concerned.

The broadband might go on for a little longer.

By the way you do not need to and should not pay the bills for the business. Even if you have used the line, and the bills contain calls you have made - BT need to issue YOU a bill for them. And paying their bill won't help your situation anyway.

Normally, if a line were ceased (e.g. you're moving home), BT would notify O2. Then O2 would email you to let you know they have received a "cease notification" for the line the broadband is supplied on and that the broadband will also terminate.

You may have problems moving the line to another supplier while the name on the account is wrong, and this may complicate matters.

You can't reorder ADSL until it has been ceased.

You might not be able to order it on a line that "belongs" to someone else anyway.

The line about "you need a new 12 month contract" is absolute nonsense. BT are obliged to put you back in the position you were in originally under the original terms. That includes the deal you had.

At this point you might think "I'll move the line to another supplier now while it's still working".

That might succeed and thus your broadband can keep on working. As an aside, that would probably remain true even if the number changed, the physical parts of the service remain the same.

However you may not be able to do that if the line is in someone elses name (think this is what O2 mean, as they can quite happily put in a new line - as in a new master socket - that has nothing to do with any other line or contract at the same house).

The two optimum solutions are:

1. Have BT put you back in the position you were in
2. Order a brand new line with a new company and have broadband put on that

You may or may not have noticed that O2 have changed their packages substantially. The old packages were much better in several ways. Provision of a new service will be on the new terms not the old ones and if on a new line will presumably carry a minimum term as well.

If you proceed with (2) then unfortunately you are bound to pay the £15 to O2 for the cease plus any other early termination fees if you are still in a contract with them. You will be disadvantaged one way or another.

I think you should pursue option (1) and if it becomes apparent that BT have neither the interest nor the competence to sort it out, then do option (2) and seek redress from BT (suspect that's going to be in the small claims court or via the regulator) for consequential losses including your time, and any charges from O2, and any "new line installation fee" (typically £39 to £145 depending on who you go with - O2 can install lines now)

You should email or write to BT - don't call them. Keep a copy. You can't do that if you phone them and will probably just get another rude script monkey.

When writing, keep brief and to the point. Explain what happened and very importantly, what you want done - which is to put you back in the position you were in. Spell it out word for word - original number, original contract, original terms. Be proactive.

You might like to look at 3G dongles in the meantime if the worst should happen, or maybe sharing a good neighbour's wireless connection if they will let you. Three 3G has been very good for us.

Assuming BT do sort this mess out, and it's a big ask - they're not noted for their communication skills or competence - then you can (and doubtless will) move the line as soon as you can e.g. to O2 Home Phone.

On a final note, don't set up a direct debit again with BT. The mess so far does not bode well for them getting that right. Pay the final bill (the one you get in your name as you're moving away) via e.g. BACS.

Heinz

IMHO, you are going to have to take this mess to the very top to get it properly resolved. Trying to get the 'normal' people to do so will never get you back to the position you should be in.

ian.livingston@bt.com

terra_ferma

Thank you guys, great info!

My partner is talking them right now, after quite a bit of shouting to an unhelpful supervisor (erm you can see why I got my partner to phone them this time...) I can hear a quieter discussion about talk plans, maybe we are getting there....

If not will email our friend Ian, not time to waste!
You are right no more talking to them.

Just been told they have requested the billing dept to reactivate the account, don't believe it until I get a letter, but it's something.

BT_company_representative

Hi Terra_Ferma

Should your partner have had no luck over the phone, we can chase this for if needs be as an escalation.

Send me an email to the address in my profile with your BT Account details and a link to this thread.

Thanks

Stuart

MothballsWallet

Good luck OP: when I left BT for TalkTalk, I forgot to include my card security (CVV) code when paying the final BT bill - I had one call from a BT person who asked for my PIN code - er, no, I don't think so. I kept telling him it was the CVV code he wanted, but he kept asking for my PIN until I hung up on him.

What the hell are BT training their people in these days???!!

terra_ferma

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Terra_Ferma

Should your partner have had no luck over the phone, we can chase this for if needs be as an escalation.

Send me an email to the address in my profile with your BT Account details and a link to this thread.

Thanks

Stuart

Hi Stuart

I have emailed you, hope you can help sort this out.

Thank you

terra_ferma

Update: got two phone calls from BT reps, one in response to a complaint via the website, one I assume in response to this thread.

BT have apologised for the mistake and will reinstate my account with the same t&c as before.
Obviously I'll wait until this has happened to celebrate... but I'm glad I finally got a sensible response!

thank you everyone!

terra_ferma

I just want to give a quick update, just in case someone thinks BT are able to resolve the issues they have themselves created, and deal with complaints effectively....

I now have the new line, working fine.
However the non-existing debt if being pursued by debt collectors. I contacted them, but they wanted my details to discuss, and the least thing I want is to have my name linked to a debt that does not exist.....

I get letters every week, and they even phoned once (will ask for advice on a different thread, this is just to put on record how useless BT are, and I'm going to transfer to another company very soon).

PS the debt is in the name of the business that bt transferred the line to by mistake, but at my address, and linked to my phone number.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

BT terminated my OH account because they were chasin another debt at the premises, eventhough she herself owes money she agree'd a payment plan over the phone with someone who contacted her, she pays via payment card as she has no bank account, for her account debt and the person agreed to keep line open to incoming calls only, call center staff extremely rude and insulting and have their own assumptions to put forward to you, constantly talks over you so you cant explain fully your case for it to be understood because they work to time scales and cheat sheets, ask for a manager or supervisor and youll get told we dont have a supervisor, only a manager and he/she is in a meeting, and will call you back, and you will not get to speak to someone on that call higher than a button pusher.

BT keeps insisting she pay this other account, and shut the line off when refused broke their own agreement so shall we a have final bill she will refuse to pay any final early termination fee's applied to the account and only pay her line rental as that would be owed on the next bill.

BT rep here asked me to send her info to look into it as he even states (and i have a copy) the line should not have been terminated with an agreemant inplace (thank you paddy very much for your omission) but havent heared nothing back and its been a few days now.

MY Broadband has been terminated due to this and i have to connect via wireless to my neighbour who agreed to let me connect, ive accrued a termination charge now, and the cost of the router as they no longer recieve that type router back (recieved e-mail to upgrade but was happy with sticking to that one as ive opened all the ports for my stuff and takes ages to do but in the T and C state after x date no longer accept them back for end of contract and a small fee will apply for the router)

as soon as BT have my OH money, i will go with BE landline and broadband who i had broadband with as it worked out cheaper than BT and talk talk. cant wait to be BT FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

terra_ferma

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

BT terminated my OH account because they were chasin another debt at the premises, eventhough she herself owes money she agree'd a payment plan over the phone with someone who contacted her, she pays via payment card as she has no bank account, for her account debt and the person agreed to keep line open to incoming calls only, call center staff extremely rude and insulting and have their own assumptions to put forward to you, constantly talks over you so you cant explain fully your case for it to be understood because they work to time scales and cheat sheets, ask for a manager or supervisor and youll get told we dont have a supervisor, only a manager and he/she is in a meeting, and will call you back, and you will not get to speak to someone on that call higher than a button pusher.

BT keeps insisting she pay this other account, and shut the line off when refused broke their own agreement so shall we a have final bill she will refuse to pay any final early termination fee's applied to the account and only pay her line rental as that would be owed on the next bill.

BT rep here asked me to send her info to look into it as he even states (and i have a copy) the line should not have been terminated with an agreemant inplace (thank you paddy very much for your omission) but havent heared nothing back and its been a few days now.

MY Broadband has been terminated due to this and i have to connect via wireless to my neighbour who agreed to let me connect, ive accrued a termination charge now, and the cost of the router as they no longer recieve that type router back (recieved e-mail to upgrade but was happy with sticking to that one as ive opened all the ports for my stuff and takes ages to do but in the T and C state after x date no longer accept them back for end of contract and a small fee will apply for the router)

as soon as BT have my OH money, i will go with BE landline and broadband who i had broadband with as it worked out cheaper than BT and talk talk. cant wait to be BT FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You say "she herself owes money" so I'm not clear what is that BT are doing that they are not supposed to do.
Unless you meant she does not owe money, was it a family member in that case? Are they forcing your OH to pay for a debt owed by someone else living at the same address?

You'd better check your broadband's t&c, can they charge you for a router that they have given you for free, because the don't want it back?

Oh dear sounds like a mess.