BT Broadband Usage Meter Wildly Inaccurate

demceys

I may be paranoid but I think BT are trying to force me to Option 2. I joined them on an Option 1 package on the 4th August only to receive their "you have used 7GB of your allowance" on the 11th. The mail was sent to my old aol mail account. I have sent two e-mails and spoken to tech guys, I think in India as I find it difficult to understand what they are saying. They suggested I install my own meter, which I did. In the next call I was told to mail ebilling, which I did only to receive a call from tech guys offering to transfer me to billing. I spoke to a nice young lady who said their meter showed a 9.22GB usage but she couldn't explain why their own figure said usage for Friday & Saturday was 853MB but their meter had jumped 1.5GB. I also complained that the mail should have gone to the btinternet mail account that was set up in my purchase of the package. Guess what I go into that account tonight to find the mail dated and timed as per the one to aol. I've religiously checked that account daily since I went live. Obviously I must have a blind spot to BT mail. Only time will tell whether I'm forced into Option 2 like all those on the BT Forum on this subject.

macman

Install your own software (Netmeter etc) and monitor that.
Edit: what does your own metering show your usage to be?

bod1467

demceys wrote: »

They suggested I install my own meter, which I did.

He already has.

castleclan

I am another unhappy BT customer with being billed for 31GB used over our 40 GB allowance. All used in the week before we were on holiday apparently! Just how much usage would this equate to in games, films, u tube use? There are 4 of us and were all at work/school that week and not on the computer 24/7. But just how can you prove to BT you didn't use that much even when you do monitor usage separately. They always have an excuse!

espresso

So switch to a decent ISP then! Why do so many people think that BT is the only provider when there are hundreds of better ISP's.

:mad:

UnhappyBTinfinityCustomer

I am having the same problems , I currently have BT infinity option 1 40GB allowance and its over charged me 3months in a row and i dont even use the internet much or download crazy amounts of itunes etc

seat183

I would not be surprised should they be upping your usage in order you to upgrade, not very uncommon. Do you have any Windows updates in the background? This could go unnoticed. I'd personally download an external usage meter, many can be found online and use that then compare to BT's one and see were you stand.

Good luck.

tomhirvin

I have also been having a huge issue since September when we signed an 18 month contract. We have had months of 65gb, 128gb and 76gb. I have third party usage monitors and they have never gone over 8gb in a month. Every month I have to spend hours on the phone to India to complain and every month they tell me my router has been hijacked. I have a 256bit incryption so I know it hasn't. They always tell me that the router doesn't lie, but I have never paid a penny as they always refund me.

This month I did a test. I did not use the internet at all except on 3 days for 2 hours each day. The first two days were simply browsing and the third was a 20 minute video skype and an hours worth of Iplayer. My 3rd party monitor says less than 1gb. BT.....9.8gb. On one day the monitor went DOWN a couple of gb. I am going to write to them with my findings and I have alerted the communications Ombudsman but I don't expect much.

If it wasn't such a blatant rip off it would be laughable.

The best advice I can give is activate your BT FON account on your router and only use that. You get 10,000 minutes a month (about 5 hours a day). It's secure and if you just use that you will never go over your limit. The other tip is leave BT as soon as you are able. They are shameless and their customer service is so bad it's laughable.

tomhirvin

I've just come off the phone with a shirty BT customer services person. At least it was a call from a UK office so he went off the script.

There was a total denial from their end. My usage for last Sunday was more than 4gb, when we had used the internet for about 20 mins to check on an Ebay auction. My guess is that would be about 30mb of usage. His response was that perhaps my laptop was updating things without me knowing...4gb worth?!

The situation was left that they insist their monitor is correct and that i'm using what they say I am. I say i'm not but neither party can prove the other wrong.

If your bank or telephone company told you you had used more money or telephone calls than you knew you had it would be easy to prove but because of 'data protection' BT can tell you what you what they want and not have to prove it. It's a total scam.

The only thing I can do now is cut my internet off and use FON only (highly recommended by the way), report them to the Ombudsman and cancel my contract as soon as I can. I encourage everyone to do the same.

Save your energy about trying to complain to them about this situation. It will not get you anywhere.

tomhirvin

BT have just upgraded their usage monitor. I wonder if this was in response to all the complaints. Not had the data in yet to see if it is now accurate but I bet that miraculously it will now be relating accurate usage. Everyone should get a refund if they have been overcharged.