BT Engineers Call Out Charge

nobb1euk

I had a problem with broadband drop out and contacted my Supplier O2 and BT. Both did tests over the phone but fault was still there. I asked BT if there were any costs involved in getting the supply up to my phone socket checked and they said there would be no cost unless it was found the fault lie from socket to equipment. I stressed that i only wanted up to the socket and that was that. I was at work when the engineer called and my dad kindly offered to wait for him. It was stressed to him by my dad that we only wanted the test to the socket hence not incurring any costs. He told my dad that the proper pre filtered socket i had installed was causing a problem with his test equipment and he would change it for a phone socket stressing it was free of charge. His tests said there was nothing wrong although he was not a broadband engineer and did not carry there equipment. The fault was still present and further calls were made to BT and O2. O2 needed to check the line but could not do so because BT had 2 faults logged and needed them removed. I phoned BT and informed them but they said they had been removed. It went on like this for days and eventually i gave notice to both telling of my intension to find another provider. I had my last bill last week telling me this was the final one and i owed no money. Yesterday out of the blue i get a bill with an appology saying they had missed a charge of £130 for a call out. I explained what had happened but our friends in India kept telling me the charge would stand. I have asked to speak to someone close to the engineer as he told my dad there would be no charge but they say they don't know how to. They say the engineer instigated the charge and we want to know why ?. I have emailed customer services with no reply so far and am pulling my hair out :mad:. If someone else has had the same experience and has some advice, i would be very grateful if you could share it please. I still have the direct debit set up and they want to take the money on the 19/05/11. In two minds as to stop it and keep pursueing them or pay it then take some form of action, last thing i need is bailiff charges :eek:.
Regards
Mark

spike7451

Have a read of the thread below,using BT's own terms against them,skintlass was able to get the charge reversed.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2855286

nobb1euk

Thanks very much for that.... very useful. Only problem i am having now is speaking to someone in this country. Keep getting India who just read from a script and keep telling me they have no way of putting me in contact or have any contact details of a manager from this country.

spike7451

nobb1euk wrote: »

Thanks very much for that.... very useful. Only problem i am having now is speaking to someone in this country. Keep getting India who just read from a script and keep telling me they have no way of putting me in contact or have any contact details of a manager from this country.

That's a load of balls because I'm in Northern Ireland & when I called BT,it went to India or a UK Mainland number,only for me to be told I'm being transferred to the Northern Ireland call center.
They probably don't know how to work the dialer!

iniltous

BT dont decide if charges apply by saying if you dont want us to look past the master socket a visit will be free...you report the line faulty, your CP tests the line, if a fault is indicated in the outside network, the fault is progressed to an engineer and probably no chance of a charge, if the line tests ok, or the line test indicates the the fault is at the customers end, they should tell you charges could be applied if the fault is not on what OR are responsible for ......checking upto the master socket could still (as OR would see it) end up with them going on a visit that has nothing to do with them, for example, you have a faulty Sky box plugged into a phone socket, causing no dialtone on your phone, you report it to your CP, who send out OR,...OR test at your master socket (using the test port disconnects the Sky box) and engineer gets dailtone..in your opinion charge or not charge ?, after all OR checked upto the master socket, in that example its a chargable visit, after all it was Sky equipment causing the problem, if it were not there the line wouldnt be faulty....who arranged the OR visit ?, was it the BT bill or the O2 bill the 'visit charge' was appeared on ?, they would be who you would need to approach if you think you were unfairly charged.

nobb1euk

It was on the BT bill. I needed to know if the signal was ok to the socket. He said it was but he was only a BT telephone engineer. I spoke to O2 who said that the frequencies required by broadband would need to be checked by a broadband engineer as he would have the correct equipment. O2 said that although the phone engineer tested ok O2 guy said in his opinion there was a fault on the line. O2 needed to do a check on the line but couldn't because BT had 2 faults logged on it. I phoned BT to advise of this and they said no they had removed the faults. Phoned O2 and they said they hadn't and could not check line to progress this for a broadband engineer to visit. This went on for days and i had enough and left both parties and went with Virgin.

DUTR

nobb1euk wrote: »

It was on the BT bill. I needed to know if the signal was ok to the socket. He said it was but he was only a BT telephone engineer. I spoke to O2 who said that the frequencies required by broadband would need to be checked by a broadband engineer as he would have the correct equipment. O2 said that although the phone engineer tested ok O2 guy said in his opinion there was a fault on the line. O2 needed to do a check on the line but couldn't because BT had 2 faults logged on it. I phoned BT to advise of this and they said no they had removed the faults. Phoned O2 and they said they hadn't and could not check line to progress this for a broadband engineer to visit. This went on for days and i had enough and left both parties and went with Virgin.

I must applaud you on the speed you get stuff 'resolved' if you have gone with virgin media, then why post the original post?
Rest assured, you are always advised of the possibility of a charge before anyone waste's their time attending site, the modern testing techniques dictate, if it shows a fault beyond the master socket, then there is a 99.9% chance it is beyond the socket.

nobb1euk

I was told there would be NO charge to test to the socket. If signal was ok to socket then i would deal with it along side O2. My original post is because they are trying to take £130 from me when they have no right to. The engineer left saying NO charges were incurred and now because i have left them they want it. An update any how is i have emailed the CEO of BT tonight and have had a reply that some one will contact me tomorrow to discuss it.

nobb1euk

Managed to get an email to the right person last night and they cascaded it down to some one who agreed with me and quashed the £130 charge. :j :T

ukcarper

DUTR wrote: »

, if it shows a fault beyond the master socket, then there is a 99.9% chance it is beyond the socket.

I'd dispute that.

DUTR

ukcarper wrote: »

I'd dispute that.

What the 0.1% ?