BT Complaints & Escalation

Duntrying

Bt reconnected my phone when I moved in over a year ago. I paid for broadband and for a week all went OK. The broadband was allways slow and three times the phone line failed. The engineer moved the cable which was touching a tree (when it was initially reconnected they moved the outside line into the tree. The phone failed again and took a week to repair,both times the engineers said the problem was serious and the repairs would be temporary.
Ten days ago the line failed again. I could not get any sense out of BT and decided to cancel my broadband,ringing on an expensive mobile it took three attempts and took over 45minutes to get the MAC code from them.
Later I received another call and was told they agreed there was a serious fault as ten other houses had now lost their phones on the road. I was told major work was necessary and they would dig up the road on saturday,repair the fault and I'd be on again by sunday. Like an idiot I believed them and as as my contract was about to expire renewed it for a year. No work men came,no hole in the road but a text message told me my phone was now working but there was no chance of any compensation. The phone still doesn't work,I find I've now been charged twice for the line rental even on the days it hasn't worked and have spent a considerable sum of money using my mobile and borrowing internet access.
This company stinks,its staff lie and mess you around and make promises they know they can't keep.

teddysmum

It used to be possible to contact BT, free of charge, from a call box, but I don't know whether this is still so.

IanHolmes1964

I'm hoping that by posting this here I get some sort of response from BT:

I waited in between 1 and 6pm today (14/10/13), nobody came or called tolet me know why they were not coming, despite the confirmation emails and texts. I’ve spent most of this evening on hold whilst call centre staff try to put me in touch with people that can help me, it appears nobody can. I was told that the engineer didn’t receive the job until 5:15, as if the BT work scheduling system was somehow my fault or responsibility! Even then if somebody had the decency to call me it would have been better, but nobody bothered to let me know that I didn’t have to stay in as they wouldn’t be coming, I’ve wasted half a day of my precious holiday and most of the evening on the phone.

Below is a timeline listing the events and the level of customer service I have received from BT and its various departments. I’ve had an independent telecoms engineer (ex BT) visit to look at my internal system and the connection to the master socket, he has stated that the line into the house is made up of crimped, internal wiring and it should be external grade wires, also the connection is not to the relevant code apparently. I want BT to commit to coming and replacing the line into my property, I accept full responsibility for the system downstream of the master socket, the part that needs to be replaced is the line from that master socket back to the exchange / kiosk etc.

1/10/13 - Initial fault raised. Broadband speed of less than 0.3mb and a phone line that crackles intermittently. BT call centre clerk confirmed that there was a problem on the line into the house and that they would call back tomorrow.
2/10/13 – Call centre clerk called back requesting that I take the front cover off the master socket and plug the equipment into the test socket behind the faceplate. This I completed, no immediate improvement to the service. I was told that I should call back in 5 days or so but to leave it like that.
3/10/13 – Line speed increased to 1.15mb, phone and router still pluggedinto the test socket.
8/10/13 – Line speed 0.5mb, phone and router still plugged into test socket. Independent telecoms engineer advised me that the internal wiring wasfine (only the master socket in use anyway) and that internal grade wires had been used into the house and that this should be external grade wiring.
9/10/13 – Called BT to find out that the initial fault had been closed as resolved! A new fault was raised for both the phone line and the broadband. Call centre clerk said that “now the line was stable he could provide a broadband boost”. The router and phone are still plugged into the test socket but the line speed into the house goes up to nearly 3mb. I requested an engineer come to look at the line into the house as there is clearly a fault. An appointment was made to come to my house between 1 and 6pm 14/10/13.
14/10/13 – I arranged to be at the house this afternoon and waited for the engineer (confirmation texts and email received). The engineer never came or called to say that he couldn’t come. From around 6:30 to 8:30 I’ve been on and off hold to various departments to be left no wiser than I was before I rang. The first person I spoke with explained that the engineer didn’t receivethe job until 5:15, I explained that BT’s work scheduling is entirely their responsibility and even then if the engineer couldn’t make it he could have called and let me know so I didn’t have to wait in.

An absolutely shocking customer experience which appears to be a common theme confirmed by a quick search. I will be escalating this issue as highly as I possibly can, but given the customer experience I’ve had so far, I’m notvery optimistic that I will be treated fairly and respectfully.

mattyprice4004

createbeauty wrote: »

So BT have screwed us over.

We took out their infinity broadband and telephone service in July, which was installed in August. We were told it's a direct debit taken on the same day each month. First direct debit was taken on 19 August. Second direct debit was taken on 16 September. Third direct debit was taken on 11 October sending us past our overdraft limit. My husband rang this morning and spent a very long time trying to get this sorted and all we got out of it was the same run-around of, "It's already in process, you have to write in."

Am I missing something here? Is that even legal to take money from direct debit less than 28 days from the previous direct debit? We're within our rights to suspend the direct debit aren't we?

We've had Virgin Media, Sky, and Talk Talk and just like every other direct debit we ever set up, the payment was taken on the exact date each month, such as the 14th of a month (obviously allowing for the weekends/holidays).

Do any of my comping friends have any experience or advice? Looks like we're going to be without broadband for a while.

I pay a bill via DD every 2 weeks, so it's not illegal.

Deaqon

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Philleh & Deaqon,

Sorry for the problems you guys are having. Use the contact details in my profile and we'll help get everything sorted from here.

Cheers

Robbie

Hello Robbie,

Thanks for the offer of sorting my problem. I took you up on your offer and guess what?? NOTHING!

Contacted you via your instructions over 2 weeks ago and have heard nothing back whatsoever! Looks like you're simply trying to passify people on this forum and make the company look as if they give a damn about customers issues when, in reality, BT are more than happy to continue taking money whilst providing no service! And certainly no customer service!

I used to be with Sky and have moved to EE. Regardless of their faults, one thing I will say about both of them is: you can ALWAYS contact them, which is something you cannot say about BT!

Any furthers offers to 'HELP' with my parents problem??

BT_company_representative

Hi Deaqon,

I'm really sorry about this. Normally it does take a few days for us to get back in touch but it definitely shouldn't be anything near two weeks.

I've checked our email queue and can't find one from you in there. Could I ask that you send over your details again please? I realise that this has been going on for quite some time now and I'd like to help sort this out as soon as I can.

Whenever we've received your details we'll take it from there.

All the best,

Robbie

mikeymikemcmike

bullshot wrote: »

What has happened to BT? they are liars and cheats .... I have been with BT since 2007 and have always had Anytime Calls , as I rarely make calls in the evening but make lots during the day.
I phoned on Friday 31st of May to change my Broadband from 40 mg to Unlimited and inquire about the Sports Package.I was told this was FOC and that to increase Broadband would go up from £10.65 to £16. The male person I was speaking to told me about the SmartTalk app and told me this would be so useful to me as calls using my mobile would be re-routed to my own phone , and as I had Anytime Calls , these calls would be included.I could not get the App to work properly , so called for help.I got through to the call centre in India and had to switch off my mobile and try again and was then asked to dial a number to see if it worked , it didn't appear to, so she went off the line and came back and asked me to dial my own number, this wen to voicemail , as I was using the phone, so she suggested I tried dialling another number...did this a few time and it appeared to be working.I decided to check my bill this morning to ensure this use was working correctly and these calls were part of my calling plan....Guess What? BT had removed my Anytime Calls plan, without telling me, and all calls I have made during the day and since and using the mobile to test it have been charged to my account.I phoned and told them they had removed it without my knowledge , as I have always had Anytime I asked , why would I change .I was told I had only had Anytime since Jan 2013.....she disputed that I have had it since 2007, I was so angry to be called a liar......then she put through to someone else.She told me she would resolove it for me.....by adding Anytime calls , now at £7 a month and not at £5.15 which is what I was paying.I told her that I rang on 31st only to add unlimited Broadband and not remove Anytime calls, and asked her to listen to the recording in which I was told my new package would be costing me £5 more , it is fact now costing £5.45 more for Broadband and £1.85 more for Anytime Calls ...not something I had agreed to.I asked to cancel the contract but was told I'm in it now until next June and as it was verbal there is no way out....their verbal information was misleading and false , not mine, yet I'm tied to it...I am furious.This was mis-selling, as there is no way I would have agreed to this.I was concerened about the Broadband cost increase, and had to think long and hard about it, so why would I willingly pay more for the call package??? If the correct information was given I would have held off until the present contract was due to be renewed in Jan 2014.I was told this morning there was nothing they could do, my verbal contract is binding.....is this how they are paying for the FREE Sports Package by ripping off existing customers? I insisted they must do something as I was going to take this further , and after a long wait listening to music I was eventually told they will refund the difference ' as a gesture of goodwill' in a one off payment.So financially I have the package I agreed to to, but it was definitely mis-sold to me and they have said there is no way out until the contract is up in 12 months time, when I will be leaving BT.I do not care how much more Broadband and calls will cost me with another provider BT do not deserve mine or anyone elses business.

My experience is very similar. I joined BT in November 2012 on a 12 month contract. Originally 40Gb limit broadband and unlimited evening and weekend calls. After a few months I realised that the 40G limit was too low as I was paying about £5/month overlimit charges. So, in April I contacted them to upgrade my broadband to unlimited broadband. Last month I noticed that since May my bills had increased by an average of £40/month. When I checked my plan I discovered that when the broadband had been upgraded, the call plan hand changed from unlimited evening and weekend calls to unlimited weekend calls only! They have been charging me for all my evening calls.
I contacted BT cusomer support and explained the situation but they just said that I had changed from one "package" to another "package" and the new package, whilst it had unlimited broadband, only had free weekend calls. My old package with 40G broadband had unlimited evening and weekend calls!
I find this ridiculous! The reason I upgraded the broadband was to reduce my bills and there is no way I would have knowingly chosen to remove the unlimited evening calls as it is obvious to anyone that would increase my bills.
When I explained this to the customer support rep she told me I could add unlimited evening calls to my package for £2/month. I asked her to do that, and asked her if anything could be done to refund the charging for the evening calls which I had been mis-sold.
She refused to refund any of that.
As I felt utterly conned, I immediately investigated different suppliers and signed up with a different suppier, cancelled my direct debit, and waited for the fireworks to start!

Once I sent in the form to request my MAC code, I got an email from BT offering me a discounted rate for the next 12 months (which was still more than the rate from the new provider) and warning me that by cacelling my contract one month early I might be charge "up to £49". We, we will see about that.
Sorry BT but too little too late. I didn't reply to them and just forwarded my MAC code to my new supplier.
A few days later I got a call on my mobile by an accusing guy asking me why I had cancelled my direct debit. Well, actually it's MY business how I pay my bill. Anyway, I told them it was because I am leaving BT.
He then asked me if I had "requested my final bill". I told him that I did not know I was supposed to do that and that I assume BT will be sure to send me a final bill".

A few days after that, I found that when I tried to go online I was diverted to a BT page saying my broadband account has been suspended. Luckily, it was only a couple of days before the broadband was to change over to the new provider so I wasn't bothered.

Actually, the broadband was switched to my new provider a day earlier than they originally said so I hooked up the new router and off I went!

2 days later I found that when I try to make calls from the phone it gets routed through immediatey to BT accounts collection! I can recieve incoming calls but cannot make outgoing calls.

All of this without a single letter from BT! I went online and "chatted" to a BT rep and was told it is because I had not paid my final bill (a whopping £174 with the cancellation fee). I told her that they can use any part of the £180 I had been overcharged since May to pay that cancellation fee. Of course, she said that could not be done as I had "agreed to the terms and conditions of the new package".

The phone service changes over to the new provider on 29th Oct so we will just use mobiles/skype/viber to make calls.

Really this is all a joke starting from the cynical mis-selling of a so-called "upgrade" to suspending my broadband and phone when they realised that I was one step ahead of them. I wonder how many other people have been caught out by this "broadband upgrade but call package downgrade" trick? It's ridiculous to think anone would knowingly downgrade to a more costly call package when intending to upgarde the broadband to an unlimited cap!

I'm waiting for the BT debt collection letters now!:mad:

tuollen

I would say Communicatins Ombudsman. Your case is quite straight forward. It will probably take about two months but ombudsman will give you right.

Mike - Tuollen

Nerocuba

I am yet another one having the same problem. I have spoken to an unknown number of "customer service advisors" who either cut you off, say they will call back or quite simply don't understand the English language. I haven't had a BT service in my house since the middle of July and yet I keep getting bills. I call to tell them that I don't have any BT products in my home and they make me feel as if I am the one at fault by not canceling my service.....how many times do I have to tell them that, I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEM...? It's so frustrating not been able to talk to anyone and even more frustrating not been able to complain officially or get help from an independent entity like OFCOM. Where do I go next....can ANYONE help???

I would never recommend BT to anyone and I think the amount of complaints on here speak volumes. Even if BT offered me free Broadband phone and TV, I would without a doubt turn it down....never again!!!!!

jem16

Nerocuba wrote: »

I haven't had a BT service in my house since the middle of July and yet I keep getting bills. I call to tell them that I don't have any BT products in my home and they make me feel as if I am the one at fault by not canceling my service

How did you cancel in the first place?

If phone calls are failing then put it in writing and send it recorded delivery to BT.