BT (British Telecom) Issue - No Broadband After A Month - Incompetent CS

90DC

Hi MSE folk,

Not been on here for a while, but not had any gripes lately. I have one for you now so here goes.

Ordered BT home phone and broadband package on October 31st, engineer came on Friday 11th November to install the line and we were without a home phone for around two weeks whilst they sorted 'faults on the line'.

So the home phone got sorted eventually but almost six weeks on, the broadband hasn't been activated. BT began by blaming the engineer, they moved onto saying there were faults on the line and have used other excuses but are now sticking with the excuse that the broadband supplier isn't cancelling an order so they cannot place a new order. (We're in contact with Sunderland). We've been told by numerous staff members that they have never come across a case that has gone on as long as this, is this lies or are we unlucky in this sense? We have also recorded around two hours worth of conversation where several BT CS staff make false promises regarding compensation, one female staff member even said that we would be entitled to £1000 in compensation, though they'd say anything to please you temporarily. I believe it is this kind of story that gets Anne Robinson out of bed in the morning.

To be honest, we were told that the broadband would be sorted the day after the phone, it wasn't. The customer services, however polite and however they try, is a disgrace. We've had no fewer than three people 'manage' our case, and were even phoned by BT in Aberdeen who told us they were now dealing with our case, but Sunderland office beg to differ.

A warning to all future BT customers, they like to talk on Thursdays, that way, they can tell you that they will call back on Friday, not do so, so you call back on Monday and they drag it out till Thursday again, it's like a never ending process.

If somebody was 'personally' managing our case, it'd have been sorted now. I refute the idea that their is a third party supplier that are so busy counting their cash that they haven't cancelled an order.

What bugs me the most is the actual cost to ourselves for their (Or this supplier) mistakes. Briefly calculating a few of the expenses over the course of this trauma, I've come to around £300 lost, this is a result of;

£144 in internet cafe fees (£2 per half hour) 36 hours
£68 in calls to their 0845 number from mobile phones to sort the phone issue. I didn't realise how much we'd actually spent on the phone to them at our own expense until it'd happened.
£45 in travel expenses to the internet cafe in the last two weeks. (Been using internet cafe as they sent me a BT mobile broadband dongle which didn't work and now my previous dongle doesn't work, have uninstalled and reinstalled software etc but to no avail)
£40 in mobile broadband (£10 a week for 4 weeks after this process began)

We calculated a few days ago that in total, since November 11th, we've spent a combined 24 hours on the phone to BT, and probably another hour since, listening to their feeble excuses and reminding them that we exist and they have been charging us for services we haven't even received.

I'll add more later, but I'm off for my dinner, though I'm awaiting for a call back from Sunderland this evening (Tomorrow afternoon at the most inconvenient time then)

BT claim to be a communications company but that's their downfall, they are shambolic at communications. I am so fed up with their dreadful customer services and broken promises and would describe it as the worst ever... It has certainly taken more time to resolve than anything else has done before.

Any experiences of BT?

90DC

Just a short update... It's now gone 8pm and no phone call from Stacey from the Sunderland office as promised.

Will find out why tomorrow. To be honest, I think 'big' companies are far too big and complex for anybody less than superhuman to run.

dollydiva

As someone who has worked for an ISP, most of these costs will not be entertained and please read your contract regarding this:

£144 in internet cafe fees (£2 per half hour) 36 hours
£68 in calls to their 0845 number from mobile phones to sort the phone issue. I didn't realise how much we'd actually spent on the phone to them at our own expense until it'd happened.
£45 in travel expenses to the internet cafe in the last two weeks. (Been using internet cafe as they sent me a BT mobile broadband dongle which didn't work and now my previous dongle doesn't work, have uninstalled and reinstalled software etc but to no avail)
£40 in mobile broadband (£10 a week for 4 weeks after this process began)

Nobody NEEDS the Internet, so no ISP will consider your fees in regard to this. Even if you are a BT Business customer, it clearly states that no losses incurred due to lack of service will be considerd...and that's if you have a business. Not just using it for leisure, work etc. Dont go blabbing about using it for work as they'll refer to the domestic usage only rule and may refuse to supply domestic and insist you take the business broadband.

Your only chance is the calls. But they will quite rightly argue that as you have a landline, you could have rang 150 and incurred no costs. They are open til late, so don't even bother arguing about you 'having' to call from your mobile cos your at work. It won't wash- you had a choice.

They will give you something for the delay in providing service, but again read all your T and C for this as again BT have many get out clauses regarding difficulties regarding supply. One of the worst is where u sign up for phone and BB and then u discover that u need to wait for your BB as the exchange needs upgrading.

In summary: Good luck with that.

Dd

hippey

As a person who has had two major problems with BT Retail in the last year I know how frustrating it is.

However, as I have found having more people dealing with your issue actually makes it worse as they end up undoing what someone else has done. The system they use is not user friendly! And when it comes to faults & order issues it really isn't helpful!!!

My issues have been magnified by also having trial services at my address so at the moment I have 4 accounts covering 2 copper landlines, a fibre broadband service and a fibre voice access service. However when I have called about my 'normal' phone service I know how you feel as I have had advisors change things on my trial accounts which has caused all sorts of issues these advisors have normally been in the off shore call centres and think they are doing the right thing even though I have told them not to touch anything else.

I would suggest doing a search on the CEO's name online and maybe emailing him directly with a friendly, to the point, breakdown of your problems and you might find one of his team get back to you very quickly, but these issues don't get solved overnight so be patient, it took his team a week to sort one of mine after having to undo what others had done first!

90DC

I will email the CEO,

To be honest, the manner in which this case has been handled is disgraceful and if it would appear that this is standard practice, then the company really should listen up to complaints and stories from it's own customers.

Frankly, I have this idea that when it comes down to compensation, I will probably be looking at a few quid. I'd see more of my money back by selling the story to a newspaper and them print the story next to an advert for Virgin or Sky.

From what I am told, one person has to do one simple task of closing off an order and the next person needs to place an order, the first person then needs to confirm that order and I will have broadband.

But then it is BT, and they've angered me in not returning my call... Again.

I waited almost six weeks before making the decision to tell others about my predicament. I've read stories about them not sorting issues, but NONE have taken this long and few people will have been passed onto more people than we have throughout this process.

BT_company_representative

Hi 90DC

I can have a look at this for you, send me an email using the contact us form in my profile.

Thanks

Stuart

DVardysShadow

90DC wrote: »

... A warning to all future BT customers, they like to talk on Thursdays, that way, they can tell you that they will call back on Friday, not do so, so you call back on Monday and they drag it out till Thursday again, it's like a never ending process.

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi 90DC

I can have a look at this for you, send me an email using the contact us form in my profile.

Thanks

Stuart

Thursday already!

Paul_Varjak

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi 90DC

I can have a look at this for you, send me an email using the contact us form in my profile.

Thanks

Stuart

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