BT Salesperson Ordered New Phone Line in my Name!

lettie8g

Hi Paul

Very interesting read. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one having issues with BT. Mine is more regarding the appalling customer service I have received when just trying to change the account into my name from my friends name. I have a 5 page letter drawn up that details everything that has been happening since the 15th October. Given your experience and problems where would you suggest would be the best place for me to send it? I was thinking direct to Durham but I'm not sure if that will get where it needs to. I don't want to email it as the problems I've had only shows that the operatives don't have any concept of ownership when it comes to complaints. They are more than happy to show empathy of course, but once the phones down and you're gone nothing gets done as it's no longer their problem. I'm thinking of sending it to Watchdog and Ofcom as well as I don't see that anything will get done with it at BT whoever I send it too!

Cheers

Paul_Varjak

A five page letter is way to long - they will just give up trying to read it! I suggest that the BT forums are the best place - just pray that 'Paddy' picks up your complaint...

http://community.bt.com/

Just keep your complaint simple and to the point in your first post!

Paul_Varjak

Just received a call from BT about my request, under the Data Protection Act, for the call I made to BT on 24 December, 2011 @ 10:43hrs. I was told that the call only related to a problem about my aunt's phone and that that I never asked, or even enquired, about a new phone line at my address! The fraudulent order for a new phone line (with broadband) was raised offline less than three hours later @13:31 hrs. The call I made on 24 December is the only record BT have of me calling them prior to the fraudulent order being raised.

The person I spoke to @10:43 hrs on 24 December is based in Bangalore and I now know that they can raise sales orders even though sales calls are not routed to them. My call was routed to them because I was not NOT enquiring about sales - I was calling about a fault!

Despite the fact that I was calling about my aunt's phone line and despite the fact that I withheld my number, that advisor could see the phone number I was calling from and could see my address and old account details (but could not see my date of birth, email address or bank details). I have confirmed this by calling other advisors on the same number (0800 800 150) and asking what details they can and cannot see, relating to my old BT account (I have not been a BT customer for about 4 years).

The advisor did not raise any order striaghtaway as that would have ensured that the call was recorded - and the scam would have been uncovered. (it is lucky this call was recorded as BT do record some non-sales calss too)

The fraudulent order was then passed to a backroom staff member (Mr. Shaik, also in Bangalore) and who actually made the fraudulent order in my name. Mr. Shaik bypassed the credt check entirely and recorded false details in my name: a fake date of birth, fake e-mail address, fake contact phone number and changed the only contact method from post to that fake e-mail address!

The only correct information about me in the fake order was my name and address! That is the information that BT staff can see when I call them - even though my number is always witheld when I call them!

BT's official explanation to all this? It was an error, even though I have spoken to BT staff (in recorded phone conversations) who have investigated this and told me unequivocally that the order was raised fraudulently by Mr. Shaik

victor2

Interesting updates on this - keep them coming!

Paul_Varjak

victor2 wrote: »

Interesting updates on this - keep them coming!

Thanks for your support! I am hearing of others with similar stories now. It is all backed up by the advisor in BT credit referrals (Cebu, Philippines) who told me there have been a lot of credit checks are being bypassed by staff!

Once I get the recording, I will let you know for sure what it contains!

blossomhill_2

Interesting read Paul, I am beginning to wonder if problems I put down to BT inefficiency are actually a similar situation

lettie8g wrote: »

I have a 5 page letter drawn up that details everything that has been happening since the 15th October.
Cheers

Even if your saga is a long one, you need to summarise it to get it taken seriously - if you can't get it down to less than 5 pages, I'd advise trying to do it as a covering letter that is short and sharp, with a detailed report attached, which is bullet-point style

Paul_Varjak

blossomhill wrote: »

Interesting read Paul, I am beginning to wonder if problems I put down to BT inefficiency are actually a similar situation

BT are, undoubtedly, inefficient - it took 10 weeks for BT to stop test calls being made to my aunt's telephone line after the fault was first reported. They repeatedly denied any test calls were being made, until one particularly determined BT advisor took the complaint to the highest level within BT Openreach.

So, I have been dealing with BT on two different issues this year, and I am not even a customer! I am a Talktalk customer and their customer service is even worse than BT's. I once tried to get the price list of calls to directory enquiries and internet numbers (beginning 05); the complaint was eventually escalated to the CEO's assistant - who eventually responded by saying it proved to be impossible to supply that information as their computer system did not have the information!

Heinz

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

I am a Talktalk customer and their customer service is even worse than BT's. I once tried to get the price list of calls to directory enquiries and internet numbers (beginning 05); the complaint was eventually escalated to the CEO's assistant - who eventually responded by saying it proved to be impossible to supply that information as their computer system did not have the information!

A true classic. A telephone company that charges its subscribers for making calls but cannot tell a subscriber how much it charges!

Paul_Varjak

Heinz wrote: »

A true classic. A telephone company that charges its subscribers for making calls but cannot tell a subscriber how much it charges!

Exactly the problem - we are treated as 'subscribers' rather than customers!

I went to work for British Telecom (as it was then called) about 4 years after privatization; during our training, the trainer repeatedly used the expression: WHEN A SUB COMES UP. Eventually I had to ask her what it meant as all I could envisage was a submarine arising from the murky depths! What it actually meant was: WHEN A CUSTOMER CALLS!

Paul_Varjak

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

Just received a call from BT about my request, under the Data Protection Act, for the call I made to BT on 24 December, 2011 @ 10:43hrs. I was told that the call only related to a problem about my aunt's phone and that that I never asked, or even enquired, about a new phone line at my address! The fraudulent order for a new phone line (with broadband) was raised offline less than three hours later @13:31 hrs. The call I made on 24 December is the only record BT have of me calling them prior to the fraudulent order being raised.

I have now received a copy of the call recording I made to BT on 24 December @10:43am. During that call, I only discussed my aunt's phone line - giving the advisor her number. I DID NOT GIVE MY NAME OR MY PHONE NUMBER OR MY ADDRESS DURING THAT CALL. I GAVE NO PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT MYSELF WHATSOEVER.

The only way that BT could have ordered a phone line in my name at my address is if they could see my phone number, name and address details, based on the CLI of the number I called from (despite the number being withheld).