Completely baffled. Can anyone help me get broadband? Unpaid bill.

greensalad

Hi,

I've been trying for 1 month now to get broadband in my new flat.

I moved in, bought a cheap phone, plugged it into the wall. The first thing when I picked up the receiver was Sky telling me my service had been restricted. This is because the people who lived here before didn't pay the bill. Not my problem, I thought, they moved out.

So I dialled a number that then relayed my line number back to me to get that number.

I went online to BT and bought line rental with them using this number (I paid fully for the whole year as it made my line rental around £10 a month).

They said it would take around 2 weeks for it to become active.

I then called Orange, who I wish to purchase broadband with and they told me that that line has been seized by Sky because there is an unpaid bill on it, so they can't do a thing.

I called up Sky (just by picking up the phone and getting put through to an advisor) I told them the girl who the bill was with no longer lived here, and it wasn't my problem. I asked them to unseize the line as I am the new tenant and the bill should be with the person named, not the property. They said 'just post any letters back to us.' The line is still restricted.

The girl is refusing to pay. I've emailed her 3 times. I've given Sky her address. The landlady has emailed her twice, and emailed her mother. She just ignores us.

I just want internet, how can I get rid of this seized line? I've paid line rental and have now wasted a chunk of the money I've paid when I can't use the internet.

Also, to add insult to injury, BT say my number is not a BT number. I tried calling their helpline, it asks me to put my telephone number in, so I do. They say 'this is not a BT number. Goodbye' and hang up on me.

I am so horribly annoyed and frustrated. I have attempted to call everyone and they all just fob me off on someone else. The Sky bill is £87. Is there any way out of this or am I just going to have to pay £87 on this girls behalf to get the line back? She's tied herself into a year long contract that ends in July, and has left the property early and just not paid the bill.

Am I just going to have to live without internet until July? I am so annoyed I have paid line rental to BT (£150 has left my account) and now they're just ignoring me and pretending I don't exist. What am I meant to do?

greensalad

Also, next part of the issue:

I called Sky to ask what to do. He understood my problem, but due to the Data Protection Act he said he couldn't disclose anything about the account to someone who is not the account holder. He said I should contact Sky Customer Relations about the issue via email and instructed me to go to the website for this contact form. The contact form is there but it asks me to log in to my Sky account/put my 'Sky ID' in to send an email. I am not a Sky customer so how am I supposed to have a Sky ID?!

macman

The line is not 'seized'. There is a tag on it due to the previous resident not cancelling the broadband service properly. The fact that the Sky account has an unpaid debt on it is not relevant to any of this and is none of your concern, so stop wasting your time chasing the previous occupant or Sky. The bill is not yours to pay and paying it won't solve the issue anyway.
You need to chase BT to get the necessary return to donor completed to get the number back onto the BT network, as it is currently LLU'd .Then and only then can you apply for a broadband service with your preferred provider, which will require the tags removing-if you want that doing quickly then Horange would be my last choice.

bod1467

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/service-problems/tag-on-line/

That might help. It is the responsibility of the new ISP to get the tag removed, not you.

greensalad

bod1467 wrote: »

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/service-problems/tag-on-line/

That might help. It is the responsibility of the new ISP to get the tag removed, not you.

Wow thanks, so this means that Orange would have to investigate the tag, or BT? I will have my broadband with Orange as my ISP but BT for the line rental...

macman

Orange. BT will not be your ISP. But until the line is back on the BT network, you cannot sign up with Orange.

greensalad

macman wrote: »

Orange. BT will not be your ISP. But until the line is back on the BT network, you cannot sign up with Orange.

This is what I thought, so how do I sort it out then? Surely if I can't get Orange broadband until the tag is removed... but I can't get the tag removed without help from the ISP which I don't have...

ktothema

greensalad wrote: »

This is what I thought, so how do I sort it out then? Surely if I can't get Orange broadband until the tag is removed... but I can't get the tag removed without help from the ISP which I don't have...

Is there a reason you want to go with Orange particularly? Could another ISP offer you something similar at a similar price. My guess is that if Orange arent going to sort this for you, you aren't going to get Internet through them.

macman

As already stated, you canot sign up with Orange (or indeed anyone else) as your ISP until the line is back on the BT network. That requires BT to complete the return to donor process to get the line back from it's current LLU status with Sky. Only once that is done can you sign up with Orange.

bod1467

That's the crux of it (I presume) ... the phone line is connected to Sky phone equipment at the exchange. Thus until the line is back with BT exchange equipment (return to donor as mentioned above) then no ISP can get the tag removed.

The_pc_tech

Get your line back onto the BT network and then sort out the tag issue.