BT Charge £130 For Fault Caused By Their Own Equipment

wagi

Ok thanks BT Company Representative - I have sent the details

norbet

wagi wrote: »

Sorry, but we are old school - if we're paying for a service, we expect it to work properly

I'm with you on this - had your broadband been provided by another provider (other than BT) they may have had a reason to reject your claim. That said, if the broadband equipment is over 12 months old they could argue that it's out of warranty.

spike7451

Have a read of the thread below,it's from BT's own website & states the charge is £99...NOT £130!

Do I have to pay for a fault repair?

Residential Customers

You will have to pay £99 including VAT if our engineer finds the problem is with:
Your home wiring past the main socket for example your extensions, or
The way you've connected your equipment, or
Interference from something else in your home, like your phone, alarm system, micro filter or broadband router

You'll also have to pay if our network has been damaged either inside or outside your home, within the boundary of your property, for example from building work, damage by trees or pets, or damage to sockets.

Engineer Home Improvement Service Information and Charges

https://www2.bt.com/static/i/microsite/help_and_tips/faults/faq/faults_faq2.html#faq5

mrfrisbee

Well this is almost EXACTLY what I am going through at the moment, in almost every respect except.

1. I called to say the line was noisy (as yours) and they tested it and said we need to send an engineer out. I thought this strange to get to so quickly but they came anyway.

2. Unplugging the router did remove the noise on the line, but to fix the problem they had to do a "lift and shift" at the exchange to change the card my broadband was coming through (Broadband supplied by Plus Net who are owned by BT).

3. Dispute has been logged and they called me today to deny responsibility and not drop the charge as they say I had confirmed that, when I reported the line fault, I had said I had unplugged everything etc (which would have highlighted a broadband/router problem). I asked for a copy of the call to check this (if they did ask and I did say it then perhaps I could be at fault) but they refuse to let me have that information.

So, there was not even a fault with my router, but somethig at the exchange that could be either BT or BT Broadbands responsibility. It is just Oh so convenient for BT to split the company like this and then play pass the parcel with their customers.

FWIW I have been advised to fight through each level and then raise it to OFCOM etc - another waste of more of my time etc.

What happened to customer service and not blaming the customer when there was clearly an equipment fault at the exchange. Apparently I just reported it to the wrong team - but I am not an engineer.

Heinz

mrfrisbee wrote: »

2. Unplugging the router did remove the noise on the line

I can see their point of view though.

ktothema

We nearly had a similar issue with Sky sending us a telephony guy as they'd picked up a high noise ratio on our line. When they guy came out, he said that issue needs a broadband guy not telephony, but did his tests which were all clear. He wasn't interested at all in our broadband problems.

We called sky very unimpressed as they'd sent us an engineer on a fault they had found and he wasn't even the right type of engineer, and told them that given those circumstances we weren't paying. Sky came back a few hrs later and there'd been a fault found at the exchange so they wouldn't be charging for it.

At least they were decent enough to not charge us but we would have fought them.

The major problem I have with these charges is that most people aren't technical enough to really understand where these faults can cross. I have a computing degree and am an ex ntl employee and it still confuses the hell out of me. If someone who is meant to be helping you on a helpline says you need an engineer you put your trust in them. And they can be quite quick to send these engineers out at your cost to eliminate things.

mrfrisbee

Heinz wrote: »

I can see their point of view though.

Sort of, but the fact is, there was still a fault with the line that needed fixing, plus, I do not believe they asked me to run a test without the router. They tested the line and came back to say we need to send an engineer out. My assumption from that was that they could "see" a problem that needed fixing.

I want to hear the call (which they state they have listened to) to hear what was asked and stated when. Only then can I confirm whether I was in the wrong or not. I asked for a copy of it but they said they could not supply that. Well, if they are using that as evidence then I have the right to hear it too.

The fight continues.

spike7451

ktothema wrote: »

We nearly had a similar issue with Sky sending us a telephony guy as they'd picked up a high noise ratio on our line. When they guy came out, he said that issue needs a broadband guy not telephony, but did his tests which were all clear. He wasn't interested at all in our broadband problems.

We called sky very unimpressed as they'd sent us an engineer on a fault they had found and he wasn't even the right type of engineer, and told them that given those circumstances we weren't paying. Sky came back a few hrs later and there'd been a fault found at the exchange so they wouldn't be charging for it.

At least they were decent enough to not charge us but we would have fought them.

The major problem I have with these charges is that most people aren't technical enough to really understand where these faults can cross. I have a computing degree and am an ex ntl employee and it still confuses the hell out of me. If someone who is meant to be helping you on a helpline says you need an engineer you put your trust in them. And they can be quite quick to send these engineers out at your cost to eliminate things.

It's not actually Sky who decide what engineer to send,it's BT.When Sky log a fault thru to BT using the BT Wholesale system (Eco for Off-Net) the is no provision for sending a particular type of engineer & the decision made at BT's end is done on the results provided to BT when the fault report is raised.

Still confuses me at times,and I'm an ex NTL engineer,Sky TV engineer & Sky broadband Tier 2 engineer.

ktothema

spike7451 wrote: »

It's not actually Sky who decide what engineer to send,it's BT.When Sky log a fault thru to BT using the BT Wholesale system (Eco for Off-Net) the is no provision for sending a particular type of engineer & the decision made at BT's end is done on the results provided to BT when the fault report is raised.

Still confuses me at times,and I'm an ex NTL engineer,Sky TV engineer & Sky broadband Tier 2 engineer.

Is there a problem with the system then, as we've twice ended up with an engineer out recently looking for a fault that wasnt the actual fault we had (if that makes sense)? I.e looking for a crackling line rather than a noise ratio issue and recently we had a guy out who thought our faceplate was faulty, and when I explained the issue was dialling in, he tried from his phone and said "yeah, that's not the fault down here".

Obviously I don't want their or my time wasted, let alone be charged in those circumstances!

liubeliu

wagi wrote: »

Ever since the installation of a new BT line, we have had constant crackling on the line during phone calls.

Do you have a grey box outside your house?