BT TV package mis-selling?

NotABadDad

Hello, as I'm sure is clear, I'm a newbie so please be gentle if this has been raised and answered elsewhere. I searched and couldn't find.
I took out an 18 month BB/TV/Phone package with BT two years ago which was one of the early infinity deals for fibre optic.
Like many others, I received letters last year inviting me to upgrade to a faster fibre connection for free. I compared the maximum available at my location from their checker with my own speed tester. There was only about 4Mb in it (28Mb compared to 32Mb) AND I wasn't in a rush to enter into a new 18 month contract, so I didn't do anything about it.
At the end of last year, I saw the YouView ads that showed better packages and TV boxes than I was on so I was curious about what the latest upgrade options were.
I logged onto the BT website and was presented with their "flatmates" ads and clicked through to see what was available.
As I was browsing a chat window popped up and I spoke with an advisor who confirmed to me that although I was an existing customer, I could take advantage of their latest packages, including introductory prices and vouchers.
It took me several attempts before I gave up trying to place an order online due to a vague error message telling me to contact their customer services team to continue my order.
When I did this, I was advised that contrary to the online advisor these packages were not available to me. Being between a rock and a hard place (I can't get Virgin, I won't use Sky or TalkTalk) I agreed to a new 12 month contract for about the same as my current package but around a third more than I was hoping for.
I made a complaint to BT and had an email response repeating that I was ineligible and that they were addressing the incorrect advice with the advisor's supervisor.
In response, I asked for it to be escalated and had a phone call offering me £10 goodwill credit on my bill, which increased to £20 during the call. I asked for time to think about this and received an email confirming the offer.
In the meantime, the order tracker website stated that I would also receive a new home hub but on delivery, this was not included.
When I queried this with customer services, they stated again that this was for new customers only and that the tracking order was wrong. They connected me to their offshore service centre to check and after repeating myself several times to be understood, they repeated that the hub was for new customers but I could buy one at a discounted price.
As a result, I wrote back to BT to refuse their £20 goodwill credit to point out the mis-selling of the hub and ask them to escalate further and issue a deadlock letter if they were not going to improve their position.
In response, I had an email thanking me for accepting their offer. They would credit my account and close the complaint.
Severly frustrated by now, I replied to say that I had NOT accepted their offer and was waiting for their deadlock letter so that I could appeal to their ADR ombudsman.
I had a phone call in response apologising for the mistake but they would stand by the goodwill credit whilst the issue was escalated for the issue of a deadlock letter.
This could take up to 10 days which would expire next Thursday.
Has anyone got any advice on making the complaint to the ombudsman?
Thanks
:mad:

VisionMan

What exactly have you signed up for and what is the breakdown for each service? And how much did the YouView box cost you?

Basil1234

don't see what a complaint to the ombudsman will do personally other than so bt salesperson tried selling you something you could not have as a new customer from what i can make out from what you have written. so the only reason i can see you doing this is to try to make some money out of this situation but all i think that will happen ombudsman may find yes you where misold bt 'may' offer you a bit of money to make you happy and go away but will take a long time to resolve.
one bit of advice is ask for bt to produce recording of your telephone call under the freedom of information act i believe most companies do this for 'training purposes'.
but i think you are in a losing position as bt usually covers themselves with t & c the fact you haven't bothered to read them is not bt's fault most better deals are for new customers only and at the moment you are not a new customer your only real strength is to threaten to leave.
also with the rollout of fibre going on the moment you can go with anyone like sky who you say you won't use i suggest you check your exchange to see if is fttc which is fibre to cabinet which i suspect is already enabled in your case.
look https://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search
type in your exchange your town where you live then look down at BT Wholesale information then fttc if really lucky will have fttp which would be fibre to premises full fibre all the way. will either have tick and enabled there or an RFS date which is when will be and alot are happening this year.
http://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/fibre-optic/
also sky fibre unlimited is £20 a month minus line rental which can pay upfront for a year reducing monthly cost of line rental as well.
you don't have to lock into bt they are known for bad c/s for a long while now

macman

Between a rock and a hard place? How exactly?
If you can't get VM cable, and don't want Sky or TT, you still have the choice of dozens of other BT resellers, or possibly some other LLU providers.
samknows will reveal all.

VisionMan

@NotABadDad

OK, I've re-read your post (more slowly). That letter you recieved, offering you a free upgrade to Infinity - That letter was specifically aimed at you, and at the bottom of that letter there was a code unique only to you. The letter informed you all you had to do to get the offer was to ring the specific number on the letter and quote the code. But you didn't do that, so thats why you didn't get it.

And you do not have a case to take to the Ombudsman. Sorry 'bout that.

NotABadDad

Thanks guys. In no particulaar order, I'll take a look at the Samknows site and see what it says to widen my options when this contract expires next year.
Fortunately, I don't need to make an FOI request as the conversation was online and I have a transcript of the chat exchanges with the original advisor.
The package that I've signed up for is as follows;
Line Rental: £14.60 which is the same as I was paying before as I opted not to renew my annual pre pay
BT Vision Essential: £5.00 is less than I was paying before because I downgraded from Unlimited
Broadband and Calls: £18.00 for Infinity Option 1 and Free Evening and Weekend Calls. This is the same cost as I was paying before for the same BB service but I've upgraded from Weekend Calls Only.
Total: £37.60 which is less than I paid before because of downgrading my Vision and removing Friends & Family and 1571.
From the rest of the comments, it doesn't seem that you hold out much hope for ADR but this was never primarily about trying to make money out of the situation but I'm not going to lie that if they offered some form of reduction off the monthly amount or a more meaningful one off amount, say equivalent to waiving the activation charges then I probably wouldn't be having this conversation.
It was however, more about trying to hold them to account and highlighting two instances where their advice or promotional materials were incorrect but they showed no accountability for that. I work in the financial services sector and our regulators wouldn't let us get away with this. If our advertising or advisors state something, we have to stand by that, or make a meaningful negotiation that doesn't allow us to hide behind small print. A retail consumer isn't assumed to have read it all and to have an equal understanding as we that are the professionals.
And as to the original upgrade offer letter, I have no issue with that, other than it seemed a way of hooking me into another 12 month contract without any actual improvement in service, it was just for context.
I appreciate everyone who has taken the trouble to write. Thank you all.