Challenging excess broadband usage charges from BT

Bradfield

Bradfield wrote: »

Today is the time for all BT broadband users (on limited data plans) to access their usage monitors and print off the page (I find it is best just to print page 2). This will give you your statement for the month of January and a base-line to evaluate future use.

You should then do a regular check to see how your usage is varying.

I would urge you to do this because I have only been checking for three days and I have found a significant increase in my broadband usage on the last day.

Here is the data.

Tuesday 3.51 GB used:
Wednesday 3.56 GB used:
Thursday 4.87 GB used:

The last day of the month shows a usage of 1.31 GB which is much higher than normal and many such increases would soon take me over my data limit of 10Gig.

The only reason I can account for it is that my Ipad3 updated the operating system last night and that might have been a large download.

If I was not keeping a check I would be totally in the dark at the end of the month. I would never have remembered something like that.

Update

Just checked out my usage with my DU Meter and NetMeter.

Net Meter says I used 57.12 MB yesterday. DU Meter says I used 65.17. BT says I used 1.31 Gig.

Overall for January BT says I used well over 1 Gig more than the other two meter's say.

This needs close attention.

Glum

Some of my recent research on these overusage/overbilling issues might help the OP and a few others. Your mileage may vary.

1. It has been reported that BT will not accept any evidence that contradicts its own monitor, so it might seem a little futile to monitor one's daily usage in case of a dispute. Unfortunately, it's the only tool in the box. Your time might be better spent claiming a breach of contract and various offences under consumer law, especially with regard to lack of workmanlike quality in the delivery, metering, and billing of the services.

2. If BT staff tell you that they cannot give you details of your usage, they are not telling you the whole story. The support person may not have access to such data but that does not mean it is not available to someone else.

3. If you are the only user on the account (ie not operating in shared use) then your personal account traffic is being metered and this is used to calculate your final monthly charge. Some users have verified that the usage monitor broadly agrees with their own measurements, so it is illogical to assume that any system errors actually affect everyone. The only other possibilty is that BT has no reliable and accurate means of billing you so they just generate a random number and hope you don't notice. Some users have reported that they suspect some daily averages are being generated after system errors, but although this is possible, it is hardly likely to be widespread; however it could explain why some users have seen unexplained leaps in usage figures.

4. Database corruption and/or human error may be more widespread than we might assume. Quite how BT's software deals with data errors is not known but it seems that a complaint to customer services cannot instigate a fix, although a goodwill credit may be forthcoming after an excessive bill has been challenged.

5. According to advice received from the Information Commissioner, you can submit a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act 1998 to request to see ALL of your 'personal data', including your logs. If BT tells you that they cannot give you a copy of your personal data stored and processed by their systems, then the Information Commissioner can and will investigate on your behalf. BT cannot hide behind the DPA on grounds of privacy since this is completely at odds with one of the key aims of the Act, namely to process your data fairly and there is an implied duty to calculate the bill accurately. If this privacy issue was a valid defence, I fail to see why they seem happy to make an exception by routinely posting out itemised phone bills. Don't take my word for it, feel free to confirm this for yourself by calling the OIC advice line.

6. My experience of the usage monitor is that it does not update for days at a time and is therefore faulty. A screenshot can easily demonstrate that the meter is faulty but BT staff are unlikely to acknowledge this problem even though it is widely reported by other forum users. It is frustrating that we may never get a detailed explanation of the system faults until a developer blows the whistle. I would then hope that the regulator would then take steps to investigate whether customers have been incorrectly charged and suggest how they might be compensated.

7. It is still being reported on BT's own monitor page that some iPlayer/YouView usage has been erroneously counting towards broadband usage. Once again, proof that BT's metering system has an acknowledged fault and cannot be relied upon for accurate billing. Furthermore, BT say that they can separate out the erroneous YouView metering, which somewhat contradicts their other claims that they cannot access any logs to tell you what might have gone wrong. They can't have it both ways.

8. I can confirm that using BT Wi-fi (formerly called BT Fon) on your own hub (rather than connecting to the hub as normal) does NOT use any of your normal allowance. I have tested this for around two weeks and, in my own case, I can also confirm that no other 'alien' Wi-fi usage has been logged against my account.

9. By the way, for most general web surfing, email, even YouTube or downloading iPlayer files, you should find that a BT Wif-fi download speed of around 512 Kbps (on adsl), although comparatively slow, actually works reasonably well. Of course one should not have to resort to such workarounds but it is a very good way to confirm that your BT monitor is not randomly increasing every day. Networx on my PC reports that I have only been using around 50MB a day (approx 1.5GB average per month) slightly less than 85GB for December and 53GB for January! Although BT Wif-fi is unlimited, the only niggle is that once you have used 10,000 minutes you have to login every 30mins or so. However, 10,000 minutes is still around 5.5 hours a day.

10. If anyone tells you that there have been some very large software updates released recently, ask them to specify what these were; I feel that these claims are often red herrings. The same rule applies to anti-virus patches. As stated, my usage of around 50MB a day included daily a/v updates. Those with multiple devices on one hub would be well advised to eliminate suspicious activity by only connecting one device at a time for a couple of days. Once again, a smartphone can use the BT Wi-fi connection for free ans this should not affect usage.

Finally, I do not believe that customers should ever be overcharged and then insulted by the blatantly unprofessional way in which their reasonable complaints are being so badly handled. Well-crafted, test-driven software projects can still have inherent faults and it is disingenuous to treat all customers, technical and non-technical, as if this were a complete impossibility.

BT should come clean and fix this now.

I will report back as soon as I receive the results of my Subject Access Request.

csj_2

I've been having the exact same problem with BT claiming that I have used over 11GB last month when my own DU Meter shows only 7GB.

I have all auto updates (Windows, Java..... etc disabled but am still, I believe, being over estimated by BT.

Their call centre in India has no more information other than the monthly meter reading.

I find this quite unacceptable when a company like, PlusNet (owned by BT) can give daily readings.

watchdog

The false reporting by BT's Broadband Usage Monitor is very widely reported, yet, BT simply digs it's head in the sand and denies any knowledge of spurious reporting. I suspect that BT would even refuse to believe that Monty Python's parrot was dead !

This is not an issue for those on unlimited contracts, although I suspect that those on limited 10GB usage contracts are being wittingly penalised by BT for over usage. Even BT's own forum site has a vast litany of complaints from customers who believe that they have been wrongly charged excess fees. There are numerous customer citations about spikes in usage without any rational explanation, and even some claims of reported usage on days when the BT hub is switched off !

Whenever these concerns are raised with BT, they are redirected to BT's Asian Call Centre, where the scripted response is to deny any knowledge of inaccurate usage monitoring. I recall that the banks said the same thing about PPI and rate-swap miss-selling, Libor fixing and over-charging of customers, until the evidence was put under their noses by the Government's Treasury Select Committee.

Some years ado, BT's Executive Gavin Patterson wore a hole in his trousers shifting uncomfortable in Ann Robinson's inquisitor chair, being questioned about some egregious malpractice. Clearly, nothing was learned, and BT's corporate policy appears to be ..... 'deny any problem issue until it appears on the front pages'.

BT need to either acknowledge that their Broadband Usage Monitor is fallible, alternatively, state publicly, loudly and categorically, that it is reporting usage accurately, and open their doors to independent scrutiny. Meanwhile, they should refund all excess usage fees taken from customers.

Trading Standards check the correct calibration of petrol pumps on a regular basis, and they also check the calibration of grocers' weighing scales. So, what is the distinction ?

Who checks on BT ?

bocaboca

BT seem to be stonewalling me!

Reading the latest threads below, it seems like the problem is more widespread.

Has anyone written to WatchDog?

peterwot

Have you seen recent exchanges on BT Community Forum? BT have now accepted there has been a problem - at the moment it is only a limited admission, but a start!