No service with BT - how do I escape?

chaotic_j

Hi,

Due to Virgin Media price increases, signed up for BT Infinity, phone line and basic TV package on 06/09/16.

Supposed to all be working by midnight 23/09/16 - phone line doesn't seem to be working and as everything comes through this I've zero service to date.

Spoken to mostly India on the phone and they open a fault then close it off as completed and open a new fault. They are saying an engineer will check from my property to the cabinet on 06/10/16.

I've had enough and I want to cancel without any charges and they can pick their equipment up. I'm told as it was more than 14 days since I entered into a contract for the service I can't cancel.

How can this be? I am told I need to speak to technical again who must deem that the fault cannot be fixed, only then can I leave without penalty.

How can BT get away with providing such a shoddy service? Even takes 30 minutes+ just to get through to cancellations! Unbelievable!

Kind regards,
chaotic_j

souldean65

I have a similar issue. They "took over" my broadband - switching off Sky last Thursday 29th September. An engineer came round, fiddled about and departed saying my broadband would be on in half an hour. 8 days later I am still sat here with a nice new router and a constant flashing red light.

I have tried contacting BT on many occasions and been on their online chat for two hours at a time and I keep getting the same old rubbish. It doesn't help that I am talking to someone in India who is reading a pre-prepared script and who I cannot understand. But that is not their fault.

I have now been told that all will be working in another 2 weeks! I am gobsmacked. How can BT not have a working phone line and broadband when it was no problem with Sky? They are utterly inept and I am aware that I can cancel within 14 days if unhappy - but the problem is that I now have no existing phone number so I would have to pay another ISP to install one. They truly have me over a barrel.

I am also a web developer and work from home and this is costing me approx £150 per day in lost work and this is something that I will be taking BT to court for to claim in compensation.

What would be nice is to speak to a person in the UK who I can understand and who can just help!!!!

My advice.. Never use BT. I am getting rid of them as soon as I have a working phone line - contract or not. I think a County Court judge will agree

Craggsyj

I am appalled at the service provided by BT. I have found a cheaper deal for landline and broadband so called BT to see if they could offer a better deal. They couldn't so I gave 30 days notice to be told there was a 'cessation fee' of £31 even though I will be out of contract! I then tried to sign up for a new broadband and landline to be told that because I had cancelled with BT they place a block on the line so a new provider cannot take it over. Appalling!
I have now had to cancel my cancellation so that I can change service providers. I had the decency to contact them to see if they could compete with other providers and I was treat like this - I will not be returning to BT.

Browntoa

souldean65 wrote: »

I have a similar issue. They "took over" my broadband - switching off Sky last Thursday 29th September. An engineer came round, fiddled about and departed saying my broadband would be on in half an hour. 8 days later I am still sat here with a nice new router and a constant flashing red light.

I have tried contacting BT on many occasions and been on their online chat for two hours at a time and I keep getting the same old rubbish. It doesn't help that I am talking to someone in India who is reading a pre-prepared script and who I cannot understand. But that is not their fault.

I have now been told that all will be working in another 2 weeks! I am gobsmacked. How can BT not have a working phone line and broadband when it was no problem with Sky? They are utterly inept and I am aware that I can cancel within 14 days if unhappy - but the problem is that I now have no existing phone number so I would have to pay another ISP to install one. They truly have me over a barrel.

I am also a web developer and work from home and this is costing me approx £150 per day in lost work and this is something that I will be taking BT to court for to claim in compensation.

What would be nice is to speak to a person in the UK who I can understand and who can just help!!!!

My advice.. Never use BT. I am getting rid of them as soon as I have a working phone line - contract or not. I think a County Court judge will agree

if you work from home you should have a business line

souldean65

Yes they are absolutely shocking. They can only get away with it because the phone lines are a closed shop. It is time BT was heavily regulated. Appalling company

Browntoa

BT are heavily regulated , search BT Openreach split and Ofcom

JJ_Egan

<<I am also a web developer and work from home and this is costing me approx £150 per day in lost work and this is something that I will be taking BT to court for to claim in compensation.>>.
Unless you are on a business service it will fail as you are breaking the T&C by using a residential service .

onomatopoeia99

And even business services tend to exclude consequential losses. But they do tend to be better at fault resolution that consumer grade ISPs.

teddysmum

You could try calling the 'want to join' number, which is probably in the UK and ask to speak to someone over here.

souldean65

Not very well it seems.

souldean65

!!!! is the best way to describe you