BT - reasonable?

Maisie's_Mum

Hi there - this is a first time post and really I'm looking for some advice/opinions on my issue with BT. I am going through the complaints escalation process and currently waiting on the deadlock letter so I can refer to the ombudsman, but meantime views would be welcome.

I have been reviewing my BT a/cs - of which between my husband and I we have and have had several in respect of landline, broadband, BT sport etc. at both our home address and a property I formerly rented when working away for a period.

I queried one a/c via live chat - a complete waste of time, however it did identify that that I was being charged £12.00 per month for a service Home IT Call, a service which I have no recollection of ever signing up for on a line which is not now registered to me and has not been since 22 May 2011.

BT are not able to tell me when I signed up for this - or indeed how long I have had it! Only that it should have been ceased on the above date.

As a consequence of over-charging me for this service (never used and on a line |I don't have) they have offered me 2 quarters refund - amounting to £60.00.

My calculations - just back to the cease date are that I've paid £12.00 per month (direct debit) for 68 months amounting to £816.00.

BT have refused to increase their offer - and state that I have responsibility to ensure that money paid from bank a/c is being paid properly. Whilst I can (to a degree) see their point - we still have several a/cs with BT being paid from a single bank a/c and frankly their bills are completely impenetrable anyway.

I'd be interested to hear views / or experiences of a similar nature with BT - just as background as I pursue my my refund.

Thanks

Lyn

tacpot12

Did any of the bills you have been receiving have an itemised charge for the Home IT call service? And were any of the bills you have been receiving unclear as to the telephone number you were being charged for?

Abbey1991

Your bank should refund all of it.

However this may cause problems with BT's Collections department.

kwikbreaks

As above - I think this may be covered by the direct debit guarantee. You'd be better off asking about this on one of the consumer rights boards as it isn't really an internet issue and you may well get more knowledgeable advice. It must be worth at least asking your bank.

Buzby

I doubt the DD 'guarantee' will help. If you ceased a line, then the charges for it should cease. Have you really let this run on, paying for it for 5 years? You do share a responsibility to ensure any payments taken are legitimate. I doubt any bank will agree to go back this far, and anyway you will need to indemnify them from any action BT may take to recover the money from you alone.

Saying bills are hard to understand doesn't cut it - but have you now audited ALL your accounts to ensure your not paying for things you don't understand or need? They have offered a limited amount, this may be all you'll ever get, you it might be best to accept it, learn, and move on.

Maisie's_Mum

I have queried it before - with BT live chat - and the adviser has said it's for Broadband services - but has not mentioned any helpdesk style service. As I said we have a number of lines and services so believed that it was separate for broadband - in a similar way to how mobile providers split their network and device. However having ceased this account how can BT justify continuing to charge.

I cannot see the DD guarantee has any relevance to this though.

I have no real axe to grind with BT - although think that their customer service is pretty woeful especially on-line. However, I doubt very much that any provider is much different.

The bill states 'Home IT Call, This is the cost of your Broadband at £10.00 per month, charged in advance' so it isn't clear.

In any case I am going to pursue it so will update the thread on outcome.

Thanks for the input.

pogofish

BT complaint handling is a complete joke - I've been hung-up on, outright lied to, suffered illegal/unethical demands to prove myself and told they can't do anything.

So I escalated - only to be told they still can't make a blind bit of difference to their own mess.

Fraud - plain and simple.

kwikbreaks

The DD guarantee covers incorrect debits from your account, You are saying this was an invalid charge so to my mind it should be covered, the real problem is that you let it run for years without checking and querying it so you may well not get anywhere whatever you do.

MoneySavingNovice

On the issue I had with BT I ended up issuing a Letter before action, and when they failed to resolve the issue took them to the small claims court.

In the end they settled out of court.

The advantage was that it was quick. The disadvantage was that if I lost I would have had to pay the court fees.

Good luck