Recording Customer Service Calls

James_N

Tonight I called BT to leave their Broadband - nowhere near the advertised 8MB and although I am not one of those expecting to actually get that I don't expect to get only 20% of what's offered either.
It's a new installation that was "promised" 6MB when I signed up - I am only 1Km from an upgraded exchange.
I recalled that there was a "cooling off" period, and when I called the customer services CONFIRMED this and passsed me to the cutomer liason depatment for a MAC code. The man who then answered denied all of the previous conversation and told me I would have to pay over £400 to leave BT and that anyway 2MB was all I could expect.
The next bit is interesting: I then told him that the customer services had just said the opposite, and that when I signed up I was told I could expect about 6 MB AND that he'd just told me a completely different story. He continued to hold his line. I THEN said (untruthfully, but quite possible to do) that I had both conversations recorded (- I wish I had done this as all this is quite true).
He then said " I have not consented to being recorded." and hung up.

QUESTION:
1. Was he right or was BT customer services right? Can I back out now after 5 days service?
2. It's not illegal to home record calls and you don't even need to tell them as long as you don't use the call with a third party. Companies on the other hand can and nearly always DO recorded calls using the "monitor for quality" clause. How then can they OBJECT to being recorded themselves?
3. Have I any justified complaint against this rather brusque treatment?

normanmark

1. You'll need to clarify with BT customer services, speak to someone on the phone (with some manners to start with, just to make sure) if they cant offer you a resolution ask to speak to a team leader (theres always one available).

2. You need to declare that you're recording the call, most communications companies declare this at the start of the call saying some calls may be monitored for training purposes. If the advisors objects to the call being recorded then they have every right to terminate the call.

3. You only have justified complaint for the broadband in all honesty, again speak to an advisor.

Carl.

I had similar problems with BT saying promising things that they knew wouldn't be or had no intention of delivering and after 40hrs worth of phone calls I started recording the calls, including the hold music to prove just how long I was on, most people didn't object as they are recorded by BT anyway, but some did.

I remember a couple of memorable occasions when I told them they were being recorded.

The first was simply when I went through 13 different advisers and team leaders before someone would talk to me because I refused to turn the recording off. The second was a lady who told me that by recording our conversation that I was acting illegally and that she would inform the police.

Three months in I uploaded all the recordings to a private webspace and wrote to the CEO via email detailing the problems and pointing out that I had over 200mbs of recorded conversations if he wanted proof of the appalling service I was receiving. He neglected to take me up on my offer but within days I had a MAC and was granted release from the contract which they had conned me into with their pre-sales lies.

Drunkstar

ON a side note, if I was told that the call was being recorded I would play EXACTLY by the internal rules of BT, while if it wasnt I would try to bend the rules a bit to help out. But I wouldnt risk my job trying to help someone if I knew they were able to use it against me later.

James_N

Drunkstar wrote: »

ON a side note, if I was told that the call was being recorded I would play EXACTLY by the internal rules of BT, while if it wasnt I would try to bend the rules a bit to help out. But I wouldnt risk my job trying to help someone if I knew they were able to use it against me later.

Thank you for this. Could you briefly say what BT's internal rules are? I would also be interested in how they justify the double standard of: BT can record and use it against you but the customer can't.

littleboo

If you're only 5 days into the service then you won't see your true line speed anyway. You need to wait for the 10 day training period to finish before it will settle at the maximum stable speed your line can sustain.

normanmark

James_N wrote: »

Thank you for this. Could you briefly say what BT's internal rules are? I would also be interested in how they justify the double standard of: BT can record and use it against you but the customer can't.

I think thats a bit unfair to ask the above, as posting rules with regards to calls could risk her job.

Key word there is internal - ie. not for knowledge of people outside of the company

ckerrd

normanmark wrote: »

1. You'll need to clarify with BT customer services, speak to someone on the phone (with some manners to start with, just to make sure) if they cant offer you a resolution ask to speak to a team leader (theres always one available).

2. You need to declare that you're recording the call, most communications companies declare this at the start of the call saying some calls may be monitored for training purposes. If the advisors objects to the call being recorded then they have every right to terminate the call.

3. You only have justified complaint for the broadband in all honesty, again speak to an advisor.

Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa) it is permitted to record personal phone calls, for personal use - even without the consent of your interlocutor - as long as no-one else is involved in the recording and those recordings are not passed on to a third party.

So it would appear that you do not need to declare that you are recording them. If you want to use them then that's when the fun begins, although I am sure you could quote from them.

JohalaReewi

normanmark wrote: »

You need to declare that you're recording the call

Only if you are recording the call with equipment attached to the phone system. If you are recording the call on paper using shorthand, or have the phone on a loudspeaker which is then picked up by an external recording device, you are OK.

Drunkstar

normanmark wrote: »

I think thats a bit unfair to ask the above, as posting rules with regards to calls could risk her job.

Key word there is internal - ie. not for knowledge of people outside of the company

Her? :mad:

By internal rules I meant as in all the T&Cs and policies, all the regs we have to follow and the procedures we have in place.
If I thought it would be recorded and used in any way that could get me in trouble I would be less inclined to try to 'think outside the box' and strech, hell at times break, rules to help the customer.
As it is I get a lot of crap for spending too long helping people, after all mine is a sales team. :rolleyes:

Torby

I think you are perfectly within your rights to record a telephone call:

When you call them (business) at the time you hear their message "your call may be recorded for etc etc"....make your own statement..."I may record this call to enable me to make better, effective calls in the future"...ok I hear you say...what if theres no one on the other end to hear it at this stage....well....surely they are making similar assumptions that theres someone at your end listening....what if someone put the call through for you....or you let the phone ring (cos you know it takes ages to get through) and you missed the message

also

if you record the conversation and later put the complaint/query in writing...they will probably (and fairly quickly) deduce that the bits in "quotes" where you quote them look and read very accurate, therefore youve indicated that while not saying you have a recording....you have what appears to be a VERY accurate transcript....which may be enough at this stage....what happens then if you take that transcript and have it voiced by an actor...the possibilities are endless....

if in doubt I record it....then worry about it afterwards....I might not even need it...but sometimes the hint that its recorded can be enough....