BT Direct Debit Fraud

Band7

ZeroSum said:

Nothing surprises me with BT, they are truly awful to deal with. I've had a couple of incidents where an agent has outright lied to me. Luckily they also record the phone calls which backed me up when I complained. One of which they honoured (3 months free broadband for messing me about getting set up in new home) the other (free BT sports) they didn't but did get refund on the first month so got one month free instead of the full year.

Interesting - I was also lied to by a BT high pressure salesman about free BT sports if I extended my broadband contract for 24 months. They then proceeded to bill me for BT sports and refused to honour the salesman’s promise. I was so upset, I moved to Plusnet (also BT, but a separate organisation). 

BT had the record of the phone call in which I had been lied to and agreed to void the contract but then still harrassed me for weeks about early exit charges, and threatened me with debt collection agencies. They behaved like the worst of the worst cowboy outfits. I ended up complaining to their CEO office, got an apology and £200 which barely covered the time I had to spend over the issue. I won’t ever go back to BT for anything. 

Plusnet has been great for no-frills broadband service. They even dropped their price at renewal, and it’s all done online, without lying salesmen. 

Zanderman

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

If you had and were paying for a fibre connection for broadband from BT then what service were BT providing for the second broadband contract?

Presumably no service at all for the second contract.  As you were already connected and paying for that connection.

So the second contract must be void, as BT's systems knew you already had a contract, so it's entirely their error, as it should never have been possible to set up.

That's the line I would be taking anyway - not just 'we didn't notice the second DD' but primarily 'how on earth could you, BT, set up a second contract and what service did you provide for it'. Presumably nothing, in which case they owe all the money back.

sevenhills

Zanderman said:

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

Do a freedom of information request for the original details of the contract.
If it was set up in a shopping mall there will be your details including your email and signature.

bumblebee1992

Zanderman said:

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

If you had and were paying for a fibre connection for broadband from BT then what service were BT providing for the second broadband contract?

Presumably no service at all for the second contract.  As you were already connected and paying for that connection.

So the second contract must be void, as BT's systems knew you already had a contract, so it's entirely their error, as it should never have been possible to set up.

That's the line I would be taking anyway - not just 'we didn't notice the second DD' but primarily 'how on earth could you, BT, set up a second contract and what service did you provide for it'. Presumably nothing, in which case they owe all the money back.

We have also argued this. They don’t have the answers other than a stance of it’s ‘tough’. 

I’ve logged a direct debit guarantee claim with the bank this morning and this is now under investigation. I’m hopeful of a positive outcome. 

I will also be logging a further and formal complaint with BT and the ombudsman if necessary. The way they’ve handled this is disgusting. My husband has been entirely reasonable and they have messed him around for weeks. Promising returned calls which don’t materialise resulting in your long phone calls trying to resolve. 

Then yesterday’s call with shocking. He stupidly said in the heat of the moment on the phone he isn’t money conscious. What he meant was he doesn’t routinely check what comes in and what goes out of the account. I do and he leaves me to it. The operator then said why should they give the money back then if he’s not money conscious. As if that is an argument to keep the funds. 

Band7

Zanderman said:

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

 

You can have any number of broadband connections at the same address. You just need a  separate phone line for each. I have two, both originally BT, now Plusnet.

You get two separate account numbers for two different services. Both accounts can be settled from the same current account, with two different DD mandates

eskbanker

sevenhills said:

Zanderman said:

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

Do a freedom of information request for the original details of the contract.
If it was set up in a shopping mall there will be your details including your email and signature.

As advised earlier, it would be a subject access request for this, i.e. exercising rights under the Data Protection Act - the Freedom of Information Act doesn't apply outside the public sector....

Zanderman

Band7 said:

Zanderman said:

Surely the most basic point to raise with BT is that you didn't use two different connections at one address?  It would be (I would hope) impossible, surely.

 

You can have any number of broadband connections at the same address. You just need a  separate phone line for each. I have two, both originally BT, now Plusnet.

You get two separate account numbers for two different services. Both accounts can be settled from the same current account, with two different DD mandates

Indeed. You can have two if you want. But not without knowing about it.

But the OPs situation is, surely, that they thought they had only one, and only used one. 

So firstly were there actually two?  If not then what does BT think the second account is about?

And secondly, if there were two, was the second one ever actually used?  BT must know this.  

The_Fat_Controller

Who fraudulently used you husband's details to set up the account?

All seems a bit suspicious that they had ALL the relevant information.

The title of the topic is a bit misleading, BT are not the party that has committed the fraud.

grumbler

The_Fat_Controller said:

Who fraudulently used you husband's details to set up the account?

That's what only BT can know.

All seems a bit suspicious that they had ALL the relevant information.

How much information is needed for setting up a DD? No more than is printed on any cheque given to random people. That's exactly why there is the DD Guarantee in place.

The title of the topic is a bit misleading, BT are not the party that has committed the fraud.

Just a bit. And it was BT who set up the DD and has been taking money without making proper ID checks.

sheramber

I had problems with BT which were only resolved when I emailed Phillip Jansen
 
BT Group's chief executive Philip Jansen can be contacted via philip.jansen@bt.com.

He did not deal with it personally but passed it to someone who dealt with it  promptly and efficiently.