Failure to provide service to business - how do we proceed?

mikb

PHK said:

That's why, when a technical advisor asks you to do something you do.

Unless the tech advisor is wrong, in which case you have to stand your ground

I too have been asked to unscrew and remove the front of a BT master socket to isolate a fault. 

Except, unscrewing the front wouldn't isolate anything, I'd just have a master socket hanging on a wire and be guilty of "tampering" with BT's wiring.

Not all master sockets have the modern split-face detachable section. Esp. those installed before such things even existed ... oddly enough the "tech advisor" wasn't aware of that, and didn't entirely believe me,.

PHK

Cmdr_Bond said:

PHK said:

That's why, when a technical advisor asks you to do something you do.

Indeed, but when it comes to taking apart a wall socket with a screwdriver, where does the liability lay if a non technical person, following instructions relayed down the phone by someone who doesn't know the physical layout and can't see it, opens the wrong socket and causes damage in the process?

Plugging and unplugging is one thing, taking a socket apart is another.  IMO.

HOWEVER. If it is meant to be user accessible, then I do understand the point.

Its an obvious cover plate. There can't be many people who haven't opened eg a battery compartment.

born_again

mikb said:

PHK said:

That's why, when a technical advisor asks you to do something you do.

Unless the tech advisor is wrong, in which case you have to stand your ground

I too have been asked to unscrew and remove the front of a BT master socket to isolate a fault. 

Except, unscrewing the front wouldn't isolate anything, I'd just have a master socket hanging on a wire and be guilty of "tampering" with BT's wiring.

Not all master sockets have the modern split-face detachable section. Esp. those installed before such things even existed ... oddly enough the "tech advisor" wasn't aware of that, and didn't entirely believe me,.

No your not.
That is the whole point of this port & saves you being charged by openreach for a internal wiring fault being the cause of the issue.

When you remove that part you will see it plugs into the test port.

born_again

Cmdr_Bond said:

born_again said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

BoGoF said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

@born_again   No offense, but I can only give you the information i have.

Half a story helps nobody though and nobody can give advice with half the facts.

So how exactly am I supposed to get any help.  I've got all the details I can from my friend, but I wasn't present for the conversation with their technical team, so I don't know the exact phrasology used.

Pardon me for trying to help someone!

Perhaps the best way is for your friend to post exactly what has happened with your assistance given English not being their 1st language.
While it is great you are trying to help, you are floundering in the dark as much as anyone else here trying to help 👍

What is it that your friends want out of this?
Just sorting out the issue, so they have a working connection?
Getting out of the contract?  - If this then,  I'm afraid it is not a consumer issue & might need a legal view point on the issue.

As you are a friend of them, perhaps the best advice you can give going forward. Would be to advise them that if any broker or cold caller rings up. That they say good by & they are happy where they are. 👍

Primarily they don't want to pay the extortionate early cancellation fee.  If it had been £50, they probably would've swallowed it.

But I think they also want to try for compensation due to the impact this had on their business.

And yes, I'm pushing them towards proper legal council, but I'm trying to make it was easy as possible then to get up to speed as it's such a mess.

The cancellation fee is probably the easier one on which they will achieve a successful outcome.

Compensation is a much trickier area.

Primarily they don't want to pay more, or have it go to collections.

Anything else is probably a bonus.

Thanks.

If you know who the supplier is to that location. Then try posting in the below section. As someone should be able to point to what the issue is. Even if you don't might be worth a shot.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/broadband-internet-access

PHK

Cmdr_Bond said:

BoGoF said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

@born_again   No offense, but I can only give you the information i have.

Half a story helps nobody though and nobody can give advice with half the facts.

So how exactly am I supposed to get any help.  I've got all the details I can from my friend, but I wasn't present for the conversation with their technical team, so I don't know the exact phrasology used.

Pardon me for trying to help someone!

The advice was given on page 1. Your friend needs legal advice. I've never seen business insurance that didn't have a legal helpline. 

In the nicest way possible, it's going to be a lot better advice  than a friend who doesn't know all the details asking in the consumer rights section of MSE. 

Cmdr_Bond

PHK said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

BoGoF said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

@born_again   No offense, but I can only give you the information i have.

Half a story helps nobody though and nobody can give advice with half the facts.

So how exactly am I supposed to get any help.  I've got all the details I can from my friend, but I wasn't present for the conversation with their technical team, so I don't know the exact phrasology used.

Pardon me for trying to help someone!

The advice was given on page 1. Your friend needs legal advice. I've never seen business insurance that didn't have a legal helpline. 

In the nicest way possible, it's going to be a lot better advice  than a friend who doesn't know all the details asking in the consumer rights section of MSE. 

Well aware they need proper legal advice.  And yes, I'm aware this isn't really the right place to all, but it's the only place I knew of.

There have been some helpful comments, and I certainly wasn't expecting a silver bullet.

Now to my knowledge, he doesn't have a legal services, BUT, I will check what insurance he has, and if there's any legal cover in there.

RefluentBeans

Cmdr_Bond said:

PHK said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

BoGoF said:

Cmdr_Bond said:

@born_again   No offense, but I can only give you the information i have.

Half a story helps nobody though and nobody can give advice with half the facts.

So how exactly am I supposed to get any help.  I've got all the details I can from my friend, but I wasn't present for the conversation with their technical team, so I don't know the exact phrasology used.

Pardon me for trying to help someone!

The advice was given on page 1. Your friend needs legal advice. I've never seen business insurance that didn't have a legal helpline. 

In the nicest way possible, it's going to be a lot better advice  than a friend who doesn't know all the details asking in the consumer rights section of MSE. 

Well aware they need proper legal advice.  And yes, I'm aware this isn't really the right place to all, but it's the only place I knew of.

There have been some helpful comments, and I certainly wasn't expecting a silver bullet.

Now to my knowledge, he doesn't have a legal services, BUT, I will check what insurance he has, and if there's any legal cover in there.

It may be worth checking in at a forum like Legal Beagles (I think that’s how it’s spelt) as I think there’s a more diverse community in terms of legal rights/contracts rather than here (where the advice that has been given is more geared up towards a consumer rights/general principles of contracts etc) 

ArbitraryRandom

And just recommending again, the free legal clinics I linked to earlier are generally very good - the Liverpool uni clinic specifically does phone and teams appointments with contract law specialists. 

Okell

@Cmdr_Bond -  the best way to help your friend is (1) to suggest he starts a thread himself on the board most likely to help him (here:  Small biz MoneySaving — MoneySavingExpert Forum) and (2) get him to seek legal advice - be that through his existing business insurance policy or otherwise.

(1) will help him improve his english skills (nothing to stop you assisting him) and re (2), surely he already has access to legal advice, otherwise how would he know if he was complying with employment law, H&S law, consumer protection law etc.  If he's running his own business and employing people he must be in need of genearl legal advice.

(eg if his employees do not have english as a first language, is he aware of his legal responsibility to ensure they have a right to be working in the UK legally?  How does he know what to do without legal advice?)