Rant - BT

[Dave S]

Apologies for the rant but FFS.
Moved house, arranged BT to install broadband. There is already an open reach socket which was connected to sky with the previous owner.
BT confirm the 12th, and send an email which has contract start dates and even says they are obliged to deliver in conformity with the contract.
Then I get another order confirmation out of the blue on the 6th with a date 10 days later.
WTF?
So I online chat with bt (on my mobile)and they are useless but do agree to get someone to call me before 10 the following day. I double check that it will be before 10, and save a PDF of the chat for records....

Needless to say 10 am arrives without a call. So I wait until 10:15 and all them... then begins a long period on hold, with brief talk to a muppet who can't help, and claims the callback was for after 8! He will refer me to the complaints dept. But I can't call them, they will call me, but he can't say when...
Again FFS...

Today I get a call from my "case manager" who also can't help, but will call me back on the 24th to discuss my complaint, and compensation and it's not possible to expedite my delivery to before the 22nd! ARRGH! He denied then had a contract to deliver by the 12th, in spite of the email they have sent...
I also don't get a straight answer to why they cocked up in the first place.
I don't really want to be compensated, I want people to deliver to the contract they sent, and at least be straight with me. I still haven't had an explanation for why they cancelled and reinstated my order with a slipped date, after they had accepted it, and all I get from the people is that it is not possible to do it for the 12th, but not why...
When I asked how to sue BT for breach of contract he asked if I would like his manager to call me. I don't suspect he can sort it either, but eventually I might get someone who can...

If you fancy retweeting the mess have a look @solutionsbydave - I've included watchdog and Money saving expert for lack of anyone else who might be able to prod BT

Dave

[SteveR]

Sorry to hear of your issues. It does not surprise me however. BT are a shambles!

I managed to score 0.00 on a speed test with their broadband and they insisted they weren't in breach of their contract. Unless you have infinity, they will (in my opinion) throttle your speeds and when you call to complain, blame the old copper wiring and then try to sell you infinity. When this happened with me, I explained Sky managed to use BTs own lines to provide a faster more stable connection, my speeds picked up that same day.

Hope you get a happy resolution.

[g40steve]

I told BT there was a problem between my house & the exchange at the end of the road.
They told me there was a fault with the wiring at my house & it would cost £275 to put right.
After weeks of poor BB I agreed to have house rewired, the engineer was fine he installed a couple of extra points.
Following week still rubbish BB, two engineers later they found a fault with wiring in the street, BB now good again.
BT refunded my money after many phone calls.
Absolute muppets, the Indian call centres are a joke & they just take you through a scripted sheet when you call.
I got so fed up I moved to Sky who paid up my BT contract.

[KavKav]

Even if you had not mentioned the provider, it would have been easy to work out as this sorry tale has BT's clumping great hoofprints all over it! I kicked them into the long grass a couple of years ago and for a while afterwards I was getting phone calls telling me that they had improved their customer service, yea...right!

[craig1912]

Go to the top

gavin.e.patterson@bt.com

I've contacted the Chief Execs team twice and had major issues resolved pretty quickly.

[catch21]

Terry Thomas: "An absolute shower". G&D quite rightly prohibits me saying exactly what I think of them. After they blatantly lied to me a few years back I trust nothing they say. I had a problem last week. Same old issues, they don't bother listening. Terminally hopeless. You have my sympathy.

[Skier]

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gavin.e.patterson@bt.com

I've contacted the Chief Execs team twice and had major issues resolved pretty quickly.

This. I have also contacted the 'Executive' team twice and on both occasions had rapid resolutions. One was for an issue that had been affecting the three properties on this lane since 1986 - more than twenty years before I moved here!

[alas58]

They really did a job on me.
BT deal was finishing so got in touch with them and negotiated a new one. Date given for it to start but nothing. They informed me it was technical issues. 4 more times this happened then I get an email cancelling my contract with them!!! Phoned them straight away to be told not to worry it was just a system generated thing.
Then they cut off my phone on the date they were to cancel the contract although broadband still worked. After another 4 weeks they managed to reconnect it but with a different number so when I said I wanted my old one I'd had for 19 years I was told that there would be a charge for that.
Finally lost it and insisted I go above case manager level and everything sorted in a couple of days - after 3 months.

[sjdavies47]

Had a similar experience with BT. Only managed to talk to someone sensible about it when I raised a formal complaint on their website. BT are totally useless when anything goes wrong.

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[number2]

In the 80's BT and the utilities were sold off, apparently we would all benefit, only the shareholders actually do.

[afcneal]

Agree entirely - BT have some of the best products (although having a monopoly on the network helped!) but their service is a joke. I'm not a fan of Sky but it's either/or here and Sky are least worst.

BT still seem lost in their public sector origins...........

[Claret67]

Go to the top

gavin.e.patterson@bt.com

I've contacted the Chief Execs team twice and had major issues resolved pretty quickly.

Same here.
An email to Gavin was answered by him, with an escalation reply that one of his Execs will
be in contact, which they duly did.
Btw I emailed him on a Sunday and still got same day reply.

[ziphos]

In the 80's BT and the utilities were sold off, apparently we would all benefit, only the shareholders actually do.

I know it's hard to believe, but BT were worse before they were privatised; it could take 3 to 6 months to get a phone line connected. In those days they had a simple way of dealing with customer support calls, they just didn't answer the calls.

[golf]

I hate bt with a passion!!
I have a default on my credit score because of them! They admit it was a mistake on their behalf. But boy can I get them to remove it, 30 plus phone calls still not removed. I have been trying for 2 years

[Dave S]

Have just sent Gavin a blow by blow email. I'm not holding my breath on a reply, but we shall see.
Didn't get a call from the manager in the promised 24hrs either

Dave

[number2]

I know it's hard to believe, but BT were worse before they were privatised; it could take 3 to 6 months to get a phone line connected. In those days they had a simple way of dealing with customer support calls, they just didn't answer the calls.

Whilst I do agree with you, today their call centre is 6000 miles away, and they still don't return your calls, and profits go where?

[AndyMilts]

Ofcom, is worth contacting too.

You can try cancelling your order and go to EE same company now but at least you get a UK call centre

[markrlondon]

I know it's hard to believe, but BT were worse before they were privatised; it could take 3 to 6 months to get a phone line connected. In those days they had a simple way of dealing with customer support calls, they just didn't answer the calls.

Indeed. Privatisation was a big step in the right direction.

It might not seem like it now but they really are still better than they used to be.

[alfat33]

Same here.
An email to Gavin was answered by him, with an escalation reply that one of his Execs will
be in contact, which they duly did.
Btw I emailed him on a Sunday and still got same day reply.

He doesn't answer them (usually). There is an exec complaints team that steps in to intercept any complaint emails to him and the Chairman. They are very good. A call from them to any BT employee gets everyone jumping. So it's the best way to get a result, but don't believe that he is really responding unless something has changed dramatically at BT.

[Noaksey]

I hate bt with a passion!!
I have a default on my credit score because of them! They admit it was a mistake on their behalf. But boy can I get them to remove it, 30 plus phone calls still not removed. I have been trying for 2 years

Have a chat with a friendly solicitor about a defamation claim. That might wake them up

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[markrlondon]

Have a chat with a friendly solicitor about a defamation claim. That might wake them up

Indeed, I seem to recall that defamation claims have been used successfully to remove false information on credit reference agencies' files.

I don't recall the details but searching on the MoneySavingExpert forums might lead to the correct information.

[tswatch66]

In the 80's BT and the utilities were sold off, apparently we would all benefit, only the shareholders actually do.

Not even the shareholders. Price has plummeted since the Italian fraud debacle. Wouldn't touch their stock ATM. Mind you I'm not a buyer of any UK stock right now.


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[NickD]

Currently in the ninth week of a dispute with Talk Talk and have been trying the Ombudsman Service since mid-day only to get the following recorded message, 'our telephone service is currently unavailable', oh the irony!

[Toddy]

I've had loads of problems with BT as well. Latest one is "due to a technical error" they've taken over £100 out of my account within 16 days, I only pay £32 a month!! Wonder what they'd do if I had a technical error and didn't pay.......
Wouldn't mind so much if you could actually talk to someone in their customer service team who had a little knowledge.

[Dave S]

Well it's late on the 12th and no service.
Did get a call from the exec team, who said they would see how fast the could get it done. Think I'll be calling them tomorrow to point out the breach of contract and find out what they intend to do about it

Grr.

Dave

[golf]

Have a chat with a friendly solicitor about a defamation claim. That might wake them up

Sent from my SM-G928F using TZ-UK mobile app

I called them on Monday night, thought I would give it one last shot. I asked for the account number( I didn't have it as I cancelled the order before they installed it)

I told them I needed the information so I could start a defamation case against them.
Got a call back tonight and it's all sorted the default will be removed within 7 days.

The guy I got through to was super helpful not like the Idiots I have spoken to over last 2 years or so. The default was for £4.98, they added an internet security service to my order and didn't cancel it when I cancelled the order.

Thanks for the advice.

Lee

[markrlondon]

^^^ Great result. :-)