To think BT have reached a new low in customer service, or the complete absence of service

[RunningOutOfIdeas]

I have had a BT phone line for 20 years with no problems. I moved house this week so, 3 weeks ago, I requested that my number be moved to my new address (only about 1 mile away).

On the day of the move, I received a message from BT telling me that the engineer that was booked for the following day (for internet installation) was now cancelled. The message gave no other information.

So I phoned BT and was passed around various people for 30 minutes and finally some one was able to tell me that the engineer was cancelled because BT had not sorted out the phone line in time. The person I spoke to said they would place a new order, mark it as a priority, and I would be called within 24 hours to arrange a new engineer visit.

24 hours comes and goes with no phone call, instead I received an email telling me the new order had been cancelled!

Another 1 hour phone call later, and 3 more attempts at placing orders, I am again told that I will definitely be contacted within 24 hours and this time the order will work.

No prizes for guessing what happened. I received an email saying "sorry you are leaving BT"! So I phone again. I get told that this time order will definitely work and a new date is booked for an engineer. I was also told that i would have a working phone line within 24 hours. 5 hours later I get another email cancelling the order!

So I have phoned them again. I have been told that there is still an order in place but that I will not get a functioning phone line before the engineer visits (on 5th August).

The last person I spoke to has also told me that he has no way if finding out why each order has failed, no way of escalating my problem to some one who can investigate this and he actually advised me to get a Virgin line installed instead!

So BT do not actually care whether they get any business.

At my last house we did have Virgin for internet and it was so unreliable, so I thought we would try BT instead. But since BT don't seem able to provide even a basic phone line, what options do I have?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

You are caught in the no mans land between BT retail and Open reach. I don't believe there is a straight course through you just some how get to the other side.
I found weeping helps.

[deakymom]

here is an idea try cancelling your order they really hate you to do that and will ring you and try and change your mind

[Muskey]

Same old bt that I love so much (not)

[RunningOutOfIdeas]

deaky they have cancelled 6 orders themselves so far!

I am actually really upset about this. In fact I am probably letting this get to me too much.

DH is working abroad. Usually we do Skype calls so DDs can see him. So I will have to explain to them that they can't see daddy.

I am also allowed to work at home a little but only if I have Internet access. Without it I have to be in my office more which means I have to pay for more childcare.

[MyDHhasnomemory]

I left BT last year because of their shocking customer service. It was a catalogue of disasters.

Went with Virgin who aren't much better

[RunningOutOfIdeas]

Are there any alternatives to BT and Virgin?

[SilverViking]

Email the CEO [email protected].
BT have a very good internal team to sort out problems like yours ...where the process is obviously broken.... , you just need someone to refer your case to them. Unfortunately most people you talk to in BT Customer Service must follow a script. that script is all the information they have access to, and it will promise you the sun, the moon and the stars ... within 24 hours!

[Nanny0gg]

Have they a facebook page or are they on Twitter?

That might provoke a response.

[RunningOutOfIdeas]

Unfortunately I don't do Facebook or twitter (I am clearly a Luddite).

An email to the CEO might be my only option. I ws given an address to write a letter of complaint but how long would it before some one read the letter and would they ever actually do anything with it?

You are right about the call centre people following a script and promising everything.

This is also costing me a fortune on my mobile. I am having to use it to call other companies to do with moving (eg. trying to get British Gas to do something useful, like accept I have moved). Calls to 0800 numbers cost me 14p a minute. I don't suppose BT are going to cover any of these costs.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

Sadly there are no alternatives other than BT and virgin. Even if you place an order with say sky or talk talk they still need to get an open reach engineer out. I suspect there is something wrong with your line so that's why open reach cancelled.

Virgin I found so unreliable that it is infilriating. I get 10mb fr their line and was timing out all the time on sky on demand and YouTube. But in your case you might at least have a working phone and internet!

FWIW I left virgin and am on plus net now. But it was an openreach engineer who installed the service. It is much faster than I had with virgin.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

running get on Giffgaff for your mobile. It is free for 0800 and 0808 numbers. You are being ripped off on your contract there.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

giffgaff.com/index/pricing

[FlagsRagsFerryboats]

My parents had loads of trouble with BT a few years ago and sadly nothing seems to have changed. Op, I don't know what phone you have but if you can install apps on it there are some out there which can dial 0800 numbers for you and they're charged as 03 numbers, which are included in your minutes allowance so don't cost anything extra (unless you happen to exceed your minutes). I hesitate to name this as it might be seen as advertising but I'm using WeQ4U and it has saved me a lot. Hope this helps.

[Catnuzzle]

I was without a phone line for 3 weeks when we moved. Same as you, I wanted my phone number to come with me. Same as you, they kept cancelling my 'order'. 3 bloody weeks. I did get compo I think tho.

Wine helps.

[mousmous]

we had similar issues after our last house move.
were without tv, internet, phone for 2 months.

and the day after we were conncted they called me if I want to answer a questionair about the service. oh, yes I did poor person on the phone

[CallerIDBingo]

My mum had an utterly dreadful experience with them when she moved house a couple of months ago.

Appalling, appalling customer service. Rude call centre people, nobody taking responsibility for anything, she was never called back as promised too many times to mention, claimed they never received complaints etc etc.

We've moved to Sky for our phoneline and mum went to Virgin. We'll never, ever use BT again and I'd tell anyone who'll listen not to touch them with a bargepole.

Their Facebook page is full of these sorts of complaints, almost every single comment is from an unhappy customer but they do not give a shit.

[Fluffycloudland77]

We moved to primus last year, £10 a month line rental and £4 broadband.

I hate bt too

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

I have to work with openreach at my work and I can tell you they are incompetent with their commercial customers too.

Maybe if you don't have virgin in your area, going via a different supplier that uses the bt network can still be a better bet.

[Clutterbugsmum]

I'm begining to think that all large company don't give a fig about customer services anymore.

Since end of May when my washing machine broke, which Hotpoint took 5 weeks to fix then 5 week to collect the broken drum which their engineer left. Loads of E Mails and calls and failed promises 1 Email to the CEO problem sorted within 24 hours.

Then had to ring Hasting Direct to council automatic payment as going with someone else next year, an hour it took me to speak to someone.

I don't want to sit on the phone paying ££ to be told 'we experiences high levels calls, your call is important to us' No it's not otherwise you would have more staff to answer your phones.

[RunningOutOfIdeas]

catnuzzle and mousmouse what did you do to finally get connected with BT?

I really do not want to go back to Virgin for internet because it was so unreliable before - constantly dropping. But maybe I will have no choice. I guess that will mean a new phone number.

My original plan was to also get tv services from BT. Not much chance of that now.

[Pyjamaramadrama]

Go with Sky.

[Pyjamaramadrama]

I got frustrated just reading that. I will never ever go back to BT.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

clutter my pet hate is the we value your custom while stuck in the queue to talk to the help desk. If they truly value our custom they would have hired more help desk staff. It took me 1 hour every time to try talking to someone at direct line. Yes cost a fortune to ring as they don't even give a free phone number.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

running if you don't want virgin try to go via sky or talk talk or plus net. You mentioned TV so sky might have a good package for you. You got nothing to lose.

[Pyjamaramadrama]

Honestly Sky are fab, they do their own line rental although I think that they contract BT to install it, but at least that way they turn up.

And you can actually get through to, and speak to somebody when you need help.