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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say BT are shit.

65 replies

peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 20:44

BT restricted my line by mistake and reinstated my broadband 12 days ago admitting their mistake.
My phoneline however despite 13 phonecalls each one promising it will be done is still not making or taking calls. I don't know what to do next, there is no shop I can go to and refuse to leave so I ring every day and explain the situation speak to a
person who reads from the same script every time.
Any ideas?

OP posts:
RevoltingPeasant · 09/05/2013 20:48

Sadly no help. I had a problem with my line a couple of years back - they sent out an engineer who said the problem was their end and so I wouldn't be charged.

My next bill had a £130 charge on it Shock When I queried it they said the engineer worked for BT OpenReach and not BT and therefore they couldn't be responsible for what he said. I never did see that money again.

When moving to this house there was a problem with the line set-up and I actually had one of their operators firstly call me 'darling' (not in a nice way) and then tell me that according to his system I wasn't even a BT customer, but with 'EasyNet' Hmm. Yes, because I am such a stupid little woman that I can't remember who bills me each month.

That was 18 mos ago but thinking about that patronising little shit still pisses me off.

BungerBear · 09/05/2013 20:52

YADNBU! They are majorly shit. No proper advice except to say find the nearest brick wall and bang head repeatedly against it. Til it is bruised and bleeding. Because that would honestly be more useful. The bastards cut us (and the whole street) off for a whole month and no-one would take responsibility for the problem despite contacting our local MP. Finally reconnected a week before Xmas without a sorry! Gah!

Here have Wine

fritteringtwit · 09/05/2013 20:56

Is there not a postal address on your bill? Put your complaint in writing.

Phone and say you want to cancel. They will probably ask why, so you can tell them. This usually results in things being fixed, in my experience.

Cakebaker35 · 09/05/2013 20:59

Look up name of CEO or head of customer services and email them - daily if you need to. Usually gets you somewhere in the end.

Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:03

The brick wall has a huge dent in it already!
I am on a really tight budget and used all my minutes on my mobile by waiting to even request a ring back.
Work full time and use my Mums phone to ring in the evening.
I honestly have been nearly in tears abour this and all I get is a scripted worker using my name every twenty seconds reassuring me it will be sorted.
Spoken to a manager after a 40 minute wait. Meaning dd2 was 2hrs late to bed by the time I got home.
I would move providers but still have 12 months left on the contract.
If I move they would charge me.

OP posts:
sweetestcup · 09/05/2013 21:05

YANBU!!!!!!!!

To cut a very very long sad story short we eventually received over £500 compensation - yes that much - for the hell they put us through for 6 months through a mixture on incompetence, Indian call centres etc. We had a home hub thing at the time so had a landline plus that for calls. Except they both started acting up. The internet would decide to disconnect for no good reason, so if you were using the home hub phone at the time you got cut off. And you had to use it as the reception on the main landline was horrendous. A simple problem you would think that took months to sort out, in fact it took their broadband call centre in Tunai 3 months to accept there was a problem in the first place as they kept saying our line was fine....and then the problems really started. Cancelled engineers, wrong engineers, incompetent engineers - you name it we had them all. including one who said he suspected there was a problem but wasnt trained to go up a ladder to check something!!!! Broadband in India blamed landline call centre in the UK and vice versa, no-one would take ownership of it. it dominated our lives, affected my DHs business.

Eventually when I was on the phone to a British manager in tears things started to move, and it wasnt really anything to do with him. Still took a while to sort out but eventually problem was traced to a simple underground cabling fault and fixed.....we had working broadband and phone, yeh!!!!....for 2 days until they sent someone to the exchange to cut us off altogether, that we still don't know what that was about Grin

Sorry that was a bit epic, I still get a bit stabby haring the word "BT" and seeing an Openreach van. Er good luck!!!!

Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:06

Will look up CEO thanks. Anything is worth a try.

OP posts:
IcaMorgan · 09/05/2013 21:09

www.ceoemail.com/

get the email for the ceo from here

sweetestcup · 09/05/2013 21:10

You've made me reminicise now OP, I need to go and hunt out the very detailed 10 page complaint masterpiece letter I composed. The Manager I spoke to last said it was the 2nd worst complaint he had ever seen against BT

ElectricSoftParade · 09/05/2013 21:12

YANBU. I cannot stand to go through my tale (hand pressed to brow) but BT ARE COMPLETE SHIT X MANY.

I hope you find a resolution and can recommend PlusNet. Superb service and do what they say.

I received a bill today for £256.08. They didn't even connect the fucking line and can go whistle.

IrritatingInfinity · 09/05/2013 21:13

You are quite definitely the LEAST U poster ever in the history of Mumsnet.............

I am up to 20 calls, totalling well over 5 hours of call time all for a simple refund. My broadband speed was incorrectly capped at the Infinity 1 rate whilst I was paying for the Infinity 2 rate. Everything is documented and BT don't seem to dispute this at all. However, I can't quite get anyone to follow through and authorise the refund (about £80). I speak to one person and explain the whole thing (even though it is on my account notes) I then get transferred and have to explain EVERYTHING all over again. I then get told I will be called back or I get cut off. I have yet to be called back....

...... Rinse and repeat. Agghhhhhhhh!

I now have a complaint number but I have no indication when I will hear from them.

(I am always very polite and patient but I am bloody frustrated)

I am sorry to say but the overseas call centres have been useless for this problem. I have found them helpful in the past but as this problem is unusual then they just can't deal with it. so put the phone down on me? tell me they will call me back or pass me on to another call centre where I am back to the start

I can't get anyone to confirm anything by email ever.

Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry

OP. you have my deepest sympathies.

Speedos · 09/05/2013 21:14

Oh god reading this brings back head bashing memories. I am counting down the days to be out of contract with BT. Never ever get BT Infinity, total rubbish!

It's making me stressed just thinking about them!

LittleTyga · 09/05/2013 21:16

[email protected]

This is the guy you need. Email him your grievance and he'll sort it out for you :)

acrabadabra · 09/05/2013 21:18

Tweet warren buckley. He's md of customer service. After weeks of incompetence his office got it sorted out.

I still cancelled our contract at the first available opportunity. They are awful. My commiserations.

Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:21

The ironic thing is I work for the Post Office whose deal is way cheaper but as the house I moved to had no line I had no choice. Am so tempted to swap anyway and let them chase me for the money.
It is the Groundhog dayness (know that isn't a real word) that is really getting to me.

OP posts:
Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:23

Thank you LittleTyga
will report back.

OP posts:
CelticPixie · 09/05/2013 21:24

YANBU they are fucking crap!

Nothing is ever their fault and they will never admit responsibility. We recently upgraded to infinity because BT humbugged us constantly for months and offered a discount etc. We were told how wonderful it is and how much faster it is etc. Well, when you get Infinity an engineer has to come out and set it up for you. So we were told they would come on this particular day and we sat in all day and waited and waited and they never showed up. I phoned BT and was told that and an engineer has been out and we'd not been home at the time, but we'd not left the house. BT though insisted it was not their fault they'd been out etc. So I told them I'd check our CCTV cameras and see what time they came. There was then much huffing and puffing at the end of the line when they knew they'd been caught out lying and they agreed to come out a few days later.

I hate their Indian call centres. They cannot understand British regional accents and like everyone else who works for BT they will tell you its the fault of everything rather than their own system. I asked them on their Twitter account why they ran slow at the same time everyday and was asked if something came on in my house at that time like a washing machine or fridge! I mean WTF?!

Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:25

abracadabra I don't use twitter but might just start!

OP posts:
sweetestcup · 09/05/2013 21:25

Im amongst my tale of woe I should have added you really do have my deepest sympathies. I don't miss the nights dominated by me and DH arguing about whose turn it was to phone BT this time...and like irritatingifinity eventually get through and get cut off and sit and wait for call backs....

HaveTeaWillSurvive · 09/05/2013 21:26

I still turn into a furious raving loon when anyone mentions BT, had a run in with them about 6 years ago and it took months to get sorted. Seems to be fine if its all working and straightforward great if not they can't sort their arse from their elbow Angry

Have gone to great lengths to avoid them since then and slagged them to anyone who'll listen sincerely hope you have better luck than I did.

winterdays · 09/05/2013 21:28

From bitter experience contact the CEO and get the nos of the accelerated compliants department which is in the UK but they hate to give the nos out and change it regularly

ElectricSoftParade · 09/05/2013 21:33

They are shit, shit, shit. OP, again, I hope you get this sorted and move to another company who are not shit.

BT ARE SHIT

IAmNotAMindReader · 09/05/2013 21:38

We moved and had a shit line that each time they tested it would come miraculously a couple of points higher than needed to trigger a proper investigation. The one time it did fall below, they suddenly decided the parameters had changed overnight and the new value was still a couple of points higher than the required.

Result was the phone line was crackly and you could barely hear anyone and the broadband, which we were paying for the full package was below 56k dial up speeds.

Moved to Virgin but they wouldn't let us out of our contract and wanted to charge us hundreds, so we left the bill until they sent it to a debt collection agency which had the same result without the huge fees.

Greydog · 09/05/2013 21:40

Get in touch with the ceo. He won't like it but he's paid to deal with it. BT take no responsibilty for their sub standard call centres. Their staff in this country are at their wits end, there are contractors who can't do the job brought in with little training, and the Openreach manager wants to get rid (its rumoured) of senior (experienced) staff. their performance management is draconian. And to think this was once the best telco. sigh

Original poster
peppapigmustdie · 09/05/2013 21:49

I realise that this isn't the fault of the poorly paid call centre workers but they obviously cannot help me after so many calls.
I do my best not to get cross or shout at the poor bugger at the end of the line but they cannot see past the script in front of them and see that the previous 10 pressing of a button has not worked.

OP posts:
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