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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To start a thread where you can share your moans about... BT

21 replies

LumelaMme · 25/08/2015 20:32

Customer service, eh? I assumed BT would want my money, but after the incompetent way they've dealt with a fairly simple request I have my doubts.

It took me an hour and 20 mins to arrange an engineer to come and test a line and install broadband later this week: the switchboard system is a nightmare to navigate. Then today they cancelled the appointment, because the line was, after all, working and would go live before the end of that day and so the engineer didn't need to visit.

But... the sockets are antique and a new one will have to be installed, as BT should have known from the information I gave them when I finally got through to a human being the last time.

Several phone calls later (complete with me screaming, yet again, when asked to describe my question in a few words) it seems that the line is not working and thus there is no point in the broadband engineer visiting. He was going to bring the broadband kit with him, but now someone has to be in for ELEVEN hours breathlessly awaiting it, though it won't be installed till God knows when. I told them there was no way someone could sit there for eleven hours, it just wasn't possible, and if the kit was lost I wasn't responsible. Now apparently I will be called to be told when delivery is likely. Yeah, sure. And that was another half an hour wasted that I won't get back.

Am I alone, or are there others out there who want to share their pain, frustration and seething, impotent rage?

OP posts:

Ma77Black · 25/08/2015 21:04

You're not the only one. I won't take you through the saga BT put me through. Suffice to say I cancelled with Virgin Media swearing I would never use them again and one month later I signed back up to Virgin because it means not a penny goes to BT. No line rental, nothing. The time wasted by, and total incompetence of BT still makes my blood boil. YANBU in the least.

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 25/08/2015 21:07

This is why I don't have a phone line!

Mind you, BT are not the only ones...

My car insurance have taken over 8 months to work out if my car is still insured as they ballsed up the paperwork big-time in November...

VotePedroPony · 25/08/2015 21:08

I agree, they're terrible. I've noticed when I try to type a btinternet email address my autocorrect changes it to "bitterness". This can't be coincidence.

monkeysox · 25/08/2015 21:19

A whole month with no phone or Internet when we moved. Shit. Would have Virgin but they won't cable here

Original poster

LumelaMme · 25/08/2015 21:20

autocorrect changes it to "bitterness". This can't be coincidence.

So are Virgin marginally less inept than BT? Or just less annoying?

OP posts:

Queenbean · 25/08/2015 21:24

Took up the contract as part of the offer was a £50 Sainsburys voucher

Have lived here for a year now and no fucking voucher despite 1-2 emails to them a month. Fucking ridiculous.

londonrach · 25/08/2015 21:27

Lol..bt have to pay me 1000 s to return after their 6 months of hell. They owe me £70. They lost their paperwork which i still had at the time. Makes me feel better that i lost them more in potential new customers. Just wish id got the service i paid for...a broadband that didnt involve phoning 5 plus times when i tried to get online. Luckily i wrote down time and date when this was attempted not that it did me any good. Not fit for purpose..

Reallywantgherkins · 25/08/2015 21:42

I despise BT with everything I have! Three times I was promised supervisor would call me back, three times I heard nothing! They have called me a liar on the call, they have refused to tell me their name (first name only and team that's all I wanted) they have refused to pass me over to a supervisor and have refused to escalate the call.
They do not provide good customer service! Their internet continually drops out and there is nothing anyone will do about it!!!
So I left them.

Original poster

LumelaMme · 25/08/2015 22:00

That's a new one - should I LTBT?

OP posts:

Catsize · 25/08/2015 22:15

It will take more than a thread for me - more of a Bayeaux Tapestry.

Jollyphonics · 25/08/2015 22:21

I think we need a whole forum, not just one thread!

cheapskatemum · 25/08/2015 22:22

Another BT hater here, they have called me a liar as well, refused to speak to me because bill was in DH's name, wanted to charge us for adding my name to the bill (DH was working abroad), broadband is rubbish - can take all weekend to download a film. at autocorrect, I have a btinternet email address and bitterness is most apt.

How come Virgin Media don't have to pay BT line rental? I don't think DH would agree to changing to Virgin Media now, despite the fact that he hates BT as well, because many of the top football matches are on BT tv .

WhatifIdid · 25/08/2015 22:23

LTBTB.... can you guess what the last 'b' stands for?

It too almost three months for BT to migrate a website to their server at work losing us a lot of customers and our reputation. BT's response? The offer of a few hundred compo. Not good enough.

lilyb84 · 25/08/2015 23:03

I recently received a marketing email from BT which said that as an existing customer of their regular broadband, they were offering me an upgrade to their Infinity package and would waive the one-off activation fee. I looked into it and it seemed that the Infinity package would actually be cheaper than my current one - plus our Internet speed has been a bit naff recently - so thought, why not?

I followed the link in the email and tried three times to place an order but each time it added the activation fee, with no option to remove it and no mention of the special offer which stated that the fee would be waived. I triple checked the t&cs but there was nothing to suggest I wasn't eligible.

I called their customer services but after being on hold for 20 minutes was told by the apologetic lady on the other end of the line that neither she or her colleagues could find any reference to the offer in their system and couldn't figure out how or why I'd been sent the email.

This feels very trivial now I've written it down but it pissed me right off at the time.

bumbleymummy · 25/08/2015 23:08

You are not alone! We've been trying to get broadband set up in our new office for the last 2 weeks and they have cancelled on us twice. I hate hate hate them

Tillyscoutsmum · 25/08/2015 23:12

Ordered Broadband infinity, BT Tv and phone in mid July to begin when I moved into new house at the begin of august. 3 weeks of calls, waiting in for engineers and immense frustration and it's finally sorted. I've been trying to add on kids tv (because I don't have it - despite checking when I ordered BT tv that it was included). 3 times I've called and ordered and it still hasn't been added. I had an email yesterday asking me to return my you view box following cancellation of my BT tv called again today and they tell me I must've cancelled it (I haven't) and they would now re-order it but it would be 3rd September before I have broadband and they therefore can't order the kids tv add on until after then. I HAVE GOT FUCKING BROADBAND. JUST GIVE ME THE KIDS TV ADD ON NOW YOU FUCKING INEPT ARSEHOLES

lifesalongsong · 25/08/2015 23:22

Your problems make mine seem trivial but I understand the total frustration of their call centre system. I really don't have the patience to speak to the Indian agents so hang up and try again to get a UK one. However inefficient they are with sorting out problems they sure are quick enough to call back if you hang up on them to check if you're OK!

travertine · 25/08/2015 23:23

This is condensed. Ordered internet when we moved in, didn't work. Engineer visit, not connected at exchange, sorted that and helpfully checked and re wired 3 sockets. Internet working, I use that term vaguely as it's appalling. None of the phones then work. Another engineer visit then organized free of charge. Lovely, only main socket working, internet still shit. Two sockets not working and charged £134 for the privilege. Despite numerous conversations previously assuring me I wouldn't be charged there is no record. Shocker. We are stuck as we are rural and have no choice but they are without doubt the worst company I have ever dealt with. The service they offer is appalling and their customer service even worse. If I treated my customers the way they do I would have been sacked on the spot.

MagratGarlik · 25/08/2015 23:26

I've been having problems with BT internet. I've discovered you have to use social media to complain. Use twitter and Facebook to the max and they act, otherwise you will be redirected to the overseas call centre who will lie to you and do nothing.

SockQueen · 25/08/2015 23:32

We switched to BT when we moved house recently, because we wanted to get Infinity broadband and DH found some kind of deal. However, due to various cockups and loooong delays in getting a)anyone who knows what they're talking about on the phone and b)an engineer to visit, we were without internet for the best part of a month. They haven't even tried to bill us yet, can't wait to see how that goes...

Bakeoffcake · 25/08/2015 23:40

I complained that our internet kept dropping off and our phone line was very crackly, but it was still working. BT man turns up, fiddles with a few things then announces that somehow we now have no phoneline he then tells me he needs to speak to my husband as he doesn't want to "burden me with technical details"

This was a week ago and despite promises someone would come back and fix the phoneline, nada! I cannot be arsed to phone them as I know I will just be told a pack of lies.

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