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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's not our responsibility to provide parking when we haven't got any?

25 replies

FuseLitStandWellBack · 23/08/2016 13:10

I've name-changed for this as I've been complaining about it IRL and don't want to out myself!

We've had a call out for a BT engineer open for a couple of weeks. First one scheduled for last week didn't turn up because he "couldn't find us". We live in a city centre on a very old street, no recent name-changes, it appears on sat nav and Google maps etc. Rearranged for this morning; today's engineer refused to attend because he couldn't get parked. There are yellow lines on our street and the streets immediately either side, but there is signposted public parking a few hundred metres away.

It's never been an issue with visitors of this type before - the guy who came to clear our gutters, the gas safety certificate check engineer, the previous BT engineer who came out in January when their previous piece of rubbish equipment packed up in a similar way - and I'm not sure what we were supposed to do, since we can't magic up a gap in the double yellow lines or knock up a quick underground car port? We can't be the only people without parking immediately outside our house/on the same street who occasionally need the services of an engineer, surely?

AIBU to think this is a pretty poor excuse for not attending a call out?

OP posts:

HarryElephante · 23/08/2016 13:12

Nope. Get money off your next bill!

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 23/08/2016 13:17

YANBU. If BT are happy to provide you with a service & take payment for that then they should also be able to get an engineer to you when needed!

Lots of houses have no parking outside surely?

MargaretCavendish · 23/08/2016 13:18

I have lived in a house with restricted parking outside, and now live in one where the house is about 100m from the road. Both have caused grumbles but no refusals! I think it probably is your responsibility to point out/provide the 'best possible' solution - so tell them about the public parking and where to find it. When we lived with the restricted parking we were always expected to provide a guest parking permit (which was a bit annoying as they weren't free and we could only have a limited number per year). I think if you're just letting them turn up then expect them to sort it out themselves you're being a bit unreasonable, but not if you're informing them of a reasonable even if non-ideal solution.

DefinitelyNotAJourno · 23/08/2016 13:19

Ask them how they installed the line in the first place.

Original poster

FuseLitStandWellBack · 23/08/2016 13:23

I think it probably is your responsibility to point out/provide the 'best possible' solution - so tell them about the public parking and where to find it.

DH did that when he originally arranged the appointment, and the fact you can only get into the street from one end (bollards at the other) so we expected - not unreasonably, I think, that that information would be passed on to whichever engineer was then allocated the appointment.

OP posts:

Original poster

FuseLitStandWellBack · 23/08/2016 13:23

The street with the public parking, that is.

OP posts:

MargaretCavendish · 23/08/2016 13:34

What exactly did they say when he didn't attend? Is it possible that there was no space in the public parking area? If not then they were completely in the wrong and you should be complaining and getting money off.

Sara107 · 23/08/2016 13:43

BT are IMO one of the least helpful companies for dealing with faults. The fact that you have even got as far as engineers failing to turn up is an achievement! You just have to keep at them and keep complaining. If your service isn't working and isn't fixed you shouldn't be paying for it.

Original poster

FuseLitStandWellBack · 23/08/2016 13:53

What exactly did they say when he didn't attend? Is it possible that there was no space in the public parking area?

It looks as if he drove onto our street, presumably having used our postcode in his sat nav rather than the directions to the public car park given over the phone to the appointment booker, based on the fact he rang DH to complain about the double yellows (which he wouldn't know about unless he actually came onto our street, as you don't drive along it to get to the car park IYSWIM). He was complaining that he hadn't been told, couldn't get parked, this was ridiculous, it was our responsibility to provide somewhere for him to park etc etc. DH tried to tell him about the public car park but could barely get a word in. The guy had thoroughly worked himself up into a rant and kept repeating that it was ridiculous and unacceptable, then said we would have to reschedule the appointment and pretty much rang off. He wasn't abusive/downright rude exactly, but he was impossible to reason with or explain anything to as he didn't seem willing to listen.

OP posts:

MargaretCavendish · 23/08/2016 13:59

Then you are 100% in the right and should be complaining and escalating the complaint until you get a priority appointment and possibly other compensation too.

JudyCoolibar · 23/08/2016 14:24

You do need to complain. There is no good reason for the engineer to have been so rude to your DH (and I would say ranting and refusing to let your husband get a word in IS rude) and they should have made sure they passed on the information about the public car park. Tell them you expect the next visit to be prioritised as urgent, and that you don't expect to be charged rental for the entire period you've been waiting for the engineer.

BeMorePanda · 23/08/2016 14:26

I have a friend who is a BT engineer - he works all over the country.
From what I can make out BT engineers are pretty famously lazy. That being said my friend will go the extra distance and he likes to get jobs ticked off as completed - he is often being thanked for succeeding where many engineers before him have failed or not completed.

I guess my point is, it's not you, it's them. You need to complain to BT and get them to send an engineer who is willing and able to park his truck and walk a few meters.

PJBanana · 23/08/2016 14:46

As others have said, in my experience BT are one of the worst companies I've ever had to deal with.

Definitely complain, in a variety of different ways if you need to. Social media is a good bet.

I've had this with Auto Glass before. They tell you they 'can come to your place of work', then I got a call when they arrived at my office car park to say that they couldn't carry out the work as I was parked on 'private land'

VoteyMcVoteFace · 23/08/2016 15:09

Can I just wish you luck if you choose to attempt to complain about this. BT are in my experience the most inept, inefficient, infuriating, downright fucking obstructive company I have ever had the misfortune to have to deal with when attempting to get a problem resolved. Their customer service is beyond shite. I ended up emailing the chief executive in a fury, not expecting anything to happen, and I got a personal response in 20 minutes. This was at about 10pm. My case was resolved to a high-level complaints officer who basically sorted the whole sorry mess out and hand-held the entire way. It is just a pity that had to resort to that kind of nuclear option, but I suppose they must be used to it. I've recently had another problem, and the experience so far is no better.

blueturtle6 · 23/08/2016 15:36

Almost twenty years ago I worked in BT high level complaints, many complaints had escalated for reason that were simple to fix. But it had then a civil service mentality and nothing it seems has changed.

bigbluebus · 23/08/2016 15:48

banana maybe you had the same Autoglass technician that I had, who rang half an hour before to say he was on his way, then when he arrived promptly said he couldn't replace my windscreen as it was going to rain (not a cloud in the sky) and he wouldn't be able to get the glue to set - even though we offered him the garage so he would glue the screen under cover and the bookings line had said he would put a gazebo over the car if the weather was wet. Some people just use any excuse. When I rebooked my call I specifically requested that they didn't send him again - if indeed they continued to employ him

CurlyBlueberry · 23/08/2016 15:52

YANBU and I feel your pain - we used to live in a first-floor London flat above shops, entrance down an alley and no immediate parking. Putting the postcode into a satnav would send people about half a mile up the road for convoluted reasons I can't be arsed to explain! We always, always used to give very clear instructions to people providing services but in the case of big companies, this frequently did not get passed on. While I understand the frustration of trying to find us, ultimately the fault lies with the procedure for passing on information in this case (or possibly, he had it available but didn't read it). Complain, it's not your fault. You are still entitled to services!

Most of the time we were ok... apart from when I was having a baby, my usual midwife was out of the area and the community midwife she sent instead couldn't find us and only just made it in time for the birth so hey, it could be worse haha.

HornyTortoise · 23/08/2016 15:56

Did they not ask you about parking restrictions? never had BT but when we were getting our sky installed on the online form there was an option about parking that you had to chose 'offroad parking' 'private parking' etc etc.

GabsAlot · 23/08/2016 16:12

horny the op explained it all to the booking ept who clearly idnt pas the info on

there must be loads of houses in cities without parking does everyone get ignore then by lay engineers

candybar007 · 23/08/2016 16:28

Nowadays engineers get parking tickets deducted from their wages rather that the company accepting it as part of life for the service guy`s hence why some peoples attitude has changed. You could offer to keep the wardens at bay for him.

ilovelamp82 · 24/08/2016 01:08

Since joining BT 3 months ago I have had problem after problem. I've had to call them no less that a dozen times. Each and every time they have been completely unhelpful. I was with Sky for about 12 years and never had a single problem. I'm counting down the days till my contract is up and I can go back to Sky. They have caused me so much stress it's ridiculous. You have my sympathy but based on my experience they are going to be less than helpful in solving (ignoring) your problem.

avamiah · 24/08/2016 02:06

I live in London and I have had untold stress about parking permits for engineers.
You cannot park on my road without a permit, so I buy visitors permits but I have run out on the odd occasion as you do but offered to pay for the "gas engineers parking and the washing machine repair guys parking".
The pay and display is around the corner.(3 mins).
Well that's not good enough for them.
So apart from running around all the neighbours begging to borrow a permit or bribing a traffic warden what am I supposed to do?
They are the ones providing a bloody service that we are paying for, it's not as if BT come out free they can't wait to send you a statement and the washing machine guy can't wait to tell you that your waranty is up and you need a new part or new machine.
It's a no win situation .

kurlique · 24/08/2016 02:30

I complained to BT head office on behalf of the company I work for... I got a phone call from a very snotty woman from head office who got really rude when I pointed out that she wasn't actually answering the questions made regarding our complaint... Very high handed and arrogant, a PITA business IMO

ShelaghTurner · 24/08/2016 03:41

Autoglass are bloody useless. Fix any windscreen, no cost to you blah blah. Except they deal with every insurance company in the land except ours. Who are we with, The Man in the Moon insurance co? Nope, just a tiny outfit called Admiral. FFS.

SabineUndine · 24/08/2016 03:47

I had this happen with a utility company and the guy phoned from his van to say he couldn't park and was off to the next job. I was beside myself with rage. It was pretty obvious he was just using this as an excuse for catching up his schedule. There is pay and display parking 200m away but he hung up when I tried to explain this.

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