BT unethical practice

[countrygirl99]

My DH is a tradesman with a lot of annual repeat customers who has been self employed for a number of years. Many of his longstanding customers still use our old landline number and for about 12 years our landline has been diverted to his mobile (paid for service).
BT have recently swapped us to the digital phone system which means our call divert is no longer working. DH has phoned BT this afternoon to try and sort this but apparently it can only be done from a physical landline phone.As we haven't used the landline phone for over a decade we no longer have a physical phone, just the diverted number. The advice from BT customer services is to get a phone from Argos, set up the divert and then return the phone for a refund. Asked if they could supply a phone which we return for refund and it's "we don't do that".

Its not unethical. Annoying. But also weird to have a landlines with no phone.
Just buy a phone and set it up

They’re being entirely reasonable. They don’t supply a handset - they supply the wires that are connected so a handset can be used. You need a handset to do things to use the wire. Get a handset. They hardly cost a lot!

get one from a 2nd hand shop?

It's just as unethical as buying clothes wearing them once and sending back for a refund. Very common among long established tradesmen to only have the landline diverted and why should we bear the costs of BY system changes.

We never use the handset and BT would be quite willing to send one but not allow the return for refund like they expect Argos or Amazon to do.

Just borrow a handset from a friend/family member, set up the divert and return it?

Annoying, but you have to ask yourself which is worth more - £15 for a phone from Argos or his repeat business?

You don’t have to take it back if it feels unethical to you.

So they shouldn't have advised that, but that's a solution (especially to a customer who's complaining about the costs). It's not their responsibility to supply you with a phone either.

Why? We only need one for a change they have made that we had no choice in. This has worked fine since 2012. Until a couple of weeks ago. They are happy to sell us one but not to offer a refund like they expect Argos to. We have house for a landline phone, just the number and the only reason the service we pay for has stopped working is because of a change they have made. If they were willing to do what they suggest we do with Argos there wouldn't because problem but they are happy for Argos to incur the costs of a refund but not themselves.

I can assure you that wouldn’t be the official option to suggest
the call handler was just trying to help with a suggestion to pacify you and no doubt you were moaning to them really couldn’t get worked up about this
just put a message in Facebook one of your friends will no doubt have one you can borrow or ask a neighbour

you have ALWAYS need a hand set to put call diversion on

Borrow a handset. It’s not unethical to change with the times.

it's £15 for a phone from Argos. If you're that concerned about the ethics, just buy one. Or go next door and borrow one for ten minutes. But you're making a big mountain out of a tiny molehill.

If it's true that to set the divert up you need a phone, then what do you expect them to say to you?

Just buy or borrow a phone, set it up and be done with it. I would have thought the risk of having clients not being able to contact you well outweighs the issue of spending £15 on a phone.

I think you are the one being unethical. You are trying to convince your customers that you have office back up. If you only have a mobile phone give them that number.

OMG, don't then, miss the calls. Your choice 🤷

You really are making a mountain out of this..

Sorry - you think you should be able to borrow a handset?? WHY? Why do you think you’re entitled to borrow a handset.

and I very much doubt they expect you to buy a handset from someone else. Use it. And then return it. You are the one being unethical.

Changing system isn't unethical trying to get Argos to bear the costs of that is. What is unethical is suggesting buying from another company and then taking it back for a refund after using it. Argos were very interested to hear what was said. And quite frankly he came back with the suggestions so quickly I really do think it wasn't spur of the moment. He said they could sell us one or we could go to Argos and then take it back straight away. When asked why we couldn't just return a BT one in that case it was we don't do that. But thinking about it distance selling regs might come into play.

I can't imagine that "buy a phone, use it once and then return for a refund" is official BT policy.

Why can’t you borrow one?

You don’t get it. The service they have supplied you is not a call diversion service for a landline. It is a landline service that also has a call diversion service. To use the landline in any way a handset is needed. It is entirely reasonable for them to change the technology of how the call diversion service and say that any changes to that need to be made with a handset.

That is exactly what BT suggested we do. We were the ones that told the customer service guy it wasn't on to suggest that.
Still Argos are aware and have all the details. A formal complaint has been lodged with BT about them suggesting that and their management can check the call recording.
Their guy actually said we shouldn't borrow from someone else when we asked if that would work as it might reset any special settings they have. That's when he suggested getting from Argos and returning having used it.

Not really the point of the thread but you will be paying for the diverted leg of the call form your landline number to the mobile number
plus you are paying for the diversion service

you can get a mobile SIM cards with your landline number on saving you a fortune no divert

YABU. But maybe you've cost this guy his job, so that should help you feel happier about it.

Also 'Argos have all the details'. So what?

I used to work for a BT subsidiary on the technical support line and while I personally have never recommended this, I know people who have.

To be honest though, there's not much you can recommend when you're on the other side of the call. Some people want the earth. We even had people begging us to send technicians out with a handset so they could change the features and then send them on their way and would not accept it when we said this is not in their remit and it's a matter completely outside of our reasonable control.

When you've got people screaming down the phone at you that they want you to move mountains for you or they'll get in touch with their brothers sisters dogs aunts cousin twice removed who is a solicitor you just try and offer whatever advice you can to get them off the phone and stop circular arguments.

They record all the calls and will listen to it
there complaint process is very robust and logged they have to put there investigation ,findings and actions on it before they close it

he gone off script used his own initiative

well done be pleased with yourself he’ll probably be sacked