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Total incompetence

Earlier this year (August) we received a call from a BT sales rep. attempting to sell us lots of BT services we didn't require. Told them that until they could provide us with a broadband connection we weren't interested in any other services. The sales rep said that of course they could provide broadband but only at 512. O.K. we said, provide that and we'll talk about your other services.

The next day, another call "umm we can't provide 512 but we can do 200. It's much faster than your dialup". We explained that we don't use dialup, we use a fast, symetrical wireless service and adsl would only be a backup. We agreed that we would go ahead anyway and were promised an activation date of 4th September. Promised any changes to the date would be notified ahead of time.

The date came and went. We enquired of BT what was happening. "Major engineering works required" was the reply. No new date given.

Today we made enquiries of another ISP who we hoped might be more competent than BT. They apparently can't do anything because BT have a lock on the line because of an extant order and this needs to be cancelled before anything else can be done.

Shouldn't be a problem we thought. Emailed the department who had been dealing with the broadband provision (orders@btbroadbandoffice.com) asking to cancel the order. Email came back saying that they wouldn't deal with a cancellation and we must contact the "customer options team". They said "I know who to put you through to". Transferred the call to their technical department. They said it should have been dealt with by "customer options". Checked with his supervisor who said "it must be customer options" and transferred us back to reception.

Reception attempted put us through to "customer options" AGAIN. Hung on for forty minutes listening to their message "Thank you for holding. We are very busy at the moment. We apologise for the delay. You call will be answered as soon as possible.

After 40 minutes (at 6.00pm) we were cut off. Tried again - automated message explaining their hours are from 8.30 to 5.30.

What a shambles!! Anyone any ideas how to persuade this shower of sh** to respond in any kind of timely and sensible fashion.
 
I too have in the past been passed around BT's many "support" departments, it is sadly not uncommon. Sure they pickup the phone fast enough but the support itself is often woeful when you have a problem or desire to cancel. Some other things you could try:

BT's Live chat service (might not load properly on Microsoft IE browser):
http://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/contact

Assuming you have a business product and want to cancel then this should be the correct number for billing: 0845 600 7020 . I would also give email a try.

Don't forget to review them:
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/review/reviewAdd.html?id=7

Also, if they try to switch you to a department you've tried before, then I would politely mention to the operator about the past problems you've had in contacting the correct department and how much time and money it has cost you. Add that a formal complaint will be made unless they can resolve your problem. But be polite. Also, if it gets really annoying, request to speak with a manager.
 
Mark,

Thank you for those suggestions, I'll give them a try but I guess there is little point trying to contact them over the weekend.

I'll be happy to review them but can I review a service they have failed to provide?:)

When I've tried your suggestions I'll report back here. Thanks again.

Cheers,

Colin
 
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You can't review a service that you have not subscribed to, but if you have subscribed and failed to recieve the service then your opinions are perfectly legitimate :) .
 
At last things have moved on a little. My colleague has just spent another chunk of her life on the 'phone to BT. I'll not steal her thunder but have asked her to relate the latest in this saga. She'll do this shortly. Should have said she posts under the name of 'penny'.
 
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The next attempt !

As suggested by Mark.J, this time we tried the business no. 0845 600 7020. After the usual plethora of press this button and being held in a queue I got through to someone on the Management Options team. However, despite giving him the phone no, the postcode, the order number on the letter from BT confirming the "BT Business Total Broadband order" he was unable to find any trace of the order. He insisted that it must be a residential order despite the terms on their letter, and the fact that we have had business lines with them for the last 27 years.

Eventually I accepted his offer to put me through to Customer Options, with some trepidation after the nightmare of the last time ! Amazingly I spoke to a human being who could locate the order, expressed surprise and sympathy that they had failed to meet the target date of 4th Sept and promised to send me an email confirming the cancellation. This has not yet arrived ... so we shall see and post further should the saga continue. (I might add that I've had an email from ISPReview on that email a/c but still nothing from BT !)
 
How much of my life can BT waste ?

I thought you might all like to be cheered up by the story of yet another poor so-and-so who has been listening to "We are really busy" and "We value you" messages on BT's ruddy system.

Friday 20 Nov - spent lots more time on the phone and FINALLY found a helpful young woman in Oxford Customer Options who even said what a shame that some 2.5 months after the scheduled installation date we had no ADSL from BT. She agreed to cancel the order and to send me an email.

No email arrived. I checked with the online BT order system and it said my order "was being progressed".

Monday 23 November - phoned the number on the order confirmation letter, sat in queues. Finally got through to someone in the Business Broadband Management Team who said he couldn't cancel the order and I would have to speak to Customer Options. I said this was a shambles and the fourth time I had attempted to speak to BT. He said he was putting me through and then - guess what - he cut me off so I had to start all over again.

So this time I rang the same number but selected a different option and got through to Business Broadband Reception. The girl was helpful and suggested she put me through to the Business Broadband Management Team. Steam began to come out of my ears. I explained they couldn't cancel it and I had been told I needed to speak to the Customer Options Team. She did warn me it was busy on a Monday morning (not surprising if everyone has to spent that long trying to get sense out of them, IMHO) and so I wasn't surprised to have to hold on for what felt like 24 hours but was probably only an hour or so. Finally I got through to someone on the Customer Options team. I gave my phone no, name, company name, address and answer to the security question for the nth time. He then told me to hold on for several minutes. Hey what's a few more after all that time ?!

He came back and said that the order had been cancelled with BT Wholesale and he would cancel it with Retail. I asked for written confirmation by email or letter - he went to consult a supervisor, returning to tell me he couldn't do that. So he gave me his details and said he had made a note on the computer system. When I asked when this would be reflected in the online order tracking he couldn't tell me.

So I HOPE we have cancelled the order. I have asked the person who agreed to let them try to provide us with ADSL never to accept this nonsense again. I sincerely hope I don't end up like a couple of friends I know who have been billed for non-existent ADSL and had to fight that.

I sign off greyer, older and even less of a BT fan than I was before this saga began.

Penny
 
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Thanks and perhaps a step forward !

Mark

Thanks very much for the offer. I thought I'd leave it a few days (well to let the hot air vent from my head :) ) and see if their IT systems register the cancellation. To date, an independent ADSL provider was showing the line as having an ADSL order registered against it - this morning that has changed. However the BT Business Broadband Order checker continues to say that the order is being progressed !

So it does look as though, a week later, things are beginning to filter through. I shall continue to monitor it and see if BT ever say the order has been cancelled !

Keep up your good works - this site is much appreciated.

Penny
 
At last a result

Finally received an email from BT confirming that the broadband order has been cancelled that's right the email they couldn't send.;)

I'm not sure how much of my and Penny's time has been wasted on this bunch of incompetents, suffice to say that our company will never again take a service from BT.

Thanks again, Mark, for your suggestions and offers of help. I'll now post a review of BT. Any chance of modifying the system to allow minus marks?:)

I'll second Penny's remarks about this site.
 
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