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[Mr Gav]

My boss decided we needed unlimited broadband in our site office at some new student accommodation blocks we are building as we are going to be there for around 40 weeks and we will have a lot of drawings to download, and BT was his choice.

Four weeks ago the engineers came to install the line, quite a long route form the cabinet which took them around 3 hours, this was a Friday and he said the broadband should be switched on by 3 0`clock....err no, not even by Monday morning 

Phones customer services, somewhere in India and after about 45 minutes it`s found that BT have activated the wrong line so it`ll take a day to get the instruction through to them and three days for them to do it   

BT being so incompetent couldn`t even manage this simple task so decided to put a second line in, not at our request I might add, then send us a bill for £800 for the privilege    and no we still didn`t have any internet, and after more wasted time talking to India it turns out that the line they put in belongs to plusnet 

We get another letter from BT saying the internet will be switched on midnight 23rd August....that came and went and still no internet.

More phone calls to Gerupto Singh and we get told this will be resolved in 7-10 days.....WTF? That will be nearly 6 weeks and we still have no internet and the cheeky gits have sent us 4 bills already 

Just how do they get business when they perform like this? 

[Shackeng]

Quite easy, they have a virtual monopoly on lines, and a recent decision not to hive off Openreach makes it even easier for them to ignore customers. BTW, I'm with Plusnet whose customer service has always been good, even though they are owned by BT, so I would take the line they put in if possible.

[Nick W]

Now you know why marketing is the biggest, most influential and highest paid department in any big business.

[TheBoy]

Quite easy, they have a virtual monopoly on lines, and a recent decision not to hive off Openreach makes it even easier for them to ignore customers.

Codswallop.

BT's only method of interaction with Openreach is via the same system that every other SP uses.

Despite the pressure from the outraged Daily Mail trash, OFCOM have for once seen sense and understand the reality of the situation of Internet provision in the UK.


I would suggest that BT's (as it the BT Retail/Consumer/Business) that we all deal with is offshored call centres. No matter on the company, they are utterly useless.  I sincerely hope that BT learns from its Evil Everywhere arm, and onshores it all.  Then you may get some sense.

[Shackeng]

Quite easy, they have a virtual monopoly on lines, and a recent decision not to hive off Openreach makes it even easier for them to ignore customers.

Codswallop.

BT's only method of interaction with Openreach is via the same system that every other SP uses.

Despite the pressure from the outraged Daily Mail trash, OFCOM have for once seen sense and understand the reality of the situation of Internet provision in the UK.


I would suggest that BT's (as it the BT Retail/Consumer/Business) that we all deal with is offshored call centres. No matter on the company, they are utterly useless.  I sincerely hope that BT learns from its Evil Everywhere arm, and onshores it all.  Then you may get some sense.

Fact or opinion, let me guess.

[TheBoy]

Not sure which bit you're referring to Shack, but most is FACT, last paragraph is my own humble opinion, based on my dealings when I was a BT customer.

[STEMO]

We were with BT for donks, everything was fine until we had a problem. Their customer service is truly appalling.
They are like a lot of energy companies, where you have a long conversation with someone on the phone(someone else's phone actually), and when the problem isn't solved, it's as if the conversation never took place.
Telecomms and post were split because GPO was a lumbering dinosaur, BT is becoming a similar beast.

[Shackeng]

Not sure which bit you're referring to Shack, but most is FACT, last paragraph is my own humble opinion, based on my dealings when I was a BT customer.

I was referring to your statement that my comments were codswallop. Admittedly I do not have the benefit of your knowledge.
This was my personal experience.
A cable was damaged by numpty's (Openreach) cutting off myself and two others, one of whom is registered with BT as vulnerable, and therefore entitled to 24 hour restoration of service. I am with Plusnet, the third party with Talk Talk. In our cases, our suppliers told us that they had reported the fault to BT who owned the line, and who would restore it ASAP. 24 hours later I spoke to BT (and at least five more times over this period) in Bangalore, on behalf of my vulnerable neighbour, they claimed that they knew nothing of the fault, but promised that she would be restored within 24 hours as promised, (thus making it a minimum of 48 hours if so). Two days later Openreach arrived, scratched their head, and disappeared. Roadmen arrived the next day and dug a hole for access, damaging the cable in another place. Openreach arrived the next day to repair the original break, no good, they now need a new cable. Two days later they arrive and fit the new cable, and two days after that the hole is filled in. 7 days to restore service.
My point is, this was all controlled by BT who own Openreach, and, despite the BT Indian protestations, it was clear that at no time were they invested with any sense of urgency for our vulnerable neighbour. So I repeat, they have a 'virtual' monopoly on the lines, and as they own Openreach, who are non-contactable by mere mortals, they can continue to behave in such a cavalier fashion, treating customers just as the OP states.

[TheBoy]

My point is, this was all controlled by BT who own Openreach

And, rightly or wrongly, OFCOM have put in a load of legislation that the BT that you are a customer with are not allowed to deal directly with Openreach.


The downside for BT customers is a poorer service than could be achieved (although IMHO the call centres also make a right pigs ear of it as well), but OFCOM thought it may increase competition...   ...personally not convinced, I think market forces would do a better job alone, esp with the tri/quad play services most providers are coming out with, without punishing the majority.

[Shackeng]

My point is, this was all controlled by BT who own Openreach

And, rightly or wrongly, OFCOM have put in a load of legislation that the BT that you are a customer with are not allowed to deal directly with Openreach.


The downside for BT customers is a poorer service than could be achieved (although IMHO the call centres also make a right pigs ear of it as well), but OFCOM thought it may increase competition...   ...personally not convinced, I think market forces would do a better job alone, esp with the tri/quad play services most providers are coming out with, without punishing the majority.

Well, BT were dealing with Openreach in the incident I described, at least according to BT themselves, albeit in India, plus Talk Talk and Plusnet, so either they were all wrong, or you are misinformed.

[TheBoy]

My point is, this was all controlled by BT who own Openreach

And, rightly or wrongly, OFCOM have put in a load of legislation that the BT that you are a customer with are not allowed to deal directly with Openreach.


The downside for BT customers is a poorer service than could be achieved (although IMHO the call centres also make a right pigs ear of it as well), but OFCOM thought it may increase competition...   ...personally not convinced, I think market forces would do a better job alone, esp with the tri/quad play services most providers are coming out with, without punishing the majority.

Well, BT were dealing with Openreach in the incident I described, at least according to BT themselves, albeit in India, plus Talk Talk and Plusnet, so either they were all wrong, or you are misinformed.

That's my point - they all have the same access to Openreach, via an IT system.  "BT" do not have any better access to Openreach, or any preferential treatment, and like every other SP, cannot actually speak to anyone in Openreach for day to day operations.

[TheBoy]

And the "faceless" access to Openreach maybe doesn't help when things go wrong, as (any) SP can't just call up and discuss options...  ...it all has to go in electronically.

[Shackeng]

If that is the case, why did BT fight so hard to retain Openreach? I'm sorry, I am not convinced that BT do not influence their wholly owned subsidiary company. I know that certain curbs have been put in place in the last few weeks, but only under screaming protest from BT.

[Stargazer57N]

I had an issue with BT that lasted nearly 12 months, intermittent BB slow speeds ect. Had contacted there help center on the other side of the world countless time and getting now joy I emailed the CO of BT and got a call from their UK customer complaint department in Newcastle. To cut a long story short I had be telling them for month that there is a known problem in the area with supply which they kept denying, all I was wanting was a bit of honesty from them to admit it. The only time I got that was when the Engineer call to say he was on his way but said "there going to be very little I can do as it's a supply problem from the main exchange 10 miles away". 
The best thing BT did was to put their prices up in July as that allowed me to move to another SP without having to pay BT the get out fee. As when they put up the price they change the contract making it void.
I am now with Vodaphone and have been for two month and having no issues BB speed is up and stable, plus help center is UK based.

[STEMO]

John Lewis now have a similar relationship with customers. They have paid Capita 9million squids to run their customer service operations from a call centre in Glasgow. You ring Capita, they contact the relevant department at JL, you cannot ring direct.
If you ring Barnsley council, a girlie will take a message and pass it on.
I can see more and more companies adopting this system, it's a way of passing the buck back and forth until, defeated, you go away.