 BT Driving Me Mad!
Apologies if this takes a while.....
Around 3 years ago I opted to go to paper free billing which was OK for the first bill, but I then stopped using that particular e mail account due to the huge amount of spam arriving into the inbox. I e mailed BT and asked to revert to a paper billing system which I was told was OK. However despite my account details showing my billing type as Paper and E Mail on the BT website, the first that I knew of the following bill was when I received the reminder, so I contacted them and after an exchange of e mails I paid the bill and was promised that the matter was now resolved. It wasn't!
The same happened with the following bill and with the addition of a late payment charge, so I went through the same procedure, copying the previous apologetic e mail from BT and eventually the charge was dropped and I was able to pay the bill (it won't allow you to make a reduced payment online, only the full amount).
The same happened on two subsequent occasions and both times the late payment charge was cancelled - eventually, but not promptly enough so that the following bills again incurred the penalty charge. In October 2006 the fun which I was having in bouncing e mails back and forth was beginning to wane but at least I finally got the paper bill nearly a week after I had paid the bill online following the usual arguments.
Hallelujah - the paper bill finally arrived on time in January, but, once again with a late payment charge, so I went through the same rigmarole, but I seemd to have come across a particularly difficult bunch in Mumbai, Delhi or wherever the call centre is and just seem to have found it impossible to find a member of staff who understands why I am getting out of my tree over this.
E mail to complain about the late payment charge - explain previous errors and reason for late payment being BT's fault. A week later get a response apologising for the 'obvious distress caused' but explained that charge made because last payment was late.
E mailed again saying that I know why the charge was applied but (in capital letters) it was BT's fault and copied all previous correspondence. Recived another e mail again apologising for 'obvious distress' and saying that he would look into why I had not received a paper bill.
Replied that I have a paper bill but cannot pay it until the penalty charge has been knocked off. Another reply tells me the date of last bill, date of reminder and date of payment. Says their records show that I have been sent a bill and would I like a copy of it for £4.70?
Losing patience now and start the next e mail with "FFS!" and that I don't want a copy, but the charge knocked off the bill which I have in my hand and that if he cannot help I want the matter escalated to his Supervisor.
Receive another e mail on 20th February explaining why the late charge penalty had been added but agreeing to take it off 'as a gesture of goodwill'. Warns that I must pay before 25th February or service will be restricted. I reply to say thank you and that I will be completely satisfied with an assurance that I will not be having the same argument next time as BT have once again caused me to pay the current bill late.
Receive phone call from BT the same day to say that our phone will be cut off the following day (21st) as we haven't paid the bill. Tempted to leave it until 25th to prove a point but wife 'persuades' me otherwise.
Received the final response to my demand not to put a late payment charge on the next bill. It says in detail that the charge has been applied to this bill as I was late paying in October and regrettably they are unable to cancel the charge on this occasion. This arrived on the same day as a letter confirming that the account has been credited with the late payment charge and trusting that this resolves the matter!
I will go loopy when I get the next bill as I just know that I will have the same problem next time. Is it worth me writing to BT at a UK address and if so where? I know that for those dealing with customer communications in India, English is not their first language and this has all got a little complicated even for somebody from this country to understand, but I don't think I can face another round.
Assuming I make sense to somebody out there, what do you suggest?
Thanks for bearing with me! | 
