British Telecom

[dave]

Hi All,

 

I know everyone knows just how much trouble having any dealings with BT is, but I just need to have a rant about them.

 

Apparently BT sent me a bill. I don't use Direct Debits any more for obvious reasons and prefer to phone and pay. Every letter (apart from personal ones) gets scanned into my computer and indexed (a bit anal, maybe, but you wouldn't believe how useful it is). There was no bill from BT.

 

Anyway, as I don't use the landline for much as I prefer to use either my mobile or a Linux Skype equiv. I didn't notice that they had restricted my line to incoming only for some time.

 

I tried to phone them, but after roughly four hours in a queue I gave up.

 

I tried the next day, gave up after about 2 hours. A friend tried to phone them to pay over the phone for me, but again had to give up due to stupidly long waiting times.

 

I even registered on their site and tried to pay on-line, only to be told, after entering what felt like my life story, that that part of the site was down for 'maintenance'. As it was the next day, and the day after that.

 

So, eventually I get cut off completely. Including my ADSL line.

 

Great. I tried to phone again, and this time I was lucky. My phone call was answered at 1 hour and 38 minutes.

 

I was told I would be phoned back by 5pm.

 

....you know what's coming....yep...no phone call, so I phone back the next day and finally, after being passed to no less than 5 different people - 4 of which were in the same dept. despite being told each time that I was being put through to the accounts/billing dept, I finally get a date for 're-connection' - today, by 4pm apparently.

 

Well, it's now 19.21 and I am still without phone.

 

I've just phoned them, and after a suprisingly short wait (23 minutes) I get to speak to an indian chap who informs me that it will be done today, probably before 8pm. I ask him if he's just fobbing me off and that I have heard very similar things from BT, and as such am a little distrusting. He tells me that he is not lying, and I'll just have to trust them.

 

So:

 

"At BT our focus is on excellent customer service. We always aim to be within easy reach and we want to make sure you get the answers you want quickly and easily."

 

 

According to their website, this is what is they consider excellent service, and being within easy reach. I may have gotten the answers I wanted, so that bit is right, but sadly, that's all they were, answers that I wanted, not actually the service I wanted, or indeed for the answers to actually be true.

 

Anyway as they have a monopoly there's very little anyone can do but choose these bunch of wasters, so I suppose a review of them is pointless.

 

/rant.

 

EDIT: This lot are a joke. I have been given 3 different times for activation. Now I phone just to keep chasing them, and am told it was booked for next Tuesday. NOT yesterday like they kept telling me. Why? No-one seems to know, so again I am in a queue waiting to find out - so far it's only been 15 mins, and I keep getting a recorded voice telling me I can purchase products and services on their website - er...no I can't, and even if I could, why the hell would I do business with this shower of ***** when I didn't have any other choice!

 

I can't wait until we have a government in power with some balls - that way they can start to dismantle BT and I might get some competition for the 'copper mile' and I will no longer have to deal with this monolithic, useless excuse for a 'communications' firm.

[dave]

Update: It's now 9am the day after. Still no phone. Oh, I am so shocked.

[dave]

Blimey, I actually got an answer from their phone line after only 33 minutes in the queue.

 

Of course, I am now being transfered, and am now in a queue again!

 

Wow, they really are pulling out all the stops!

[dave]

However, I have been in yet another queue since I posted that last post.

 

I'm beginning to wonder if having a phone and Internet connection are really worth all the bother.

 

It seems madness to treat a customer who wants to give them money for a service this way.

[gt94sss2]

Try sending them a message via this page and let them get back to you..

 

Regards

Sunil

[dave]

Hi Sunil, I did that a little while ago and just got an automatet response - a very similar response to me filling in the complaint form on their site too.

 

Thank you though ;-)