I’ve noticed since my posts a few weeks back on my horrific experiences with BT that I’ve received a lot of visits from other “Netizens” *shudders* who have been searching for information on BT customer services, as it happens I’m currently page 5 on Google for “BT”+”customer”+”services” which I find quite amusing, I’ve also noticed readers from BT’s office IP range so perhaps public blogging will have more impact than just another piece of paper to be filed in the bin at BT’s likely enormous complaints department.
I now realise I never did follow up on my story, it isn’t very interesting but I did finally get through to BT billing on a warm Saturday morning during the largest expanse of free time I could find in my week to make the call. It took 1 hour 15 minutes to get through (yes I timed it) and fortunately the lady on the line was helpful and set up my direct debit very quickly. Nothing was mentioned of the futile late payment threats sent and I was content; I never will be happy but I’m just glad she didn’t make the process even more difficult after all that waiting around for them, unable to move more than 4 feet from the phone socket. I daren’t think about that time too much though as I know how much my time is worth to my employers and no doubt other’s time will cost even more but I’m sure I won’t see a penny of that compensated back from BT but perhaps one day they will get taxed by the Government to pay for their contribution to the nation’s stress-related illnesses and high blood pressure cases. One can dream…
I’m sure many others will have their stories of frustrated pain, tears and anger when dealing with BT and they should feel free to leave a message on this blog to let it all out, I can assure you people are listening!
I had a customer come through to me today. She was complaining about how poor the menu’s were and how she had got passed from dept to dept even thought the advisor’s knew the depts were shut down and she would have to start all over again!
I promptly told her that we are no longer affliated with BT Cellnet and about our experience with them. She thought it was awful that they changed our phone number without telling us and has already made her complaint to ofcom. I’d advise anyone including said customer to contact watchdog as a national moan on national TV might give them a great big added kick! As someone who works in customer service I feel sorry for the amount of complaints they must recieve. But the hand of blame goes to the CEO, as they can lay down the law on the majority of decisions in a business.
lol. I see the same thing happened to you! My humble blog is now getting loads of hits from people fed up with BT. I’ve no idea how I show up as the 3rd hit on google! (Which I guess is how you found my site, although reading your blog, we scarily seem to have a lot in common, I read the Feynman book earlier this year
)
My phoneline is broken and I waisted 35 minutes of my lunch trying to get an engineer to come out to fix it. 2 weeks and still no landline. I rufuse to pay for the calls on my mobile, it costs too much!
Hi Alasdair, yes I checked the search strings about BT and your posts came up a lot, I can’t say I’m surprised but these are stories from just being a simple home customer. I work for an ISP which deals with BT as a wholesale provider so I hear stories that would make a grown man cry, and often does. It’s good that people are talking about it though perhaps then something positive will come of it beyond just being able to vent.
Elaine, I thought you were with Virgin? You should know better than switch back! My O2 bill included £15 of calls to BT this month, I preferred to pay and not to be physically attached to my phone socket for the wait seen as my mobile has speaker-phone. 2 weeks is impressive but I still wouldn’t hold your breath…
I’ve set up a BT Complaints Blog I’m that sick of them and there complete incompetence. I’ll be compiling a report including all users complaints to the relevant bodies to investigate so feel free to join me at: http://btcomplaints.blogspot.com/
After spending countless hours on the phone to BT trying to speak to a human to get my line rental sorted, they cut me off!! not just my call, my service and as a single mother of two who works full time, with elderly parents I find this extremely distressing, I still can’t believe that a company as huge as BT will out right lie to there customers and when they find they are in the wrong they just disconnect you. My next call will be to OFFCOM. But it will have to wait until the morning when i’m at work because……yes that’s right I HAVE NO PHONE SERVICE!!!!!
BT don’t appear to consider how serious the implications are for disconnected phone service, the government do however when they insisted that BT provide phone service when demanded regardless of the cost of doing so but this doesn’t seem to apply when cutting someone off. Quite frankly phone service should be considered a vital service such as water which I believe is far more difficult to cut off for the provider even for non-payment.
I knew I wasn’t alone – pulling teeth, this. I think that since BT “may record calls for training purposes and TO GIVE YOU A BETTER SERVICE”, perhaps we should record conversations to back-up “complaints”. Maybe even publish the recordings online. BT might (I say MIGHT) THEN pay attention.
I understand that BT are being taken to court over their Payment Processing Fees for those of us who object to being bullied into using Direct Debit. Can anyone shed any light on the progress of this case please, as I have an ongoing dispute over this matter. I eventually wrote to Sir Michael Rake (Chairman) personally but of course received nothing in reply except another bill for the accumulated fees I have consitently refused to pay. I’ll stick to my guns though and persist in deducting these fees as I pay each bill, but I would be interested to hear others experience in this respect.