BT’s breakdown service keeps users off the cyber highway

From: Mrs Margaret Gardner, Yeadon, Leeds.

IN response to the letter from MP Fitzgerald (Yorkshire Post, October 22) I have found similar non-service from BT for the £60+ I pay out each month for broadband – giving me Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, BT Sports 1 and BT Sports 2 and the internet.

June 1. A BT engineer (Jamie) came to “revamp” the system as the phone flashed but didn’t ring continuously. It was sorted. Then early August I had “problems with your broadband” caption etc on the screen and a mottled picture on Sky Sports 1 and 2 and BT Sports 1 and 2 and no broadband for my computer. I was on holiday and back 
and forth from home until August 23. I rang BT. I spoke to a technician for one hour (tests) and again on 24, 25, 26. One hour each time on tests. An engineer was arranged.

August 28. Engineer mended broadband for a week.

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September 6. No broadband. Rang technician. One hour tests again.

September 11. Engineer Russell mended broadband fault in exchange and replaced hub. He said it was not my fault.

September 19. No broadband – problem caption on screen. Rang the faults line and one hour tests again. A fault was found at the exchange.

September 25. The first engineer came back and said he could mend it but something was causing broadband to leak out. He gave me his ID number and mobile telephone number. I asked him to tell the technicians what he had found. He mended it for two weeks.

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October 9. No broadband. I tried to get the technicians to speak to the engineer but that was not on their script! One hour of tests. I was told: “Please wait 48 hours for tests to be completed. We will ring back.”

October 11. No phone call. I rang again. He asked me to find a sharp object – like scissors and put it in the re-set hole at the back of the hub. The upshot was he said I needed a new hub. I explained that Russell had replaced the hub on September 11. He passed me on to 
another person who said the 
hub would cost me £6 but he would look at my tariff and 
get it cheaper. I agreed. I had 
no idea a tariff was a contract. Silly me!

October 16. New hub arrived. I had to ask my brother-in-law for a favour, and he installed the hub. I couldn’t do it. Silly me!

October 18. Set up hub and it worked again for a few days.

October 21-24. Broadband warning caption on TV again 
but internet working on computer and sometimes Sky Sports 2 is okay.

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October 25. I asked that my contract be cancelled as BT were not fulfilling their obligations to me. The technician said it would cost me £200+.

October 26. Having been passed on to four operatives I agreed to give up receiving broadband, i.e. no Sky Sports or internet and keep my phone line but pay no forfeit.

BT are unable to provide a service for me.

I am weary of the waste of time and anxiety. No internet for me.

From: K Atkinson, Gale Lane, Acomb, York.

I, LIKE MP Fitzgerald, also take exception to the service from BT (Yorkshire Post, October 22).

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This is an adaptation of the letter I sent to them back in June.

Friday June 21. Rang 0800 800 150 number to speak to someone concerning the amount of billed time on my telephone.

I had great difficulty in getting any sense from people who staff this number.

Callers are put on a merry-go-round to nowhere.

I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor but was told one was not available.

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It was agreed that they would ring me back within two hours but this did not happen.

Later a message was left by a totally incoherent individual.

Monday June 24. Tried once more to get some sense from BT on the 0800 number but to no avail. This department is no use to man or beast.

The staff appear illiterate and unfortunately do not seem to have a command of basic English and have no concept of the information that the callers are trying to convey.

Is this a conspiracy by BT to deter people from complaining so they can claim to have very low complaint numbers?

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