BT Not Accepting MAC Code

Hi all, I wonder if anyone can give me any advice on how to get round this problem I have signing up to BT Infinity. My current ISP is O2 (or Sky as it now), just over two weeks ago I signed up to BT Infinity on the BT website - at that point I did not have a MAC code though BT said that was not a problem and I could subsequently add it to the order later. I then called O2 who said they would send out my MAC code by email which they did the following day - the email stated that there would be a charge if used within seven days. I checked with BT who said "no problem - just add it to your order next week".

Next week came and I duly entered the MAC on the order form on the BT website except all that would happen was the MAC code field would just blank itself out after clicking the Continue button. Time to ring BT I thought, "we'll enter it for you" - only problem was they had the same issue "Never mind - this happens from time to time, I'll put you through to our Exceptions team" Unfortunately they still couldn't get their system to accept it so they then decided it must be an invalid code.

Back to O2 who couldn't see why it was not accepted so I asked if they could issue another - they did and it came the next day. So I went to my order on BT website and yes you guessed it the same problem occurred, I rang them up and again BT staff could not get their system to accept the code - "Its O2 giving out bad MAC codes - contact them for another one" was the reply. So I did and a helpful chap followed it up and he also contacted BT Openreach who confirmed to him that the MAC code was valid and he couldn't see any reason why BT Retail could not accept it on their system!!

Called BT again where I suggested they contact Openreach "Oh I can't do that - it's definitely an O2 problem". At this point I am close to tearing my hair out - can anyone suggest how to get round this issue?

Many thanks

In reply to a post by JDF101:

... so they then decided it must be an invalid code.

Back to O2 who couldn't see why it was not accepted so I asked if they could issue another - they did and it came the next day.

No, they didn't. They couldn't get one to issue unless either:

- the 30-day validity of the first one had expired;
- the first one had been submiitted to Openreach with a migration order.

The Openreach system issues the MACs in the first place and their system will not issue another until one of the two conditions above arises.

(Have you checked they aren't the same?)

If you are typing in or reading out the MACs, are you sure you have all O versus 0 correct? If you are copy and pasting from an email then make sure you have no leading or trailing spaces in the box before you submit it.

As for a way forward, if the first order does exist, but with no MAC, get it deleted. Then start again with whatever the current online offer and cashback is.

Thanks for replying Roberto, quite right there has not been 30 days since the original MAC was issued and other than submitting the MAC to BT no other migration order from myself would have been submitted to Openreach (though I did wonder whether it would be accepted by a different ISP if I tried). In answer to your question (have I checked whether they were the same?) no - actually I hadn't though I did think they were similar at the time - I've checked the emails sent and yes they ARE the same (although when the second email was sent the expiry date has now changed to a later date).

There was only one 0 in the code (definitely 0 and not O). I will look to getting the first order deleted and trying again tomorrow - I'll let you know if I get any further.

many thanks

In reply to a post by JDF101:

the email stated that there would be a charge if used within seven days.

Although this is not relevant to your basic question, I will make one small clarification!

O2's "7 days" is NOT between receiving the MAC & then giving it to another ISP - it is between receiving the MAC & the actual date of transfer. In other words, you can pass the MAC onto an ISP at any time, as long as the transfer is more than 7 days from the MAC issue!

As I said, this does NOT have anything to do with your question, but this is an issue that has caused quite a lot of confusion in the past!

I would like to add to this thread that I am sure O2 are creating invalid MAC Keys, on purpose or otherwise.

Since the O2 announcement of sell-off, not one day (literally) has gone by when we have not received an order from an O2/Be customer, where the MAC Key supplied in invalid or does not match the PSTN number it's raised against.

We even have 2-3 customers, who have now been given invalid MAC Key for 3 months running, with one just deciding to cease his line and reorder a new service with us.

That's bad! Case for OFCOM?

were you fully unbundled before ? Sky or TT take people on without MACs at all, so if BT were able to start an order without one I wonder if they need one anyway.

It may be possible if they invoke a lost/missing tag procedure, i.e. how to cope with a broadband provider that is not following by the rules and trying to hang onto a line against the rules.

From what has been said, sounds more like a call centre where people are aware their jobs have a limited lifetime, so maybe don't care anymore.

I had same problem when I left BE(o2) Back in April

BT Retail would not get the MAC to work BE cust serv checked it said it 1 issued

In the end I had yo cancel my BT order , BE then did a cease on my line and after 24hrs I was able to reorder with BT

I was only 2 days without net as BT put me on ADSL till fibre was ready

Just to say that this experience is not universal; the MAC code issued to me by O2 and used with BT Infinity worked for me.

In reply to a post by yarwell:

were you fully unbundled before ? Sky or TT take people on without MACs at all,

Because the procedure when taking a line from WLR/SMPF to LLU MPF is different. Quite a few (BTW) ISPs get in a tangle over that and charge the leaving customer a cease fee, as they see an ADSL cease for it, even though (normally) Openreach do not charge the losing ISP.

... so if BT were able to start an order without one I wonder if they need one anyway.

That's quite common. PlusNet and several of the resellers do it. It enables punters to get ISP and cashback offers that are expiring, but the order is not placed on Openreach by the ISP until the MAC is produced.

I ordered infinity 1, BT also installed a fibre phone there which I didn't know about.
BT does not need a MAC number if this is installed, because you are on a different phone system, and cant have adsl as there is no wire connection if you are put on
FTTP.

Sounds like you are on FTTP, rather than the more common FTTC

So presume your phone is plugged into Tel1 socket on the openreach modem

Is a MAC required for FTTC / WLR takeover of an LLU line ? There are diagrams of all these processes but I can't find the relevant one. It's not required for SLU returning to BT but that's more of an oddity.

.... found the spreadsheet. No MAC required.

OTA2 doc states "Do not advise the customer to acquire a MAC to migrate
service when they have an MPF - based service – No MAC
required for any migrations to/from MPF"

Is a MAC required for FTTC / WLR takeover of an LLU line ?

MPF no. SMPF yes. The case in point appears to be MPF.

(I know you get this right later in the post, but someone without knowledge could get confused).

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

It may be possible if they invoke a lost/missing tag procedure, i.e. how to cope with a broadband provider that is not following by the rules and trying to hang onto a line against the rules.

From what has been said, sounds more like a call centre where people are aware their jobs have a limited lifetime, so maybe don't care anymore.

Does the price of the acquisition of O2 Broadband by Sky depend on the actual number of users/subscribers? If it does, the higher the number the more O2 will get in the transaction.

I had exactly the same problem when I moved from O2 to BT in March. BT's online system would not accept the MAC. I spent the whole of the following morning on the phone backwards and forwards between O2 and BT! BT's Indian call centre is a nightmare, and the occasional conversation with their UK one wasn't much better. The MAC non-acceptance is a BT problem, which they obviously haven't sorted since I had the problem 3 months ago.

RobertoS is exactly right. There was nothing wrong with the O2 MAC. It was issued by BT Openreach anyway, nothing to do with O2. O2's handling process is automatic, nobody transcribes it manually. Whilst valid (30 days), the Openreach system will not issue another.

Eventually BT's UK call centre sorted the order, but not before they had given me an 'engineer install' date which was nothing of the sort. It came and went and nothing happened. But their Indian call centre told me it was showing as having been installed! Even more wasted hours on the phone to BT. Eventually BT's UK call centres sorted it, but not before I had threatened to cancel the order, and this time the engineer installed it on the agreed day,

In reply to a post by johnb2008:

RobertoS is exactly right. There was nothing wrong with the O2 MAC. It was issued by BT Openreach anyway, nothing to do with O2. O2's handling process is automatic, nobody transcribes it manually. Whilst valid (30 days), the Openreach system will not issue another.

But a member of staff from an ISP has told us he sees invalid MACs supplied by O2 customers wanting to leave O2 every single day.

I wonder if it is a pre-existing Sky system issuing the O2 MACs now, not an O2 one.

They must have had one, to use for their own non-LLU customers. If they are using that, and haven't modified it for O2 customers, then that could be the problem!

LLU MACs (as in O2/BE and Sky SMPF) are a different format from BTW MACs.

Sky's system obviously works for their own customers, but if they have ported over the O2 Broadband and Home Phone customers as if they were non-LLU instead of their actual SMPF LLU, maybe it could issue such customers with invalid MACs.

Then of course there are some O2 WLR/BTW customers.

That does assume a corresponding flaw in the Openreach system, as it should be that which decides the type of MAC to issue.

We need to be finding out exactly what O2 products the ones with incorrect MACs have, and the same for MACs that work.

Edited by RobertoS (Tue 30-Jul-13 00:38:16)

Interested in this thread...
I'm an O2 LLU broadband customer (been with BE ever since they enabled my exchange and then moved over to O2 for discount), but have always kept the phone service with BT retail. Will be moving over to BT Infinity as soon as Openreach decide to turn my cabinet on, so fingers crossed O2 generate the correct MAC for my SMPF line when the time comes!

Well after a numerous calls to BT & O2, BT have finally accepted the order though the actual switch over does not take place for some weeks yet. For information the O2 product I have (or had) is O2 Home Broadband Ultimate but my phone service was always with BT. Many thanks for the help!

I Have just moved to BT Infinity from O2 LLU BB with BT Retail phone line. MAC generated within minutes (less than 60 if IRC) and had no problems what so ever. Now running at 37.75down 8.5 up couldnt be happier.

Only stumbling ground was the Sainsbury gift card and getting my old Madasafish email to be able to send through the BT (Yahoo?) network, which were easily sorted.

I too had problems with my Be issued MAC. I ordered Infinity before requesting the MAC but after I received the MAC, I found I couldn't get the BT system to accept it. The call centre said the system must be at fault and to try later, which I did and for a couple of days after, but in the end, BT cancelled the order and got me to re-order and the MAC was accepted first time.

I am pondering whether O2 are giving out MACs that they have already issued in order to migrate punters to Sky.

In reply to a post by partial:

I am pondering whether O2 are giving out MACs that they have already issued in order to migrate punters to Sky.

Def something odd going on at O2/sky they keep piling pressure to switch early, a query I had last week with tech was 'switch to Sky and the problem will go', er i don't think so. Turned out not to be a prob, buts that what they said, 2 diff techs.

I wanted to share my experience on this oldish post as it was the most useful that came up when searching for "BT MAC not accepted".

I am with BE / Sky and asked for my MAC earlier today and was given it verbally - first time incorrectly (an 'I' mistaken for a '1'), second time 'correctly' - but the automated BT system wouldn't accept it. So I tried calling BT with it, who I guess have the same system as the automated one, and it still wouldn't work. I was left wondering what on Earth I was going to do, since BT would probably keep declining it and BE/Sky wouldn't be able to give me any other information than appeared on their screens. So I thought I'd wait for my automated email from BE / Sky with the MAC and take it from there.

An hour later the email arrives. The first part of the MAC is the same as I was given. The second part after the /, that is the AB12C part, was different. Weird. I tried the 'new' MAC. Accepted by BT.

Something must be up with the information being shown on CS screens at Sky and what the system actually emails out. Indeed it may be the case that operators shouldn't give out the MAC verbally and should ask customers to wait for the email, as this is perhaps the 'official' information. Or some other variant of this.

In any case, my experience tells me that it's worth waiting for the official email as what you'll get told over the phone may not be accurate. In my case, that's the story. Hope this helps someone.