Sharp practices I wonder ?

My friend and neighbour has been on BT broadband (2 mbit) for some years, with one of these silver and grey BT hubs etc. The wireless part of this thing is performing very badly. Only on RF channels one and two, can you get anything, via the wireless and then the computers have to be next to the hub. Going in the next room gives nothing at all.

Anyway in desperation he asked me to take a look, (he also had other Windows problems) and I suspected a fault with the hub. So we rang BT support and after being passed from pillar to post we finally got to talk to someone. Then they simply told me (I was speaking to them on his behalf) that unless he upgraded his connection to ADSL MAX (for free) they could not do anything to help. However the upgrade requires him...

(something I knew, not something they readily told me, but which they admitted when challenged)

...to stay for another 12 months (or was it 18 months ?) so, I suggested to them that if they wanted any hope of keeping his business, they sort out his current problems first, or advise him what to do, if he needed to buy a hub of his own. I asked then, to speak to a supervisor, and was on hold for even longer. Eventually after some irritating discussion on the 'phone with the supervisor, and a total refusal on our part to upgrade my friend's service, the advisor agreed to send out a new hub.

It never arrived.

BT, this kind of practice (making service conditional on upgrading and extending the contract) is UTTERLY APPALLING and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

My neighbour is now using his connection via ethernet, and pondering who to migrate to.

Mind you, nearly all IPS stink, and it is a case of him getting the best of a really bad lot.

He is a Sky TV sub, so I suggest he goes there. Cheap, but very cheerful.

Cable is not a option here. Such a pity really.

I see his / your pain. Can I ask exactly what the problem is in regards to upgrading to ADSL Max ? - your neighbour would get a free brand new hub which should cure his wireless issues. He may also get a hub phone & BT Vision free too if he's lucky. You may well quote the 12 / 18 month lock in - but you don't get owt for nowt these days.

I doubt that they have any of the old hubs to give out and can only send out a new home hub if he upgrades to Max - it sounds like they didn't explain it very well.

Edited by deleted (Wed 04-Jul-07 10:46:48)

If the router is a few years old im not suprised they did not replace it free. With in a year yes but not years old. No other ISP would replace it after that time.

As for not sending the agreed repacement out ... Im not suprised I waited 2 weeks for a replacement hub phone and that was only after 6 calls to them,

You can use ANY adsl router your you like, don't have to get one off BT.

"You may well quote the 12 / 18 month lock in - but you don't get owt for nowt these days. "

are you mad ?? . locked into a 18 month contract for the sake of a cheap router

go buy a descent router for about

I have a voyager 2110 and its far from [censored] paid

Did you actually read my post ? - you not only get a wireless, VOIP home hub (decent kit in my opinion) you get a hub phone & BT Vision (worth hundreds). Go back, read my post again and then think before you start being personal.

Oh, and his broadband will be afaster too !!!.

Edited by deleted (Wed 04-Jul-07 11:14:48)

Hey hold the phone ffs ...........i never got free bt vision lol. Webber where did you hear that one

In reply to:

---

"Can I ask exactly what the problem is in regards to upgrading to ADSL Max ?"

---

Well, he only uses it for a bit of web browsing and email, and therefore doesn't really need 8meg. He doesn't want BT vision and doesn't want any further lockins.

I understood that the hub was part of the service he was paying for ? If that's the case they are obliged to maintain it surely ?

Not only that he has some kind of associated phone (hub phone ?) which is part of the service, and that doesn't work either. Presumably because of the faulty wireless. That doesn't bother him too much.


If they had simply said: "You need to buy a new hub" or whatever, fair enough, but they didn't, they eventually said, after much argument, one would be delivered within a day or two.

Not only that, our initial request for advice and support, was denied, unless he agreed to upgrade his PAID FOR service, which really isn't on is it ?

Edited by shaunhw (Wed 04-Jul-07 11:19:29)