BT ceased line in error and won't repay charges

BT ceased my phone line in error (they have admitted it was an error) and I incurred disconnection and re-connection charges from my broadband supplier. Now BT are saying that they won't repay the charges that I incurred, and they even tried to charge me their own disconnection charge. Has anyone else had the same experience.

I had a complete nightmare with BT which endured for a couple of months and still wasn't being resolved effectively. My final resort was an e-mail to the CEO: It was then dealt with at the level of priority which was appropriate.

Formal complaint then ADR.

Hi monsieur_goat,

I can look into this, so if you want send over your details via the web form below and I'll be able to look into this for you:

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/contact_email/c/4950

All the best,

Stephanie
BT Support

Stephanie, thanks for the offer to use your webform. However, over the past few weeks I have used enough of BT's webforms and got nowhere. So here is a more complete description of what BT did to me ...

A few weeks ago I received an email from BT thanking me for �my order� and saying my line would be ceased in 2 days time. I had never placed an order and called them immediately to ask what was happening. Due to a family bereavement I had to work from home the following week and the last thing I needed was problems with phone and broadband. I was told not to worry and that the order simply related to a property at which we used to live.

Despite the assurances I had received, my line was disconnected two days later and with it went my broadband, which comes from another supplier (we�re on a Market 1 exchange and BT don�t offer a suitable service) who immediately passed on to me the charges they had received from Openreach for the disconnection.

I spent the majority of the next three days attempting to get BT to recognise that they had disconnected me and I needed re-connecting (I had a funeral to organise!) and had to take leave from work as I didn�t have sufficient holiday allowance. BT reconnected my phone in 3 days but offered no assistance with sorting out my broadband.

I was repeatedly told by BT that if I took �broadband from BT� I would be reconnected more quickly. To be honest, I am deeply suspicious that BT were deliberately slowing the process to force me to take their broadband. I was told numerous times that I would be without broadband for 10 days unless I took BT broadband. Remember, it was BT who ceased my line in the first � can you think of a better definition of pressure selling?

I was also informed at the time by residentialservices at BT that they would cover any costs resulting from the disconnection. However, today I have been told that they will not pay any costs, not even the charges for the disconnection and re-connection of my broadband. The only thing that they have said they will pay is the cost for the early-disconnection of my phone line that they had unbelievably added to my most recent phone bill.

I have incurred hundreds of pounds of costs as a result of BT�s mistake and they caused complete chaos at deeply traumatic time for my family. They have admitted that they made a mistake and that their mistake has cost be hundreds of pounds. But they won�t repay me.

In reply to a post by monsieur_goat:

Stephanie, thanks for the offer to use your webform. However, over the past few weeks I have used enough of BT's webforms and got nowhere. So here is a more complete description of what BT did to me ...

A few weeks ago I received an email from BT thanking me for �my order� and saying my line would be ceased in 2 days time. I had never placed an order and called them immediately to ask what was happening. Due to a family bereavement I had to work from home the following week and the last thing I needed was problems with phone and broadband. I was told not to worry and that the order simply related to a property at which we used to live.

Despite the assurances I had received, my line was disconnected two days later and with it went my broadband, which comes from another supplier (we�re on a Market 1 exchange and BT don�t offer a suitable service) who immediately passed on to me the charges they had received from Openreach for the disconnection.

I spent the majority of the next three days attempting to get BT to recognise that they had disconnected me and I needed re-connecting (I had a funeral to organise!) and had to take leave from work as I didn�t have sufficient holiday allowance. BT reconnected my phone in 3 days but offered no assistance with sorting out my broadband.

I was repeatedly told by BT that if I took �broadband from BT� I would be reconnected more quickly. To be honest, I am deeply suspicious that BT were deliberately slowing the process to force me to take their broadband. I was told numerous times that I would be without broadband for 10 days unless I took BT broadband. Remember, it was BT who ceased my line in the first � can you think of a better definition of pressure selling?

I was also informed at the time by residentialservices at BT that they would cover any costs resulting from the disconnection. However, today I have been told that they will not pay any costs, not even the charges for the disconnection and re-connection of my broadband. The only thing that they have said they will pay is the cost for the early-disconnection of my phone line that they had unbelievably added to my most recent phone bill.

I have incurred hundreds of pounds of costs as a result of BT�s mistake and they caused complete chaos at deeply traumatic time for my family. They have admitted that they made a mistake and that their mistake has cost be hundreds of pounds. But they won�t repay me.

E-mail or send at formal letter of complaint to their CEO , or register your claim in the small claims court ,sue them for damages the adsl cease fee and re connection/set up fee, plus reasonable expenses for your time in getting this sorted out,

Neither she, nor any other BT_Care rep here, can help you without the phone number and username requested on the form, unless you also PM them with that info and include a link to your post.

In reply to a post by tommy45:

Tommy?

Why do you always quote the whole of a post you are replying to?

OK, with a short post it doesn't matter, but when it's a big one it's a pain. We've all read the original. If you only want to make it even clearer who you are replying to than is already clear from the links in your post header when you use the normal Reply button instead of the Quote one, how about doing what I've done here to illustrate? I.e. quote but delete the entire content.

Please?

I agree! It's not like he's making a specific point on a particular part of the post.

My arm's aching from scrolling down all that way .

@ Tommy: Please resist doing it.

Good to see BT are reading posts and offering support. Shame though that it needs Media intervention for BT and other ISPs to respond to customers. As viewed regularly here.

A similar thing happened to me.

I have two phone lines, one with StalkStalk Residential, and one with Business. (opal, at the time)

I contacted Sky to change over the Residential line to them. They (or their agents), cut off the business line.

Made sky pay the reconnection fee that Opal charged me, and 4 months free Sky package as recompense. (and i still didn't sign with them or xfer as it was all too much trouble at that point).

i threatened to take them to small claims, (and i would have), its so easy for you to do so, and so much more difficult for them to defend it. (let alone the costs involved). much easier for them to just recompense you.

go for it. you will find the law completely on your side.

There seems little point in registering a new incident with BT care. The link simply takes me to the same page where I have been invited to report the incident before. Therefore I have sent a personal message with the incident details to BT care.

I presume I will receive another call from the BT team who are experts in deterring people from pursuing claims. One of the excuses the team used yesterday to deter me was by claiming that under the terms of an agreement BT has with OFCOM, they do not need to refund me for the broadband disconnection and re-connection charges I received as a result of BT ceasing my line in error. I pointed out that this contradicted written communications I had previously received from BT and asked where I could read the terms of this agreement between between BT and OFCOM. "Oh, it's not in writing"

In reply to a post by monsieur_goat:

The link simply takes me to the same page where I have been invited to report the incident before.

No, BT Care's link takes you to a form specifically intended for issues raised on forums such as this where he has become personally involved. Where you reported before was a similar link but for the general public.

Don't buy their bull excrement , use the high level complaint's by contacting the CEO the e-mail is [email protected] you complaint will get passed to the correct department who will deal with this,quicker than the normal channels, with a grater chance of it getting resolved to your satisfaction , than if you ware away your patience dealing with the inept bt support ,
You could alternately contact BBC watchdog, they i'm sure would like to hear about the blundering BT who even after admitting that they where responsible still are trying to duck out of reimbursing you fully for their blundering and ineptness

Edited by tommy45 (Sat 14-Jul-12 14:43:01)

Hello, M. le Goat,
I had something similar with o2. I had 4 mornings off work for them - via BT - to fix a BB fault. Each time they said "It's fixed, guv" but the fault returned. I said to o2 that this was unacceptable and that I would be leaving. They offered 6 months free BB, but I reminded them that, as BB did not work, their offer was hollow. To get to the point, I asked them for compensation for my lost earnings - they said no, quoting T&C. I responded to that by re-quoting their T&C, telling them that I would be taking their CEO - quoted his name and company address - to the small claims court at Bow. Within three days I got a letter from them asking me to provide proof of loss-of-earnings and they would reimburse me. This I did, and they sent me a cheque for £128.00. The point I'm making is that when a company knows that they've behaved inappropriately, they WILL cough up to avoid the consequences. Be firm with them. Cheers, Les.

Hi monsieur_goat

I appreciate you may have been in contact previously and things haven???t been sorted however if you contact me I can assure you I will do all I can to get your issues sorted out.

Regards David

In reply to a post by BT_Care:

Hi monsieur_goat

I appreciate you may have been in contact previously and things haven???t been sorted however if you contact me I can assure you I will do all I can to get your issues sorted out.

Regards David

An olive branch is being offered here and, unless actioned on in goodwill there is no knowing what result would have or maybe..

In reply to a post by monsieur_goat:

... Therefore I have sent a personal message with the incident details to BT care.

Do you mean a PM on these forums, or somewhere else? It looks from today's post by David of BT_Care they haven't seen it?

How should I contact you? I sent a personal message over the weekend but have not heard anything back

In reply to a post by BT_Care:

Hi monsieur_goat

I appreciate you may have been in contact previously and things haven???t been sorted however if you contact me I can assure you I will do all I can to get your issues sorted out.

Regards David

Well BT Care are you trying to sweep this under carpet or assist as per note. Poor show if former.

Hofully if he is based in the UK you may get somewhere. My experience of Indian call centres is they are a waste of space and yoou cannot resolve anything with them and they refuse to escalate an issue..

It is also better to deal with these sort of issues by email or letter. They don't like that but you are legaly entittled to do so and it gives you a proper audit record should you need to take it to the small claims court. Usually with BT they ignore you untill you serve the small claims court papers on them once you do that they start to pay attention. You need to take it through BT;s formal complaints procedure first though and that can be a major challange

Hi monsieur_goat

I have checked and I don???t seem to have received any messages from you, if you could send me your details via http://bt.custhelp.com/app/contact_email/c/4950 I will look into this for you

Regards David

Here's a little update ... BT have made a derisory offer of £20 compensation for the inconvenience caused by their error. Their actions meant that I incurred hundreds of pounds of costs including broadband disconnection and reconnection charges. They originally said they would pay them. But now they are only offering me £20 in the hope that I will go away.

Absolutely disgusting!

Go to the Executive Level complaints channel as described ([email protected]).

If that fails, lodge a small claims court case, there is no excuse or reasonable explanation to their behaviour!

Matt

There's no "e" at the end of livingston. That address won't go anywhere. (Unless they have also allocated the wrong one and redirected it, just in case).

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 02-Aug-12 18:35:34)

Email the CEO, Ian Livingston and include your full details including account holders name, account number, telephone number (With STD) and if possible, a mobile number.
Whenever I've had serious problems with BT, a single email with a description of the problem has always got their immediate attention which has in turn resulted in a swift resolution and satisfactory outcome.

I got no satisfaction even after contacting Ian Livingston following the lies told me when cancelling my landline & broadband with BT. A brief summary.

After many years of using their service and, due to the distance from the exchange, suffering a low broadband speed decided to move to Virgin cable taking my landline number with me.

Monday 15th I get a voice txt from bt asking me to phone (0800 587 7214) regarding any termination charges to my account (0800 587 7214). The lady told me I was out of contract and no charges were due. She also confirmed my account detail and the date my services with bt would end.

Wednesday 17th a letter arrives stating they are charging a £30 `broadband disconnection fee`. I again phoned the number and this time was told the woman on monday was wrong and its in the online t&c`s you agree to by using our services. I eventually found them but once again said I was not told this during the conversation on monday. The BT rep also said it was my fault for not requesting a mac code. Err that would be pointless as im moving to cable and its not through your exchance.

Contacting the ceo got the reply that the call on monday would only be relating to any cancellation charges due on my contract and the £30 charge is in the t&c`s. I responded stating that the voice txt stated Termination charges NOT contract cancellation but received the same response again saying its in the t&c`s.

Looks like I have no option but to pay for the privilege of leaving BT. As for their constsnt `We hope youll come back to BT soon` not till hell freezes over

You were charged the Openreach line disconnection fee. This applies whenever no MAC for transfer of service to a new ISP was used. You moved to cable so no MAC = fee charged. It will be in the contract somewhere for sure.

Yes, buried deep within theri online t&c`s among the 6000+ word which we are supposed to read every time they decide to make a change in their favour. Where BT fall down is not stating this when you are asked to call them regarding termination charges. The excuse given was that call only relates to any charges for terminating the contract early (Yet I was years out of the minimum contract!) so wonder why I ot the txt in the first place.

By the way, I guess all you BT users got your email stating that both their `free` webspace and BT talk services are being stopped.