Gaaaaaaaaah! BT Frustrations.

I'm at my wits end. I've been unable to get a phone line "Detagged" so I can order ADSL for about 6 months now.

A little history.

About 6 months ago, we moved into a building where the previous occupant had gone into liquidation. To make things happen quickly we kept the existing numbers and signed a new contract with BT for the line.

We tried to order ADSL on said line, and was told it was currently active with another supplier. After a month of too-ing and fro-ing involving all parties being put in touch with the liquidators of the previous tennants, we finally had a conversation that ended up with the old ADSL supplier agreeing to release the line.

The old supplier is now adamant that there is no ADSL service supplied by them on the line. However each attempt to order ADSL on the line is rejected because the line is "Tagged".

I've spent hour after hour, week after week and month after month listening to BT saying that they can do nothing about it, it's BT Wholesales responsibility and we need to contact our old supplier (even tho it isn't OUR old supplier) and ask them to release the line.

I am now ready to start shooting people. There must be some procedure at BT whereby this can be resolved without me resorting to violence. There must be a procedure where a CS representative can say "Yes I can see the system is incorrect and you have been going round and round for months, I'll escalate this issue for you and ask someone to correct the appropriate database". Simply saying "We can't do anything, it's BT Wholesale" for 5 months quite simply is unacceptable.

Does anyone have any suggestions that doesn't involve a baseball bat?

It's down to your chosen new provider to sort out.

There is a BT Openreach Tag Removal Team available to all ISPs, specifically for this situation. There used to be one for the public but it got withdrawn as part of improving service to the public.

BT is not the best broadband around anyway. I gather you want a true business connection though, or would something like the offerings from IDNet or Zen be suitable?

Best ISP for getting problems sorted is reputed to be AAISP. What their true business connection prices are like I don't know, as the domestic ones on the website are priced to keep non-business users almost completely out of peak times but provide far better than average off-peak.

Shooting people with a baseball bat is only pretend. To vent your frustration you would need a gun or hit them on the head with the bat.

On the other hand if any of my suggestions prove helpful, the baseball bat could be applied elswhere to BT, where a gun may catch.

Sorry thats not the correct information, it's not down to you to contact the old provider at all (in fact the old provider should not even talk to you due to data protection)
When you try to place an order for ADSL, if the order rejects due to a TAG on the line your ISP should contact the TAGS team to find out the full information (sometimes it's more than just a TAG) and if just a TAG issue request the TAG be removed.

Not difficult at all if a simple TAG issue, we do it all the time.

Write to your MP, seriously. I did this many years ago to get a connection (different circumstances) and surprise surprise things starting moving very quickly.

Hi Jaowon

I have just seen your post and would like to look into this for you, If it is BT broadband that you are looking to order I should be able to check your line and arrange for any tag to be removed when placing the order. Please check out my profile section were you will find my contact details, If you send your account number and a link to this post I will gladly look into this for you.

Regards David