BT Infinitely Useless
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BT Infinitely Useless
Having been a relatively happy PlusNet customer over the years, I foolishly decided last month to upgrade to BT Infinity plus their TV package (we were fed up of paying Sky's increasingly silly fees). Yes, I know I am still indirectly subsidising Britain's grossly overpaid footballers....
The original engineer's appointment was on October 4th. Not only did they fail to make the broadband work (and therefore the TV install never started), but they have managed to cut off the PlusNet ADSL connection.
Two other engineers' visits have failed to solve the problem. What really amazes me is that BT cannot explain what the outstanding issue is. I have been assured that hub and router (both of which have been test replaced) are working satisfactorily. They clearly lack BOAC's knowledge of the technology.
So, if you are thinking of migrating to BT Infinity, go and take a cold shower, or open a cold beer, or both!
The original engineer's appointment was on October 4th. Not only did they fail to make the broadband work (and therefore the TV install never started), but they have managed to cut off the PlusNet ADSL connection.
Two other engineers' visits have failed to solve the problem. What really amazes me is that BT cannot explain what the outstanding issue is. I have been assured that hub and router (both of which have been test replaced) are working satisfactorily. They clearly lack BOAC's knowledge of the technology.
So, if you are thinking of migrating to BT Infinity, go and take a cold shower, or open a cold beer, or both!
My infinity is fine too but there are some things to be wary of.
1 It is not really reliable enough for TV compared to say Sky, by this I mean that while I get 75Mbs on my LAB connected PC my wife's WIFI connected PC never gets more than 25 and that can be very variable.
2. A lot of BT engineers-they are only technicians not engineers as in professional engineers, do not work for BT but are contractors and they do not know much more than how to putt he connection together in your home-if there is a problem they cannot help.
3 BT Customer service in India is worse than useless - find an email address for executive level complaints-they have usually helped me.
Finally good luck its not a bad product when it gets going but BTs support is pretty poor
1 It is not really reliable enough for TV compared to say Sky, by this I mean that while I get 75Mbs on my LAB connected PC my wife's WIFI connected PC never gets more than 25 and that can be very variable.
2. A lot of BT engineers-they are only technicians not engineers as in professional engineers, do not work for BT but are contractors and they do not know much more than how to putt he connection together in your home-if there is a problem they cannot help.
3 BT Customer service in India is worse than useless - find an email address for executive level complaints-they have usually helped me.
Finally good luck its not a bad product when it gets going but BTs support is pretty poor
Write a snail mail personally addressed to either the CEO or the Chairman. That will get your case passed to a better class of problem solver who will stay with your case until it is resolved.
Or, find someone who is employed by BT. (Not a contractor). BT staff and pensionners have access to a better class of problem solver.
The more you can convince them to completely replace stuff like their boxes and cables, the better. (Assuming the engineer knows what s/he is doing)
The "Engineers" they send out are, er, variable.
Or, find someone who is employed by BT. (Not a contractor). BT staff and pensionners have access to a better class of problem solver.
The more you can convince them to completely replace stuff like their boxes and cables, the better. (Assuming the engineer knows what s/he is doing)
The "Engineers" they send out are, er, variable.
Thread Starter
I emailed the CEO of BT Retail last week, and to give him credit, he came back to me within 2 hours, so I was upgraded to an executive level problem solver. That has speeded things up - hardly. Phone call today from some nice help centre in Scotland rather than Mumbai, to say that the Engineers' "Centre of Excellence" (sic) want to visit the house - but not till next Weds - you could not make it up!
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They clearly lack BOAC's knowledge of the technology
Good advice from AO - the address for the new CEO is [email protected] - as yet untried in answering complaints, but the 'outgone' Ian Livingston who was quite outstanding in that respect is thought to be monitoring all such complaints until the end of the month. Might be worth copying your email to him at [email protected]
Don't give up! BTOR are a shambles. No1 son moved to the Borders a year ago and had a line fault (voice/dialling). Lots of nice chats with morons in Asia and 17 visits from engineers, each one reporting it was an exchange fault and the next one coming to investigate a house fault. Remember they are being 'trusted' to implement our UK broadband plan too............................
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Thanks BOAC. I knew Ian L from his previous job at Dixons, so have wanged him an email to him just now. I will keep my Pprune friends updated (when I can get online that is!)
3 BT Customer service in India is worse than useless - find an email address for executive level complaints-they have usually helped me.
Finally good luck its not a bad product when it gets going but BTs support is pretty poor
Finally good luck its not a bad product when it gets going but BTs support is pretty poor
Last week I needed assistance again from BT. Called the CS centre and it sounded like they have now moved to Indonesia/Malaysia, certainly not India but equally certainly not the UK. They promised to call me back that night between 7 and 8pm, I'm still waiting for the call!...........LIE NUMBER 2
Add my experiences to those of friends and family and the bottom line is that BT will lie through their teeth to you via phone and e-mail.
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Might be worth copying your email to him at [email protected]
and
I knew Ian L from his previous job at Dixons, so have wanged him an email to him just now
Mr Livingston has secured himself a cushy job promoting BT's monopolistic interests at the heart of government in Westminster as Minister of State for Trade and Investment.....(plus a £9m goodbye package from BT).
Last edited by mixture; 23rd Oct 2013 at 19:26.
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Keep up old chap !
To quote from the TBB forum: 22/10/2013
RobertoS "IIRC the email address for him is still being directed to the Serious Complaints Team. Till the end of this month I think."
XRaySpeX "Yes, just used it successfully."
Your move.
Last edited by BOAC; 23rd Oct 2013 at 21:20.
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Mixture - I was well aware that IL had moved onwards and upwards, away from the commercial rat race and presumably towards becoming Lord Livingstone (I presume?!). I was merely taking BOAC's lead that IL was taking a distant interest in his former enterprise (or should that be an assembly of buffoons?).
Today's update: visit from superstar engineer promised for Monday. When I pointed out that the last engineer had confirmed that everything within the house was working perfectly, and therefore queried whether a fourth house visit was necessary, all I got was that the next engineer will know more than the last!
Today's update: visit from superstar engineer promised for Monday. When I pointed out that the last engineer had confirmed that everything within the house was working perfectly, and therefore queried whether a fourth house visit was necessary, all I got was that the next engineer will know more than the last!
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Haha, when it comes to incompetence, just try Sky or Virgin Media....they're all as bad as each other
I gave up with the former because they blamed BT for their poor to non-existent service. BT blamed Sky. I put all the eggs in BT's basket so no-one company can blame others.
VM cocked up my son's phone connection when they installed his broadband and TV package and at the same time managed to cut off his neighbour's landline as well. It took all summer to sort that one out. In the meantime the neighbour's phone number was changed twice by VM for reasons no-one at the company can explain; main trouble was they forgot to tell them about it. Because they changed his number, the direct debit (which was still being paid of course) didn't match his new phone number so the accounts dept. cut off the phone! It was doubly inconvenient because the neighbour's wife had just been diagnosed with the dreaded C and the hospital couldn't get in touch with them.
I gave up with the former because they blamed BT for their poor to non-existent service. BT blamed Sky. I put all the eggs in BT's basket so no-one company can blame others.
VM cocked up my son's phone connection when they installed his broadband and TV package and at the same time managed to cut off his neighbour's landline as well. It took all summer to sort that one out. In the meantime the neighbour's phone number was changed twice by VM for reasons no-one at the company can explain; main trouble was they forgot to tell them about it. Because they changed his number, the direct debit (which was still being paid of course) didn't match his new phone number so the accounts dept. cut off the phone! It was doubly inconvenient because the neighbour's wife had just been diagnosed with the dreaded C and the hospital couldn't get in touch with them.
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Don't suppose you know anyone who works there do you? There is an action line that employees can call for situations just like this. There is a team dedicated to resolving issues such as this, which from my experience were quite common.
I no longer work for them so can't help but if you know someone that does then it's an option.
For reference though, as much as they might appear to not give a sh!t they really do so stick with it, they will sort it out. I am now (for the next few days at least) a Virgin Media customer and trust me when I say this, it really doesn't get any worse than these guys.
I no longer work for them so can't help but if you know someone that does then it's an option.
For reference though, as much as they might appear to not give a sh!t they really do so stick with it, they will sort it out. I am now (for the next few days at least) a Virgin Media customer and trust me when I say this, it really doesn't get any worse than these guys.
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BT update: my fourth engineer’s appointment this morning.Jimmie, nice lad, ex Royal Signals. Again unaware of the project’s history.Tried everything, but handicapped by the left hand of BT not knowing what itsright hand is doing. I had a wry smile when he was left hanging on interminablewaits on the helpdesk line. Replaced hub and router, tried two ‘lifts’ whateverthey might be. Net result – still nointernet. Not so much speeding down the information super-highway, as limping along a very muddy track.
I am struggling to retain my sanity……
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Just email the Ian Livingstone email address posted earlier with a suitable rant.
That email address has _never_ been Ian Livingstone's, but is just a forward to the "executive complaints" team (i.e. the "let's make the customer think the CEO IS actually better than useless team) and they've got suitable experts to sort the issue without resorting to the under-trained monkeys.
FYI, the BT Homehub (and Businesshub) is rubbish, and can readily be replaced with better kit, but the Openreach white modem is a great piece of kit.
Please be aware that the performance of your wifi in the house is NOT an indicator of the performance of the broadband connection. Chances are that you have issues or non-optimised environmentals for your wifi which is causing your specific issues. FYI Infinity is perfectly suitable for streaming my Netflix in HD.
That email address has _never_ been Ian Livingstone's, but is just a forward to the "executive complaints" team (i.e. the "let's make the customer think the CEO IS actually better than useless team) and they've got suitable experts to sort the issue without resorting to the under-trained monkeys.
FYI, the BT Homehub (and Businesshub) is rubbish, and can readily be replaced with better kit, but the Openreach white modem is a great piece of kit.
My infinity is fine too but there are some things to be wary of.
1 It is not really reliable enough for TV compared to say Sky, by this I mean that while I get 75Mbs on my LAB connected PC my wife's WIFI connected PC never gets more than 25 and that can be very variable.
1 It is not really reliable enough for TV compared to say Sky, by this I mean that while I get 75Mbs on my LAB connected PC my wife's WIFI connected PC never gets more than 25 and that can be very variable.
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If that's the case, have you considered pointing out to them that they can interrogate the Openreach modem for some interesting and indicative stats which might lead towards a solution?
Also, ask them whether they've performed a "cease and reprovide" on the line yet?
Also, ask them whether they've performed a "cease and reprovide" on the line yet?