More . . . BT Broadband Data Accounting Bingo

[Clunkclick]

For those of you on a fixed data allowance with BT, this  discrepancy, between figures stated on  two linked BT account web pages, might be of interest:-

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/narobs/31470904242/in/dateposted-friend/

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/narobs/30776311014/in/dateposted-friend/

 

 

A  100% differenced

 

The lower figure is stated as of today, while the higher figure is dated 11/12/2016 !

 

Not encouraging ?

 

I only noticed it because I am monitoring my BT Broadband usuage following an unwanted addition to my most recent quarterly bill of an excess charge for data usuage  allegedly above the monthly cap amounting to £120 - effectively doubling the usual bill.

 

Now the subject of a  complaint to BT through the Resolver service and which has escalated to one stage short of Ombudsman referral - mainly because BT are unable or unwilling to supply daily usuage figures which I could then reconcile with my records:-

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/412114-bt-broadband-problem/

 

I wonder how widespread this is ?

 

Anyone else getting this on their BT account ?

 

 

Nick

Edited 13 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Aspman]

I think a lot of people are on unlimited now so probably aren't paying much attention to usage figures.

 

Might be the same on the flipside too. BT expecting everyone to be on unlimited so isn't keeping an eye on their tracking tech.

[Clunkclick]

I think a lot of people are on unlimited now so probably aren't paying much attention to usage figures.

 

Might be the same on the flipside too. BT expecting everyone to be on unlimited so isn't keeping an eye on their tracking tech.

Oh, come off it ! That's such a classic excuse, they even used it in the Father Ted script - "The money was just resting in my account".

 

Saying that the City owned corporates nowadays aren't highly focused on the metrics of their business would be the same as saying that the Syrians aren't familiar with dropping barrel bombs to maximum effect on Eastern Alleppo.

 

They don't miss a trick as regards squeezing the last ounce of juice out of the figurative lemon, whether its through exercising downward pressure on their own costs of operation or ripping-off the consumer for extra revenue. And as far as BT is concerned, they are determined to maintain a substantial return on the investment that the last CEO made in the extension of fibre. 

 

No, if you look on BT's own "Community" fora, since  2010 when the main push for fibre installation began, you'll find it littered with pages of complaints about blatant attempts at overcharging, especilally OAPs and vulnerable people. And, not a word from the Regulator. 

 

But, unfortunately, as you can see from account extracts linked above my usuage pattern doesn't fit their revenue model i.e. on average I'm only using a maximum of 1/2 to 2/3 of the monthly data cap - I am not interested in streamed TV  and can't really afford £40 a month for the privilege. And, BT don't offer an alternative "Cut down" service and the marketing maxim, "If you don't like the service, change the provider" doesn't work as none of the alternative providers are doing so either.

 

So, you're effectively pricing out and cutting off from the coming  digital World a whole group of people.

 

Funny, that the strategising always falls down at that point.

 

Nick 

Edited 13 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[camelspyyder]

BT used to pillage my bank account regularly. I took to paying without a direct debit so I had control again.  The lack of trust between us lost them the phone and broadband deal as soon as the contract ended. and as a result they are on my "never again" list.  Since they now own EE the mobile contracts are on the move too.

[Dean-]

Not sure why anyone wouldn't use an unlimited package these days for home internet.

[gadgetman]

Then go to the ombudsman if you have such a smoking gun and forget the resolver service which has been dragging on for months?

I can't believe how drawn out this has become.

[Mort]

Then go to the ombudsman if you have such a smoking gun and forget the resolver service which has been dragging on for months?

I can't believe how drawn out this has become.

Due process and whatnot.

[GentleGiant]

Its been screwed for at least the whole of this century, but inconsistently; I had exactly the same happen over a long period back in 2004/5 when it would show GBs of use even when the router was switched off and I was overseas.

 

BT will NEVER admit to it, it would probably open them up to losing billions in repayments to overcharged customers.

[Clunkclick]

Not sure why anyone wouldn't use an unlimited package these days for home internet.

Cost, darling. Its another £6 a month.

 

As an OAP, on a fixed income, I have to watch the pennies . . . . etc. . . etc.

 

And, guess what, out of all my utility bills, this is the largest - @£600+ pa it is about one third greater than the next highest.

 

N

Edited 14 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Due process and whatnot.

Obviously, you have never used the Civil Courts process.

 

This is ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution), much, much quicker.

 

N

Edited 14 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

As said, this unresolved issue had, of two weeks ago, taken me, via the Resolver Service, all the way to the Customer Service Department outpost in Pontefract.

 

Just got off the phone this morning with the lady in the customer service department there.( I had previously been told (By her) that this was part of the Chairman's Office (Sir Michael Rake) -  I thought . . .must be a very big intra office megaphone they use . . Pontefract to London EC4. Presumably all done to put the customer in awe of her plenipotentiary powers).

 

She was responding to three simple questions I put to her the first we spoke on the telephone last week:-

 

1. What was my daily Broadband usage (Down+Up) for the three months covered by the bill (July- September) ?

 

2. What was the effective  date as far as my account was concerned when the extra charge (£3  month) took effect - this was for the unilaterally imposed "Service Improvement" by BT - i.e. data download rate raised from 38Mbps to 52Mbps and monthly data cap raised from 40Gb to 45GB a month.

 

3. What was the effective date as far as my account was concerned that the new rate for charging for excess use (Raised from £1.50 - £1.80 per GB)  came into effect.

 

And the answers that came back:-

 

1. We can only access your usuage for the last 31 days - even for a office that purports  to operate on behalf of the Chairman of BT (After I queried).

 

2. Don't know exactly as far as my account was concerned, but in General BT started upgrading the service from January 2016.

 

3. Don't know, might be July again.

 

 

None of the information I requested, to enable me to do the most basic bill reconciliation, was supplied. 

 

I was told that she will be putting BT's final position to me and that, if I'm not content, then BT will issue a deadlock letter.

 

I'm now waiting for a written confirmation to come through the Resolver Service.

 

I have yet to mention the recently noticed discrepancy in data accounting on their web page.

 

In response to a query from me I was also told that as I hadn't renewed the two year contract that I had been party to when I originally transferred to Infinity 1 in 2010, that I was effectively "Off-contract". It wiil be interesting to find out whether this just falls back into some general BT terms and conditions or whether I am truly operating outside contract terms

 

It was also inferred that once the ADR reference to the Ombudsman had been intiated, that independent contact with the CEO and other outside institutions was prohibited - interesting, well unless that's a Statutory requirement bearing a penalty of criminal sanction, then I certainly won't be encumbered by contract . . . time to consult Brown and Marriot on ADR

 

 

The BT of 40 years ago would have resolved an issue like this at local district level with one phone call.

 

Appalling.

 

Aside: A relative decided to take up the BT Infinity package recently (Even though I advised against). No sooner had she been issued with a service start date, than they started telling her that the date was put back. Couldn't get it resolved on the phone, so wrote direct to Gavin Patterson. Spoke yesterday, and the service was up and running within 2 weeks of  her issuing the letter.

 

BT are an organisational and PR disaster as regards the customer.

 

But their money extraction activities probably make them a champion in the City of London. 

 

 

Nick

Edited 14 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Its been screwed for at least the whole of this century, but inconsistently; I had exactly the same happen over a long period back in 2004/5 when it would show GBs of use even when the router was switched off and I was overseas.

 

BT will NEVER admit to it, it would probably open them up to losing billions in repayments to overcharged customers.

Over the last 40 years, everybody else has had to "Get on their bikes" ? Why not the corporates ?

 

My I suggest a break-up, Euro -style, into BT-North and BT South, then they would be similarly sized, in terms of customer base, to their next nearest competitor Sky at 4.5 million customers. 

 

We will wait 'til doomsday for the Parliamentary brigade to get their act in gear - witnsess, housing crisis, transport crisis, social care crisis and on and on .

 

N

 

N

[Jigger72]

Wow! You're paying £60 a month and the data is still capped? 

 

Have you thought about moving to a different provider?

[hardcorehobbit]

Wow! You're paying £60 a month and the data is still capped?

Have you thought about moving to a different provider?

I was equally stunned, I pay half that for unlimited.

[GentleGiant]

Check what you are paying for, a friend on BT was paying similar until a couple of months ago for 38MB Infinity capped package - with BT adding all the bells a whistles like BT Sport (never watched), Anytime calls (uses his mobile), answering serives (has a machine) etc.

 

One request for info on how to leave and they gave him unlimited 80Mb (tops out around 54Mb for him) at £33 Pm inc line rental, and stopped all the unneeded extras.

[Clunkclick]

Wow! You're paying £60 a month and the data is still capped? 

 

Have you thought about moving to a different provider?

Currently paying £46 (Line rental + free weekend and weekday evening calls + 38 Mbps Infinity 1 broadband) and its capped @ 45 GB a month.

 

And, looking back on my records, when I first went over to Infinity 1 in 2012 it was capped @ 40 GB a month and I was paying £33.45 for the same group of services - how about that for absence of inflation <Cough>.

 

But, my location is NW London, so they're probably "Tapping" us here as its the income and wealth centre of the country - but not in my QTH.

 

N

[Clunkclick]

A week on, the customer service person came back to me with the following "Deal", which "Offered"  the following.(I was told that a decision had to be made by 28th December 2016 and that, if I refuse, it will result in a "Deadlock" letter being issued and automatic referral to the Ombudsman ):-

 

£18.70 a month for Broadband and  free weekend+weekday evening calls which  when added to to the monthly line charge of £20.99 yield s a total monthly fixed charge of £39.69 - so, an apparent monthly saving of  £6.31 over the current charge of £46 a month.  I''m further told that this "Offer" is only available if I accept an 18 month contract (Interesting use/misuse of the legal concept of offer and acceptance and reasonable consideration - (Not being an expert, but, I'd say that  this and the "Deadlining" attached to the "Offer" was duress boardering on an unfair contract term)

 

However, this "Saving" will be totally wiped-out by the £120 of  charge (Still unpaid and outstanding) for the excess broadband usuage charge billed for the monthsJuly to September.. Clearly, setting off the £120 against the £6.31 a month saving in the offer would mean that it would take 19.07 months before I broke even i.e. the term of the contract being "Offered"

 

So, in effect, under this "Deal"  I get no change in financial outgoings in exchange for migrating to an 18 month contract.

 

And what's more, this "Deal" doesn;t address the point of my original complaint, that their total broadband usage for July-September 2016 is wrong  - you recall that  the £120 excess use charge is charged at a rate of £1.80 per GB (Now confirmed) meaning that BT claim that I consumed 66.67 GB of data over my monthly data cap for these three months (3 x 45GB = 135GB) i.e. 50% excess use. 

 

BT still maintain that they are unable to supply daily usuage figures for the disputed months of July-September,  which means that I am unable to do any reconciliation with my own data usuage records for this period on a daily basis and find out where the trouble is. And because, my Broadband data usuage, since i started on Infinity 1 in 2012 (Bar one occasion when I paid £10 extra) has always been within the monthly data cap, I have made a general inquiry of the Regulator (OFCOM) asking whether, in the circumstances outlined, they have the power to compel BT to produce these daily figures. 

 

BT claim  and still maintain that they are only able to supply daily broadband usuage figures for the last 30 days. In fact in their most recent reply, BT provided the daily usuage figures for the period 12th November to 12th December 2016 (31 days), sans a total. When I totalled it, it showed consumption of 23GB for the month and that included, on their figures,  one exceptional day (12/12/2016) when 7 GB was downloaded (I accept this was an exceptional day, but would dispute the extent of its exceptionalness-  although this figure is well within my monthly data cap of 45GB (Slightly over 50%), Bit-meter's equivalent figures are 13GB for the 31 days and 2GB for 12th December. A whopping difference.

 

So the way its been left the deadline for consideration of the offer has been extended to 4th January, hopefully, by which time, a response from the Regulator may be available. If i refuse to accept that the matter will be "Deadlocked".

 

I also asked for a data logger to be put on the main BT socket in my home.

 

Meanwhile, i've installed the Glasswire app on my system to see how the usuage figures that produces compare with BT and Bit-meter.

 

Interesting that the term offer/acceptance and deadlock are all terms used in the legal real world and this implies that logging on to the Resolver Service was part of a formal ADR process - was I warned of this ?

 

Nick

Edited 23 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Just had a quick look at this mornings usuage since 06:50 which each source reporting total usuage (Down+Up) as follows;-

 

Home Hub 5 . . . . 88.2 MB

Glasswire              67.2 MB

Bit-Meter                74.66 MB

 

That;s just 2 posts, one to resolver, I x here, and 1 x e-mail and half a dozen web pages accessed.

 

At worst that's 24% (21MB) difference, nothing like the +50% difference BT are claiming for July-September 2016.

 

Glasswire has the added advantage that it can show the "Draw" either  by individual apps or by individual servers.

 

N.

[gadgetman]

But that's only on that computer. You will need a similar app on every device accessing your router. I also assume you've finally changed your WiFi password in case it's been hacked?

[Jigger72]

When does your contract run out? Just leave them and get a proper deal.

 

I still can't quite believe you've allowed yourself to become tied to one of the worst broadband deals in UK broadband deal history.

 

You could get a whole Sky TV/broadband/phone deal for about £35 a month, or Virgin if you have cable in your area, or in fact pretty much any other provider currently operating in the market today. The mind boggles  :no:

[Clunkclick]

But that's only on that computer. You will need a similar app on every device accessing your router. I also assume you've finally changed your WiFi password in case it's been hacked?

Already done that.

 

At present, the Windows tablet is the main machine and does 99% of the internet work and power saving switches that off promptly once its disused for any length of time. This has BM and GW installed.

 

The only machine without monitoring software is the BB Playbook. Whilst this is the "Always-on" it only does BBC News once daily and the odd E-mail.

 

Home Hub is switched off at night.

 

The other two desktops are very low use now. I've only used each of these once each this month (12/12) - in fact for installing said monitoring software and downloading latest updates. They both have BM installed.

 

Laptop hasn't been used for 4 months. Nothing installed in the way of monitoring software.

 

N

Edited 23 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

When does your contract run out? Just leave them and get a proper deal.

 

I still can't quite believe you've allowed yourself to become tied to one of the worst broadband deals in UK broadband deal history.

 

You could get a whole Sky TV/broadband/phone deal for about £35 a month, or Virgin if you have cable in your area, or in fact pretty much any other provider currently operating in the market today. The mind boggles  :no:

As said above, the original contract ran for 18 months from 2012 when I had Infinity 1 installed. But the charge has gradually crept -up since then. (Trouble is, I don't require all the other services, the streaming film crap and all the rest. Just  need a 45GB a months service that is always on and totally reliabl.e).

 

Once it finished, a new contract wasn't offered by BT and over the last 5 years, I've had more urgent priorities, particularly from a medical standpoint (MI 2011 + Recovery, Lymphoma 2015 + recovery) to worry about these  greedy *******. What's more, back in 2012, the original monthly cost was just about tolerable @£33 a month.

 

Please fully read the previous posts -

 

 

N

Edited 23 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Really this issue is one for the Regulator.

 

He should have stipulated  years ago, that all ISPs supply routers that have inbuilt, fully comprehensive data accounting software that would enable the user to have the same privileged access to his own consumer record that is currently largely restricted to the ISP.

 

Now that, would be a step towards fairness.

 

But rather like the lack of a HMG approved and finnaced framework underpinning the release of older people from hospital into local authority social care, the current half-arsed system suits the financiers, the boys in the City Lodge . . . and TM.

 

N

Edited 23 December, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Dr Zoidberg]

It's usage, not usuage.

[Clunkclick]

It's usage, not usuage.

No. Right first time.

 

Think usury + age.

 

Another  new entry in the Uxbridge ED (Second of the year ?) - reserved for multinational telecommunications companies, banks and allied rip-off artists.

 

It really does beggar belief that a multinational telecomms company hasn't got the intellectual resources to work out a way of migrating people to a new service other than the crass bludgeoning techinique that has been employed.

 

CIC (Cretins-in-charge)

 

N

Edited 24 December, 2016 by Clunkclick