More . . . BT Broadband Data Accounting Bingo

[Clunkclick]

When I first took up BT's Infinity 1 service in 2010/11, I was given a fixed term contract of  18 months. 

 

That term clearly ended some time ago. BT took no action to offer me another similar arrangement and neither did I seek a replacement contract.

 

Thenceforth, are my commercial relations with BT governed by some overarching BT contract with general terms and conditions to which there is an automatic fall-back once the I exit the termed contract or, in the absence of this, does it fall back to the general  British law ?

 

My view, is that, if you have your broadband from BT, it must be bundled with the telephone service and there's got to be a general service contract governing customer relations with BT  for those who have telephony only. The question is does it extend to Broadband when the specific fixed term contract expires ?

 

I can't find anything on the BT website reference this.

 

 

Nick

 

 

[Mort]

My view, is that, if you have your broadband from BT, it must be bundled with the telephone service and there's got to be a general service contract governing customer relations with BT  for those who have telephony only. The question is does it extend to Broadband when the specific fixed term contract expires ?

I would assume that in the original Contract/T&Cs it would have stated, similar to every mobile phone contract, that when your fixed term passes you are automatically put into a 30 day rolling contract with the same terms. Meaning they can't change your contract without your say-so, but you are still governed by the original T&Cs.

 

I do this every time my phone contract ends, until I need to upgrade my handset.

[gadgetman]

One thing that I've just rechecked is that the bills aren't paid by direct debit.

BT charge £5 for that don't they?

[Clunkclick]

The minimum contract/ original contract duration has expired. As such he is free to change contract/provider without any financial penalty (a buy out fee) from the current provider in order to affect said change. But... he has decided it is betrer to drag this out for months to make BT change their ways and deal with customers correctly via protocols in place rather than saving his time (which he clearly values as nil) and telling them to take a hike and moving to another contract/ISP

Sorry, the marketeers mantra, " If you , don't like the service, change the supplier" isn't always the correct way to go for customers. - that said, it is always the correct way to go for marketeers as cycling the customers between organisations increases marketing bonuses, but may not necessarily do that much for customers.

 

It might be if the complaint hadn't progressed beyond the script level reading Customer Service zombies. But it has.

 

This complaint has now reached the high level complaints team - they can speak understandable English on the telephone and are allowed (Whilst the sun is shining) to compose and issue personalised semi-standard letters to customers. But. my understanding, is that even they have very  limited  discretion in proposing alternative service and charging options that they can then offer to customers - this is because the  operant service provision and charging models are designed to minimise BT's costs and maximise distributions to shareholders. They don't want customers spawning loads of disputes - it costs.

 

The sort of commercial demands I am now making are outside even their paygrade  to determine - they were able to make one offer to me (Which I got the impression was entirely scripted), which involved the variation in the service and charging regimes described in previous posts and that was it. I rejected that offer and there was no further discussion available, the matter was declared "Deadlocked"  and an immediate referral made to the  commercial Ombudsman service they use.

 

So, I'm now waiting for a response from the "Ombudsman". This may be either a demand for me to state my case or may be a series of question from him or her. I'm not holding my breath as I've heard nothing yet and the case has been live with the "Ombudsman" as from Friday evening last.

 

My own guess that they are probably staggering round the office in shock, saying "Nobodies' ever got this far before in the complaint escalation process, what the **** do we do now ?"

 

N

Edited 16 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[B33fy]

Lol, it's probably "we've a right one here Harry, let's leave him hanging for a week or so and really get his blood boiling".. :)

[Clunkclick]

Lol, it's probably "we've a right one here Harry, let's leave him hanging for a week or so and really get his blood boiling".. :)

Oh contraire, this is amateursville and I'm ****ing myself.

 

No skin off mine if they play the delay card.

 

This is nothing, If you want to see rearguard, delaying actions, sans pareil, try working in a  MOD Civil Service Commercial  Section.

 

N

Edited 16 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

One thing that I've just rechecked is that the bills aren't paid by direct debit.

BT charge £5 for that don't they?

I regard it as spend-to-save. You spend £5 a quarter, but this gives the the ability to dispute outrageously imposed random excess charges of £120 every time BT exercise a whim to change the service to the complete or partial disadvantage of the customer.

 

Its personal choice. Personally, I'd rather not, in this situation, be  bent double over a barrel, knickers down, listening to the rhythmic  thumping as BT  give one the President Elect Commercial treatment. 

 

On the otherhand, according to the advertising, you could be a black boy, in a smart orange suit, up west, paying all his bills by DD.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

N

Edited 16 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[Mort]

I regard it as spend-to-save. You spend £5 a quarter, but this gives the the ability to dispute outrageously imposed random excess charges of £120 every time BT exercise a whim to change the service to the complete or partial disadvantage of the customer.

One wonders if the Ombudsman finds your 'case' in favour of BT whether they are able to charge you an admin or late payment fee. Because this may end up as spend-to-spend.

[Clunkclick]

One wonders if the Ombudsman finds your 'case' in favour of BT whether they are able to charge you an admin or late payment fee. Because this may end up as spend-to-spend.

Maybe. The price of principle. Worth paying on occasion ?

 

You can't run scared of your own shadow all the time.

 

My understanding is that whilst the matter was with the BT customer service, the bill for the excess charge had been put on hold. Then when the matter is passed to the ombudsman its down to him to instruct BT whether to continue the hold. Its normal practice hold any disputed charges until legal proceddings are determined with a judgement - same must apply to ADR (Quasi legal). 

 

Surely, logically, it can't become a late payment until its due. And its not due whilst the charge is in dispute. 

 

What's more, I started the dispute about the excess charge before (In September 2016) the quarterly bill containing it was issued (10/112016) - so, technically, it never became due.

 

N

Edited 16 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

There's a novelty:-

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38728816

 

Wonder where else that's happening ?

 

On my personal situation, the complaint I raised with BT is now with their retained Ombudsman service for resolution. 

Its been with them a week and a half, and I have still had no communication either through the electronic case account that was set-up on the Ombudsman's server or by any other means, except . . . . . 

 

. . . . this morning, an A4 sized glossy brochure slid through the letter box (Only 12 pages long, so no unnecessary genocide involving trees), flogging. . . . . , you guessed it . . . . BT TV, at the new concessionary rate of £10 a month - so they are obviously attempting to ape the Virgin marketing strategy - this too involves chopping down trees and posting them, in their processed form, unsolicited, through my letterbox at regular 3 month intervals.

 

On the drongo scale of crass insensitivity and inappropriateness that rates an 11 (A bit like the volume control on Spinal Tap's amps)

 

These marketing campaigns are like the Normandy Invasion, once someone's given the order to start, nobody can turn it off.

 

N

Edited 24 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[Jigger72]

2 hours ago, Clunkclick said:

There's a novelty:-

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38728816

 

Wonder where else that's happening ?

 

On my personal situation, the complaint I raised with BT is now with their retained Ombudsman service for resolution. 

Its been with them a week and a half, and I have still had no communication either through the electronic case account that was set-up on the Ombudsman's server or by any other means, except . . . . . 

 

. . . . this morning, an A4 sized glossy brochure slid through the letter box (Only 12 pages long, so no unnecessary genocide involving trees), flogging. . . . . , you guessed it . . . . BT TV, at the new concessionary rate of £10 a month - so they are obviously attempting to ape the Virgin marketing strategy - this too involves chopping down trees and posting them, in their processed form, unsolicited, through my letterbox at regular 3 month intervals.

 

On the drongo scale of crass insensitivity and inappropriateness that rates an 11 (A bit like the volume control on Spinal Tap's amps)

 

These marketing campaigns are like the Normandy Invasion, once someone's given the order to start, nobody can turn it off.

 

N

 

You seriously need to get out more. It would do you good to hear the birds sing, breathe some fresh air and admire the infinite glory of the universe beyond your four walls.

 

Failing that, just switch suppliers. The phrase, biting off the nose to spite the face springs to mind   

[Clunkclick]

I agree with you, we mustn't overtax the masters of the universe multinationals with over demanding expectations. . . . A week and a half for a response not enough ? A lie down in a darkened room required ? Kitten off .

 

Not wishing to frustrate the process (Hehe !), I do have trouble opening the door some days, because of the un-ending flow, through the letter box, of unsolicited marketing crap, either generalised or personalised.  

 

It  seems that my locality has been designated as one of those consumer zones most likely to respond to speculative cold calling in all its reveered forms - paper and electronic.

 

I wish it would just stop too.

 

 

N

Edited 24 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[PetrolDave]

3 hours ago, Clunkclick said:

they are obviously attempting to ape the Virgin marketing strategy - this too involves chopping down trees and posting them, in their processed form, unsolicited, through my letterbox at regular 3 month intervals.

I reported Virgin to the ASA when they kept putting leaflets through our door claiming "up to 50Mbps" but when visiting their website in my area they only offered packages up to 20Mbps.

 

As expected (they are a waste of space IMHO) the ASA said their was nothing wrong with Virgin "fraudulent" (IMHO) speed claim...

[Clunkclick]

My Winter "Cabin fever" not withstanding, you could get the impression that the primary role of these companies as telecommunications providers has, in recent years, been usurped in favour of generalised money extraction on behalf of the City of London.

 

Before I go and have a lie down, I would say that I suspect the reason I got this personalised sales/marketing "Offer" was that the annualised amount of the TV charge (Which service I don't have  at present or want) is £120 a year i.e near as damn it equivalent to the amount of excess charge currently in dispute for July  to September 2016. Looks like somebody's trying to head-off a parting of the ways. If that isn't an annualised revenue target per account in operation then Donald Trump doesn't sign-off Presidential executive orders.

 

Frankly, the way all this has been handled, I'm so ****ed-off now that I'll tell 'em to ram it, fullstop and find another provider.

 

As Jigger 72 intimated, life isn't long enough for me to accomodate all this middle class BS.

 

Nick

Edited 24 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[gac]

Unbelievable.

 

Not BT, the fact that this thread is actually still going, and into its second incarnation. Just upgrade to an unlimited contract already.

[Mort]

4 hours ago, Clunkclick said:

Frankly, the way all this has been handled, I'm so ****ed-off now that I'll tell 'em to ram it, fullstop and find another provider.

 

This seems legit. Why has no one thought of this before now?

[Clunkclick]

Lets get this right, the conception of  legitimate market competition/operations between providers ostensibly for the benefit of the consumer  which now forms the basis of the regulatory schema administered by the OFCOM regulator, includes conspiratorial action by a provider before, during and after the act,  to the detriment of an individual consumer  which, in effect, undermines this schema ? Of course it doesn't.

 

Regulator will be pleased to learn of that, as will all the other BT customers of today and yesteryear who, who can be adduced by public appeal, who have  also been subject to this  type of customer abuse.

 

Great 

 

N

Edited 25 January, 2017 by Clunkclick

[Dr Zoidberg]

13 hours ago, Clunkclick said:

I suspect the reason I got this personalised sales/marketing "Offer" was that the annualised amount of the TV charge (Which service I don't have  at present or want) is £120 a year i.e near as damn it equivalent to the amount of excess charge currently in dispute.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but you aren't that important. I got the same offer from BT and I have an unlimited plan so don't need to waste my time arguing with them about usage.

[gadgetman]

22 minutes ago, Dr Zoidberg said:

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but you aren't that important. I got the same offer from BT and I have an unlimited plan so don't need to waste my time arguing with them about usage.

Got the same marketing blurb too. I'm not with BT. 

[Mort]

I'm with Virgin. Have never got a single piece of BT marketing through my letterbox in the last 7 years.

 

Hell, even Virgin have cut down to 1 or 2 leaflets every quarter now.

[Jigger72]

21 hours ago, Clunkclick said:

Frankly, the way all this has been handled, I'm so ****ed-off now that I'll tell 'em to ram it, fullstop and find another provider.

 

 

Please do and and spare us the incessant whining. The masters of the multi-nationals universe are only as strong as their customer base. Vote with your feet and hit them where it hurts

[mac11irl]

2 problems solved - 

no more money issues to pay the extra bill

and the cold calls will be of benefit..

 

 

[skomaz]

On ‎24‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 15:37, PetrolDave said:

I reported Virgin to the ASA when they kept putting leaflets through our door claiming "up to 50Mbps" but when visiting their website in my area they only offered packages up to 20Mbps.

 

As expected (they are a waste of space IMHO) the ASA said their was nothing wrong with Virgin "fraudulent" (IMHO) speed claim...

 

He he - I get crap from Virgin and they can't even provide a service in my area - I checked when I moved in and it hasn't changed since...

[jonoj]

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ mail preference service in an attempt to reduce the marketing material through your door.

[PetrolDave]

12 hours ago, jonoj said:

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ mail preference service in an attempt to reduce the marketing material through your door.

We've been registered with the MPS for several years (yes I've checked it's still current) .... made no difference at all to the amount of spam snail mail from Virgin.