BT Broadband Issues and Questions

Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
having major problems.

After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
until that is removed.

My questions are:
- Do BT have the right to just cancel my service without my permission
and then force me to take out a new contract?
- How do I make an official complaint to BT - I have asked to be put
through to their complaints department, but they don't seem to have
one?
- Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
should that happen automatically?
- If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?
- Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
maybe I should look at that one.
- When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
closer?


thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.
cheers
Patrick.

"PatWarne1235" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:94a3588a-070c-4fd3-9f75-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> having major problems.
>
> After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> until that is removed.
>
> My questions are:
> - Do BT have the right to just cancel my service without my permission
> and then force me to take out a new contract?
> - How do I make an official complaint to BT - I have asked to be put
> through to their complaints department, but they don't seem to have
> one?
> - Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
> should that happen automatically?
> - If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
> my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?
> - Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
> maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
> Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
> maybe I should look at that one.
> - When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
> put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
> put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
> closer?
>
>
> thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
> pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.
> cheers
> Patrick.

did you keep your old phone number when you moved? check sky llu
availability at samknows. get yourself a hotmail/gmail address (looks like
you have one), or buy a domain to get yourself a stable email address that
you can move around with you.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/

tony h wrote:
> "PatWarne1235" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:94a3588a-070c-4fd3-9f75-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
>> existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
>> Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
>> having major problems.
>>
>> After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
>> finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
>> consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
>> for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
>> still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
>> until that is removed.
>>
>> My questions are:
>> - Do BT have the right to just cancel my service without my permission
>> and then force me to take out a new contract?
>> - How do I make an official complaint to BT - I have asked to be put
>> through to their complaints department, but they don't seem to have
>> one?
>> - Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
>> should that happen automatically?
>> - If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
>> my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?
>> - Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
>> maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
>> Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
>> maybe I should look at that one.
>> - When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
>> put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
>> put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
>> closer?
>>
>>
>> thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
>> pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.
>> cheers
>> Patrick.
>
> did you keep your old phone number when you moved? check sky llu
> availability at samknows. get yourself a hotmail/gmail address (looks like
> you have one), or buy a domain to get yourself a stable email address that
> you can move around with you.
>
> http://www.samknows.com/broadband/
> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/
> http://www.dslzoneuk.net/
>
>
>
>
I had the same problem with a tag on the line a year ago when I moved.
Turned out that it was a failed attempt by BT to set up my access.
Writing to BT's chief exec was a waste of time. I got cut off twice by
BT when I complained and lied to persistently.

Ofcom were a little help. A line is tagged by an ISP and the tag is only
removed when that ISP says it is OK to do so. You will either have to
find out who put the tag on the line and get them to take it off or
convince BT it was the responsibility of the owner.

Can't remember how I eventually got it resolved but it took weeks during
which BT made a fortune out of me for call charges and dial-up.

Suggest you speak with a good ISP (see Thinkbroadband.com) and ask them
whether if you sign up with them they have ways of sorting it out.

Best of luck. You may well need it

Well Sky are on of the big ISP's so customer service is rubbish, but
pricewise if you already have thier tv service then for a ectra £10
you can get 16meg probally the cheapest around. They give an Ok router
as well. If you dont have any problems with your connection then i
dont think you will complain about sky at all. Download limits and
throttling are very little. BUT if you do have to contact sky then I
would use thier email service, save yourself wasting all that money on
your phone bill calling them up. They read of a script, and a common
thing they say are: "We have to pass you onto a higher tier, they are
all currently very busy, so they will call you back, i am going to
give you this ticket number: xxxxxxxx", days later someone might ring
you, (they said that to me once and said someone would call in the
next 3 days, they rang back 1 and a half months later, but did offer
to send round an engeneer, which really is something). If there is a
fault with your line which BT must fix, but your ISP has to ask them
then Sky will never do that. but for simple things like replacement
filters they are kinda ok.
I suppose the crap, international customer service is expected as they
provide a very cheap service for people who like cheap.

PatWarne1235 wrote:
> Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> having major problems.
>
> After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> until that is removed.


Contact the Chairman's office (be clear what the problem is, and what you
want (including a refund on your call costs sorting this mess)), or find an
employee who can use an internal system to raise a problem on your behalf.
However even with chasing, the internal system was very very slow when I
last used it before I left BT.


> - Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
> should that happen automatically?

That may have been the cause of your grief, though its not your fault. Its
caused by previous occupant not clearing their broadband properly (or
previous occupant's ISP failing to clear it). Worst case is several weeks
waiting for it to be sorted.

Unfortunately, going to another ISP isn't going to help, unless is a LLU
provider. The tag is set on your BT-Openreach managed exchange line and any
ISP using BT for the ADSL service has to respect the tag.
(In theory its there to stop two ISPs trying to offer service on teh same
line either through their idiocy or through customer actions).



> - If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
> my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?

You should be able to re-use it. The "cancelled" account should revert to a
basic PAYG account, you may wish to check this with BTInternet's support
department. So, dialup occaisionally until you have sorted out the future.

Medium term, unless very attached to the email address, get yourself an
email address which is independent of your ISP. You can then forward email
to whatever ISP you are using, but tell your contacts this independent
address.


> - Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
> maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
> Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
> maybe I should look at that one.

Yes. Though you need to decide how you use broadband. Some providers are
better for some things, others for other things.
On the whole, those with big advertising budgets tend to have a large
quantity of bozo support centres, funny restrictions on use, tendency to
give slow throughput, etc..


> - When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
> put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
> put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
> closer?

Are you sure they are the same thing ?
One could be the old basic ADSL service (0.5/1/2Mb) and the other the
ADSL-Max service. If you are seeing 6Mb predicted on ADSL-Max you should
see that *if* your home wiring is clean, and with a bit of following luck.


> thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
> pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.


I find it depressing that BT's support has got so dismal recently.




- Nigel (ex BT employee. One of my last jobs was looking at call centres
and their problems).




--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

PatWarne1235 wrote:

> Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> having major problems.
>
> After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> until that is removed.
>
> My questions are:
> - Do BT have the right to just cancel my service without my permission
> and then force me to take out a new contract?
> - How do I make an official complaint to BT - I have asked to be put
> through to their complaints department, but they don't seem to have
> one?
> - Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
> should that happen automatically?
> - If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
> my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?
> - Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
> maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
> Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
> maybe I should look at that one.
> - When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
> put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
> put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
> closer?
>
> thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
> pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.

Moan like hell at Ofcom for one thing is my advice.

The 'expired tag' issue was supposed to have been dealt with by them ages
ago.

Graham

tony h wrote:

> check sky llu availability at samknows.

Will that help with the tag ? I doubt it. The more companies that get
involved, the more complicated it'll be to resolve too.

Graham

Nigel Cliffe wrote:

> PatWarne1235 wrote:
> > Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> > existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> > Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> > having major problems.
> >
> > After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> > finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> > consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> > for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> > still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> > until that is removed.
>
> Contact the Chairman's office (be clear what the problem is, and what you
> want

Absolutely. Don't tell them a long story. Keep to the salient points and keep it
short, succinct and to th point.

Talking to trading standards might help too re: the apaprent breach of contract
by BT.

Graham

Eeyore wrote:

> Nigel Cliffe wrote:
> > PatWarne1235 wrote:
>
> > > Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> > > existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> > > Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> > > having major problems.
> > >
> > > After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> > > finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> > > consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> > > for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> > > still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> > > until that is removed.
> >
> > Contact the Chairman's office (be clear what the problem is, and what you
> > want
>
> Absolutely. Don't tell them a long story. Keep to the salient points and keep it
> short, succinct and to th point.
>
> Talking to trading standards might help too re: the apaprent breach of contract
> by BT.

Oh and get the FULL names of anyone you talk to at BT.

If they cut you off in future you can complain about their actions to Ofcom. Chances
are they'll twig why you asked in the first place and won't bugger you about.

Graham

"PatWarne1235" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:94a3588a-070c-4fd3-9f75-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello all - I recently moved house, and I requested BT to transfer my
> existing BT phone number and Broadband service to the new address.
> Last time I did this it worked fine and smoothly, but this time I am
> having major problems.
>
> After endless calls and being fobbed off and cut off by BT, they
> finally told me that my broadband has been "cancelled" (without my
> consent), and that my only option is to take out a new subscription
> for 12 or 18 months. They also told me that another broadband company
> still have a "tag" on the line and they can't even place an order
> until that is removed.
>
> My questions are:
> - Do BT have the right to just cancel my service without my permission
> and then force me to take out a new contract?
> - How do I make an official complaint to BT - I have asked to be put
> through to their complaints department, but they don't seem to have
> one?
> - Do I have to do something to get that "tag" removed from the line or
> should that happen automatically?
> - If I do have to take out a new contract, does this mean I will lose
> my existing btinternet email address that I have had for many years?
> - Since Bt are trying to force me to take out a new contract, I should
> maybe look at other providers - are there websites that rate UK
> Broadband providers? Has anyone used the Sky one - I have Sky TV so
> maybe I should look at that one.
> - When I look at the speedcheck number for my telephone number, if I
> put the phone number in it says I will get a speed of 6 Meg, but if I
> put my post code in it says 1 Meg - which number is likely to be
> closer?
>
>
> thanks in advance to anyone with any answers - it seems to be like
> pulling teeth trying to deal with BT when something goes wrong.
> cheers
> Patrick.

Here's the link you need:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumeradvi...ice/tagonline/

George