BT ordering system a joke

Last week I decided to join BT total broadband. What a fucking farce.

To give a little history from my last post. I got halfway through the
online order and found out they only now take direct debit payments with the
phonebill. This is totally useless to me as I do not pay the phonebill. So
I never completed the order and exited at the payment instructions screen.
Immediately after, I received an order confirmation from them by email. So
I phoned up BT and they said not to worry, no order went through.

Step forward to Saturday this weekend. Knock on the door, postman delivers
a package of a BT home hub. I go into panic mode. Phoned up BT again and
they realised there was an order on the system and it was due to activate
today 18th. They asked if I wanted to cancel. I said to them if they can
accept any other payment method I would leave the order intact. No they can
only do the direct debit with the whole bill - something which is totally
nonsensical. So they said they would cancel it and arrange a collection of
the hub. If they don't pick it up I am flogging it on ebay. There is no
way I am sending it back myself at my own cost.

Do I trust them when I say they will cancel it? I am sitting here waiting
for my router to die as the connections swap. Tell you what, never been so
grateful to be with Plusnet right now.

What sort of stupid ordering system puts through an order before the
customer even agrees to the terms and accepts it?

"Beck" <beck@none> wrote in message
news:45867599$0$8752$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Last week I decided to join BT total broadband. What a fucking farce.
>
> To give a little history from my last post. I got halfway through the
> online order and found out they only now take direct debit payments with
> the phonebill. This is totally useless to me as I do not pay the
> phonebill. So I never completed the order and exited at the payment
> instructions screen.
> Immediately after, I received an order confirmation from them by email.
> So I phoned up BT and they said not to worry, no order went through.

This sort of chaos over billing has gone on for years.

Originally Surftime could only be ordered paid in the bill. Then you could
only move to Anytime if you paid by continuing credit card authority. I
avoid these like the plague and finally one could go to direct debit - fixed
price £15.99p pcm; first month bill ~£192, second month bill ~£29. Now they
are back to internet service only on payment via the bill...

>
> Step forward to Saturday this weekend. Knock on the door, postman
> delivers a package of a BT home hub. I go into panic mode. Phoned up BT
> again and they realised there was an order on the system and it was due to
> activate today 18th. They asked if I wanted to cancel. I said to them if
> they can accept any other payment method I would leave the order intact.
> No they can only do the direct debit with the whole bill - something which
> is totally nonsensical. So they said they would cancel it and arrange a
> collection of the hub. If they don't pick it up I am flogging it on ebay.

It is not exactly unsolicited, so you can't flog it after three months like
you could if it turned up out of the blue.

> There is no way I am sending it back myself at my own cost.
>
> Do I trust them when I say they will cancel it? I am sitting here waiting
> for my router to die as the connections swap. Tell you what, never been
> so grateful to be with Plusnet right now.
>
> What sort of stupid ordering system puts through an order before the
> customer even agrees to the terms and accepts it?

Well indeed - sounds like quite a bad bug - no doubt lots of people will now
end up with the boxes.
>

Beck wrote:
> Step forward to Saturday this weekend. Knock on the door, postman
> delivers a package of a BT home hub. I go into panic mode. Phoned up BT
> again and they realised there was an order on the system and it was due
> to activate today 18th. They asked if I wanted to cancel. I said to
> them if they can accept any other payment method I would leave the order
> intact. No they can only do the direct debit with the whole bill -
> something which is totally nonsensical. So they said they would cancel
> it and arrange a collection of the hub. If they don't pick it up I am
> flogging it on ebay. There is no way I am sending it back myself at my
> own cost.

If it has been delivered to you in your name, I do not believe you are
under any obligation to return it, since you have no contract with them.
It is their stupid mistake.

"Beck" <beck@none> wrote in message
news:45867599$0$8752$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Last week I decided to join BT total broadband. What a fucking farce.

(Snip)

> So they said they would cancel it and arrange a collection of the hub. If
> they don't pick it up I am flogging it on ebay. There is no way I am
> sending it back myself at my own cost.

You wont get much, in fact, you'll be lucky to sell it as its only for se
with BT Broadband...

On 18 Dec 2006, "Beck" <beck@none> wrote:

>never been so grateful to be with Plusnet right now.

LOL. You'll have Jethro commenting in the negative when s/he sees that!

On 18 Dec 2006, "jpd" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>you'll be lucky to sell it as its only for use with BT Broadband...

Handy as a spare for someone using BT Broadband...
I know just the person :-)
(No, not me, someone who felt it was worth using).

jpd wrote:
> "Beck" <beck@none> wrote in message
> news:45867599$0$8752$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Last week I decided to join BT total broadband. What a fucking farce.
>
> (Snip)
>
>> So they said they would cancel it and arrange a collection of the hub. If
>> they don't pick it up I am flogging it on ebay. There is no way I am
>> sending it back myself at my own cost.
>
> You wont get much, in fact, you'll be lucky to sell it as its only for se
> with BT Broadband...
>
>
Actually, if it's a 2wire unit, you can flash it with generic firmware
and use it with any ISP you wish.

There's also a DNS poison trick that stops the units from 'calling home'
and resetting to their BT-programmed account details. For this you don't
even need to flash them.

I have one unit working fine with Zen and another that is being used
with a BT business account - but not the one for which it was originally
supplied.

Google is your friend...and gives you:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/2wire

http://colt.dnsalias.net/2wire/

"R. Mark Clayton" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Beck" <beck@none> wrote in message
> news:45867599$0$8752$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Last week I decided to join BT total broadband. What a fucking farce.
>>
>> To give a little history from my last post. I got halfway through the
>> online order and found out they only now take direct debit payments with
>> the phonebill. This is totally useless to me as I do not pay the
>> phonebill. So I never completed the order and exited at the payment
>> instructions screen.
>> Immediately after, I received an order confirmation from them by email.
>> So I phoned up BT and they said not to worry, no order went through.
>
> This sort of chaos over billing has gone on for years.
>
> Originally Surftime could only be ordered paid in the bill. Then you
> could only move to Anytime if you paid by continuing credit card
> authority. I avoid these like the plague and finally one could go to
> direct debit - fixed price £15.99p pcm; first month bill ~£192, second
> month bill ~£29. Now they are back to internet service only on payment
> via the bill...
>
>>
>> Step forward to Saturday this weekend. Knock on the door, postman
>> delivers a package of a BT home hub. I go into panic mode. Phoned up BT
>> again and they realised there was an order on the system and it was due
>> to activate today 18th. They asked if I wanted to cancel. I said to
>> them if they can accept any other payment method I would leave the order
>> intact. No they can only do the direct debit with the whole bill -
>> something which is totally nonsensical. So they said they would cancel
>> it and arrange a collection of the hub. If they don't pick it up I am
>> flogging it on ebay.
>
> It is not exactly unsolicited, so you can't flog it after three months
> like you could if it turned up out of the blue.

Well I wouldn't anyway as its not mine, but I am not going to send it back
at my own expense. It can sit there gathering dust for all I care :-)

"Chris Hills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:e3whh.18259$(E-Mail Removed) .uk...
> Beck wrote:
>> Step forward to Saturday this weekend. Knock on the door, postman
>> delivers a package of a BT home hub. I go into panic mode. Phoned up BT
>> again and they realised there was an order on the system and it was due
>> to activate today 18th. They asked if I wanted to cancel. I said to
>> them if they can accept any other payment method I would leave the order
>> intact. No they can only do the direct debit with the whole bill -
>> something which is totally nonsensical. So they said they would cancel
>> it and arrange a collection of the hub. If they don't pick it up I am
>> flogging it on ebay. There is no way I am sending it back myself at my
>> own cost.
>
> If it has been delivered to you in your name, I do not believe you are
> under any obligation to return it, since you have no contract with them.
> It is their stupid mistake.

Oh I am not going to return it at my own cost. Its up to them to collect
it.
Connection still here so I guess the cancellation went through.

"NoNeedToKnow" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 18 Dec 2006, "Beck" <beck@none> wrote:
>
>>never been so grateful to be with Plusnet right now.
>
> LOL. You'll have Jethro commenting in the negative when s/he sees that!

Bah I don't care. Some people fail to understand that others may actually
have a good service from them.