BT ripping people off! OFTEL confirms it...

I'm in the trap of being an engineer-install ADSL user from the early
days who wants to move to 1Mb service. Out of contract with BT long ago,
and migrated elsewhere.

BT won't accept my ISP's order to upgrade my line. They want to regrade
the line to wires-only first, with a fee involved and downtime. Then it
can be upgraded to 1Mb with even more money needed.

I complained to OFTEL as I couldn't see why there should be downtime of
up to 10 days and a fee charged to convert the line to wires only.

OFTEL have replied:

"Thank you for your email of 21 October 2003 about BT.


There is no real difference between the ADSL service on the
engineer-installed product and that on the self-installed product. The
only difference was the work involved in setting up the connection, the
costs for which are recovered through the connection charges and the
minimum contract period. This is reflected in the fact that the rental
charge for the engineer-installed product is the same as that for the
self-installed product.


I can see no reason why your service would have to be changed to wires
only to be able to get a 1MB service."

BT are charging people for an unnecessary service according to OFTEL.
Anyone else in the same boat take notice. You are paying for nothing.

FR
--
Broadcast me a joyful noise

www.flyingrat.net

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003, Flying Rat <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>BT won't accept my ISP's order to upgrade my line. They want to regrade
>the line to wires-only first, with a fee involved and downtime. Then it
>can be upgraded to 1Mb with even more money needed.

Wait until you are going on holiday, cancel it altogether and then get
ADSL wires only at 1 Mbps. I can see you don't want to be without and
it does seem poor of BT to be so stubborn, but you might try using the
press (most newspaper sites mention broadband in a week), so find some
"we're getting broadband in XXX" articles and write to their computer
section/letters column "Warning, BT don't just charge for connecting
you to ADSL, they can get you for changes, too..."

The fact that customers can't move tariff easily after the minimum contract
term has expired is due to poor management and bad working practices by BT.
What a ridiculous formula to use, the BT 'management' should be ashamed of
themselves.

Peter Morgan - 0870 432 9631 said this...
> On Wed, 29 Oct 2003, Flying Rat <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >BT won't accept my ISP's order to upgrade my line. They want to regrade
> >the line to wires-only first, with a fee involved and downtime. Then it
> >can be upgraded to 1Mb with even more money needed.
>
> Wait until you are going on holiday, cancel it altogether and then get
> ADSL wires only at 1 Mbps. I can see you don't want to be without and
> it does seem poor of BT to be so stubborn, but you might try using the
> press (most newspaper sites mention broadband in a week), so find some
> "we're getting broadband in XXX" articles and write to their computer
> section/letters column "Warning, BT don't just charge for connecting
> you to ADSL, they can get you for changes, too..."
>
It's not a case of BT being stubborn, it's a blatant ripoff!

If a garage said to me that I needed a new engine and gearbox for my car
to cure a gearbox fault, and insisted this was the only way I could get
the car repaired, I would go elsewhere. With ADSL I don't have that
luxury. BT are screwing people for work that is totally unnecessary.

FR
--
Broadcast me a joyful noise

www.flyingrat.net

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 23:48:19 +0000 (UTC), "jsp21c"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The fact that customers can't move tariff easily after the minimum contract
>term has expired is due to poor management and bad working practices by BT.
>What a ridiculous formula to use, the BT 'management' should be ashamed of
>themselves.

I have an evenbigger problem .. BT never charged me after 11 months,
they realised and tried to screw me for installation charges, saying
my line was now active.... its feckin been active for just under 11
months I told them .. Oh we have only set you up on the system this
month, and yoru contract starts on monday .... I beg to differ I
respond, I have 1 month of my contract left. In the end, a few choice
words with a call centre co-ordinator followed by a letter of
complaint, and im paying the £30 a month with no contract.
I have 512, I now want 1024 ... im actually scared what they are going
to do next. I have 8 pairs of wires comming into the house, and an old
ISDN presentation too. Are they going to tell me they need to cable me
up another 2 pairs ? We shall see.

J

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 23:55, Flying Rat <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>It's not a case of BT being stubborn, it's a blatant ripoff!
>BT are screwing people for work that is totally unnecessary.

Send a copy of the e-mail to you from OFTEL to BT via your ISP then,
and see if that has the desired effect. I don't see that OFTEL was
actually accepting the cost is justified, from what you quoted, so
the subject line is perhaps a little misleading...

Advice for other readers - don't cancel any second line you have, as
you get that connected or upgraded and cease service on the first
without losing all ADSL service. No doubt there'll be another half
price deal (or free setup) from someone next year (which was how I
came to get my second line enabled - and now, with MetroNet one
can have a low-cost standby ISP for under 12 quid a month) Peter