I take it all back - BT F**ks up 512K - 2Mb upgrade BIG TIME (longand tedious)

I posted a while back how I was assured by BT that a 512K to 2Mb upgrade
would mean no more than a 20 min outage. I take it all back...

Here's the ***short*** story:

Ordered upgrade about 4 weeks ago

BT did a line test 'while u wait' - all OK - put through order

Email arrives telling us how to download our BT security pack and that
the cost will be added to our phone bill. Me = WTF

BT confirms they put wrong order code through - change it to a BB
upgrade and say it'll go live on 6th October

BT send email saying line is not BB compatible. Me = WTF

BT confirms they put the order through as a 'new service' rather than
upgrade and so some bod did an eCo check and just saw 'incompatible
equipment' and decided the line wasn't broadband suitable (eCo is BT's
in-house broadband checking service (amongst other things) and it will
show 'incompatible equipment' if you do a broadband line check on an
already-BB-enabled line).

BT raises new order and moves 'go-live' to 11th October

11th October - no upgrade BUT BB phone line goes dead.

Fault reported to BT - line has carrier pre-select (CPS) on it (we save
money by paying another service provider other than BT for our voice
calls) - BT say we must go through CPS provider.

Provider logs fault. Line comes back on but NO BB.

12th October - main business line goes dead. BT bollocked severely. BT
sorts it.

12th October about 22.00 I notice we're getting status emails from a
network monitoring server on site - HOORAY - 2Mb BB must be working!

13th Oct 9.00 - me on site finishing router config for new service (BT
forgot to tell us we'd move from one fixed IP to 5 no-NATted IPs - we
should have received a 'welcome pack' - we didn't). Router shows service
running at 2Mbit/sec - nice!

10.30 - BB goes down. Fault reported to BT Biz Broadband Technical -
they say they can't do anything as the provision of the new service is
not 'signed off' - tell me to call BT Order Management (OM)

Call BT OM - promised a call back - don't get one.

Chase BT OM - ditto - ditto (as just above)

Chase BT OM - told order has been signed off so it's now a fault that
has to be logged with Broadband Technical BUT that since the line is
managed by our CPS provider we cannot have broadband on it anyway unless
CPS provider relinquishes the line back to BT. I tell OM this is
boll**...er incorrect and we've had BB on the line for 2 years already
and he must check his facts..OM goes away to check. Doesn't call back.

Call BB Technical - they say 'have you rebooted the router' - I tell
them I have:
Rebooted numerous times
Changed filter
Tried another router

BT says service checks OK at their end - I tell them I have no service
and no sync

BT refers it to OM

I call out phone service provider and ask them to talk to their BT
account manager

I chase OM - I'm told he took my number down incorrectly and that's why
he didn't call back (he's obviously not heard of directory enquiries -
we are a listed business)

OM manager calls me back - says he can't do anything if BB Tech say
there's no fault - and 'have I tried resetting the router' - I think
about telling manager it'll be difficult to reset it when it's shoved
where the sun don't shine, but keep this thought to myself.

I ask OM to 'own the problem' and get it sorted - he refuses saying
there's nothing more he can do. I start looking up number of BT Exec
office and say I'll pull our 19 broadband contracts and give them to Zen
(I'd love to anyway) and complain to Ofcom. OM is unmoved. I inform OM
that since he is obviously unwilling to own the problem I will terminate
the call now and escalate things. I put phone down.

I receive a call from someone at BT asking for details of problem - I
tell him all over again - he says he'll put me through to a department
that can help and then drops me in the queue for BB Technical - AAARGHH

So there we are: Broadband service not working since 11th and BT
bouncing me between two departments.

Thanks for reading this far - have you any ideas or (constructive)
suggestions - some nice fax or phone numbers for the Exec. Office
perhaps or a department that actually knows what they are doing??

Any bids for 19 (soon to be 28) broadband contracts from a company that
knows what they are doing!?

L3K

OK - I have just spoken to a very helpful guy at BB Technical (moral:
call them at 0145 and they talk sense). Here's what happened:

BT Wholesale cocked up the cease 512K + re-provide 2MB sequence,
soooooooooo...

Engineer at exchange late one night kits us up with the 2MB provision

Next day another engineer does the cease and takes off the '512K'
(actually 2MB)

I'll be kind and ASSUME the same engineer didn't do both - no one's THAT
stooopid, surely!??? [8-(

So, on BT's system the order is complete!!!

Arse and Elbow time!

Notes on system say a new provide is going through and it will take a
couple of days. Nope, "it will be done TODAY" I'll be telling them from
8.30 onwards this morning.

Compensation time methinks....

>
> Notes on system say a new provide is going through and it will take a
> couple of days. Nope, "it will be done TODAY" I'll be telling them from
> 8.30 onwards this morning.
>
> Compensation time methinks....
>

They will pay compensation by the way. I manage the BB connection for a
small office and a small change to the setup of our two business lines
resulted in the complete loss of BB on one of them. My ISP (not BT) wasn't
able to do anything and said we had to go via BT as it was BT who had
terminated it... so a similar scenario as you experienced followed for about
three weeks. No-one owning up to the problem (i.e. lack of BB), bouncing
between departments etc.... Finally, after much hair pulling and hours
wasted on the phone in random queues, we get BB back and a very nice
engineer comes round and sorts it all out for us, he says it happens so
often.

We got quite a reasonable compensation packet in the end, but only after
much shouting and threatening. And also maybe because the office is a
solicitors...

Hope you get it sorted.

"Linker3000" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:416dbe04$0$22754$(E-Mail Removed)...

<snip>
> L3K
>

Don't mean to be rude, but anyone daft enough to have BB from BT deserves
all they get. It is much better to have BB via another ISP on a BT line,
then if you do get a problem with the BT side of things it down to the other
ISP to sort it including upgrades.

I was once daft, now I'm a happy bunny because if there is any problems with
my BB service I dial a number and a knowledgeable person answers, not a
automated menu that puts you on hold hoping you will go away.

Hope you get it sorted, but I would walk.

James Hurrell wrote:
>>Notes on system say a new provide is going through and it will take a
>>couple of days. Nope, "it will be done TODAY" I'll be telling them from
>>8.30 onwards this morning.
>>
>>Compensation time methinks....
>>
>
>
> They will pay compensation by the way. I manage the BB connection for a
> small office and a small change to the setup of our two business lines
> resulted in the complete loss of BB on one of them. My ISP (not BT) wasn't
> able to do anything and said we had to go via BT as it was BT who had
> terminated it... so a similar scenario as you experienced followed for about
> three weeks. No-one owning up to the problem (i.e. lack of BB), bouncing
> between departments etc.... Finally, after much hair pulling and hours
> wasted on the phone in random queues, we get BB back and a very nice
> engineer comes round and sorts it all out for us, he says it happens so
> often.
>
> We got quite a reasonable compensation packet in the end, but only after
> much shouting and threatening. And also maybe because the office is a
> solicitors...
>
> Hope you get it sorted.
>
>
Thanks for the words of support!

6 calls to BT today - still no BB!

What did you do/say to claim compensation - did you speak to any
specific department - I already have an official complaint lodged with a
complaint number (not that it helps the ongoing situation).

BT do not seem to have any sense of customer focus or urgency when they
cock up!

L3K

> Thanks for the words of support!
>
> 6 calls to BT today - still no BB!
>
> What did you do/say to claim compensation - did you speak to any
> specific department - I already have an official complaint lodged with a
> complaint number (not that it helps the ongoing situation).
>
> BT do not seem to have any sense of customer focus or urgency when they
> cock up!

Yes we lodged an offical complaint via the complaint number. It took a long
while to come through and a lot of pressure from our side, but it worked in
the end. Keep plugging away is my advice.

James

RT wrote:
> "Linker3000" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:416dbe04$0$22754$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> <snip>
>
>>L3K
>>
>
>
> Don't mean to be rude, but anyone daft enough to have BB from BT deserves
> all they get. It is much better to have BB via another ISP on a BT line,
> then if you do get a problem with the BT side of things it down to the other
> ISP to sort it including upgrades.
>
> I was once daft, now I'm a happy bunny because if there is any problems with
> my BB service I dial a number and a knowledgeable person answers, not a
> automated menu that puts you on hold hoping you will go away.
>
> Hope you get it sorted, but I would walk.
>
>
>
>
I totally agree about BT but I inherited the current configuration when
I joined the company. If I had my way the whole lot would move -
probably to Zen.

I have been told an engineer is at the exchange today re-jumpering our
2M connection and it should be running by lunchtime - so I expect I'll
be bollocking them on Monday again for no service!

"Linker3000" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:416dbe04$0$22754$(E-Mail Removed)...
> So there we are: Broadband service not working since 11th and BT
> bouncing me between two departments.

All too familiar scenario these days I'm afraid.

Had similar problems with NTL, Virgin BB & BT :-(

Good luck getting anywhere. BT Complaints Dept. are useless and OFCOM don't
want to know.

Regards - Keef
--
Dartford Kent UK
Email (E-Mail Removed)
(To reply, remove the WRAPPER)
Web: http://stargate.jcdigita.com/~hk11/fsale.html

James Hurrell wrote:
>> Thanks for the words of support!
>>
>> 6 calls to BT today - still no BB!
>>
>> What did you do/say to claim compensation - did you speak to any
>> specific department - I already have an official complaint lodged
>> with a complaint number (not that it helps the ongoing situation).
>>
>> BT do not seem to have any sense of customer focus or urgency when
>> they cock up!
>
> Yes we lodged an offical complaint via the complaint number. It
> took a long while to come through and a lot of pressure from our
> side, but it worked in the end. Keep plugging away is my advice.
>
> James

Don't tar us all with the same brush, some of us try to keep the customers
happy only to be beaten down by the same rules which you lot are....

"Kráftéé" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:41701812$0$44882$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Don't tar us all with the same brush, some of us try to keep the customers
> happy only to be beaten down by the same rules which you lot are....

It's unclear who "some of us" are here. Surely not someone from BT who
actually gives a damn? ;-)

Header says 'Plus.com', so maybe it's a cross ISP/group post???

Regards - Keef
--
Dartford Kent UK
Email (E-Mail Removed)
(To reply, remove the WRAPPER)
Web: http://stargate.jcdigita.com/~hk11/fsale.html