COMMENT: BT ” GETTING NO BETTER
Long-term readers of ABTN may recall about six years ago of
machinations by this publication and British Telecon.
Move on into a new century and things have got no better.
The problems then involved moving ADSL access from one property within
a telephone exchange area to another. BT said that they could not
complete the move within ten working days, and they were right.
What was essentially a simple switch over took over two weeks.
Spring forward to May 2006 and this time the task is even easier.
Change from one BT account to another. In other words using the line
that is active, with the equipment which is approved, just alter the
service provided and the invoicing.
”Delighted to do so,” said the salesman. ”It will be seamless.”
Don”t you believe it.
The invoicing no problem. After all at the top BT is run by faceless
accountants who are very good at sorting out the money scenario.
But the technical side. A total disaster!
Yes the old service was stopped on the due day but someone at British
Telecom had clearly failed to start up the new connection. Nothing.
No warning. Just a polite automatic note telling of ”no connection”
and suggesting a call to the once Government owned service help desk.
Now that is the next joke. Or it would be if it was not so serious.
Have you tried to get hold a human being in BT. One that speaks
clear English and can actually help and is not speaking off an
approved script. Five calls, over one hour on the phone and no
progress.
”Phone the chairman”s office?” That”s a good idea. And the
number is in the BT book.
One gets through. Except it is not the chairman”s office but the
Warrington branch. Very helpful. Well up to a point. And for sure
the chairman has never been near the place. In fact toothless. Yes
they can confirm the problem was BT”s fault in that no order was
properly raised for the revised service, and yes a new order, for
that is what it is, will take ten days.
”You must be joking. ABTN needs its email service now not in ten days
time. We get well over 100 email messages every day and have 23,000
registered readers waiting to read Monday”s edition. Plus a web site
to load”.
”Very sorry but there is nothing I can do. Five days is possible.”
”Well can you speak to someone? What is the name of the chairman?
Clearly as we don”t have internet we cannot look up his name".
”Someone will call you back!”
We are still waiting!
PS A recent WHICH report placed BT 20th in a satisfaction list.
Much too high!