Random appointments with BT engineers
I just moved into a new house and decided to get a BT landline installed, as there was no line into the house. I called BT on a Thursday (29th), paid the appropriate fees, and made an appointment for the following week. The next morning (30th) my mobile rang. The engineer was outside my house to put my phone line in without an appointment or prior notice.
I was already at work for the day, but went back home anyway (I have an amazingly flexible job). The engineer installed my line but since I hadnt purchased a phone, he plugged his handheld thing in and I heard a dial tone. He left and I went back to work, happy it was over with so fast. My husband and I bought a phone that evening and we noticed that the line was incredibly noisy so much so that you couldnt hear the other person talking. We tried three different phones to no avail. I called BTs fault line from my mobile and ended up making an appointment for an engineer to come out. The nearest appointment was Wednesday (5th) from 8-1. I used annual leave and booked the day off.
They promised to confirm the appointment...
I sat around in my living room waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more. Finally, at 12:30 I called BT. They said I didnt have an appointment that day and no one was coming. After about 2 hours on the phone, it was established that it was a technical fault and an appointment wasnt sent to the engineers. They apologized and offered to book another one for Friday (7th) afternoon. I said I wanted confirmation of the appointment the next day. No one called, so I called BT. I didnt have an appointment booked for Friday because of another technical glitch. I then booked one for Monday (10th) between 1-6pm.
They promised to confirm the appointment. It was confirmed later when I called them, so I booked Monday off. Again, I waited. And waited. And waited some more. By 4:45pm I was worried and called BT. The engineer had been held up at a job and wasnt coming. No one had contacted me to let me know. Needless to say, I was rather angry. I didnt swear or cry or anything silly like that, I was just mad. They offered yet another appointment, which I took for Wednesday (12th) (my third in a week) from 1-6pm again.
The morning before the appointment (Tuesday 11th) I got a phone call at work. It was the engineer and he was outside my house a full day and a half early. By this point I just wanted a usable phone line, so again I went home. It was a problem up the telephone pole, not something I could have fixed myself. I was grateful to have it sorted but mentioned the hassle Id went through.
Turns out, it was that engineer that hadnt shown up the day before! He didnt even seem sorry for it nor did he apologize. He wasnt at all bothered thatd hed phoned me without an appointment either. Frankly, he was a jerk. Glad to have it done, I went back to work. Over the next 30 mins, I got three calls from BT. One to confirm Wednesdays appointment (ha!), one to check the work had been done because I wasnt answering the land line, and a third from customer service asking how Id found the service. I lodged a complaint and was told that the only compensation I might get is 10 for each lost day of work (after I deal with all the forms).
The more I think about it the madder I get. How could a company treat someone like this? It was an error on so many different peoples parts that no one will get penalized. I'm not sure the best way forward now.
By: Mrs. A.
Comments from visitors
Chris (used to work for BT) - 9-Sep-11 14:58
Maybe we share the same engineer and he was at your house, when he should have been at mine, there can't be a vica-versa as I've yet to have any Engineer call. Or maybe he's the only Engineer BT have and he's battling his way down the M6 as I speak!! I stupidly upgraded to BT Infinity and as soon as the Engineer left, I noticied there was so much noise on my phone line that I couldn't hear my 83 year old house-bound Mother. I'm severley Disabled so need a land line 24/7 in case of collapse. I explained this when I called BT Calcutta, and was assured then and several other times over the next 3 days that I'd be visited by an Engineer being that this was an emergency situation, I even received 7 texts from BT
1 it wasn't fixed, was ongoing, and they'd be in touch-day 1
2 that the issue was fixed-day 1
3 it wasn't fixed but I hadn't to call BT-day 2
4 it was fixed-day 2
5 it wasn't fixed and I hadn't to call BT-day 3 (that was a voice mail on my Mobile)
6 The issue has been resloved-day 7. This one was from the complaints department ( I dared to email them in my exasperation. telling them to get it fixed or lose my account)
I am wondering that maybe I need a hearing aid, because when I picked the receiver up I still can't hear a dialling tone.
They now have 48 hours, then they lose my contract!
Miss B
Anyway to cut a long story short, when our phone went dead again on Friday this time we decided we would just cancel the BT line and go with a different company. We had used BT for about 10 years in various homes, but our treatment over the last 12 months has left us determined to never use them again. My advice to anyone thinking of getting a phone line is to avoid BT at all costs.
This as cost me around £300 in loss of income and telephone bills. Their compensation is £10 (OFCOM regulation) appalling service and not once did they call me
Mike, Caerdydd - 12-Nov-08 19:23
Would be useful and reasonable to expect saturday, or till 7pm for that part of the population that work 9-5 (ie most of us)
BT=Bloody Terrible - 26-May-08 11:55
BT engineer. - 24-Mar-08 11:50
My favourite was when had built a new PC and installed a new OS. I was having trouble getting the BT modem working (BT services as well). I phoned up the technical help and when they had finished reading the script (eg change microfilters, try in main socket, usefull as modem works with other PC). After a line test and the threat of sending an engineer to look at the line when convenient (as long as between mon-fri 9-5 is convenient).
They finally told me that I had to download and install a patch direct to the PC with the problem and that it would get the modem to work. Got them to repeat this 3 times to be clear.
BT=Bloody Terrible - 23-Mar-08 18:01
The simple service is missing, because they have simple management, who cannot organise their engineers without doing it so badly that the engineers go on strike!
It might be worth registering your complaint with The Regulator, Ofcom. But they don't take up individual cases. They will only investigate the company if they receive numerous complaints of a similar nature via their complaint monitoring service. Other than that The regulator is pretty pointless and hasn't achieved anything much. Just jobs for the boys.





