This topic

Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 17:14:12 GMT

I have been without a landline since 2nd June 2023. The line has been unreliable since July 2021 with countless people telling me that they haven't been able to contact me. Several "repairs" have been made in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The line was previously reliable until it was deliberately dug up and cut through by a landowner on whose land the line passes through - despite there being a long established legal easement in place.

My fault was closed on 24th June 2023 - despite it not having been repaired. I have made two attempts to escalate a complaint with BT because nothing is being done to actually repair my landline. I'm seriously ill, live remotely and the landline is essential. I've just spent another 45 minutes of my life being given the run around by BT's call centre. Please help me to restore an essential service and to ensure that it is reliable.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

imjolly — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 17:18:24 GMT

I have asked the forum mods who are BT employees to see if they can help you. They will post here

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

RobbieMac — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 18:06:14 GMT

Hi @giventherunaround

Welcome to the BT Community and thank you for your post!

I am sorry for the problems you've been having with your landline and that this has been going on for so long. We'll pick up from here and help you get this sorted. I have sent you a private message with instructions on how you can send us over your details and we'll look into this for you. See: Private messages

Thanks,

Robbie

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:14:56 GMT

12th July 2023. Complaint still being ignored. Is there any point to this forum or is it just a way of BT pretending to do something whilst doing nothing?

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

RobbieMac — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:22:20 GMT

Hi @giventherunaround

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.

I am sorry for all the problems you've experienced with your telephone line and that this has been going on for so long. As agreed, I'll personally manage your complaint from here. Everything we talked about has been arranged and I will have another update for you when I have received word back.

Thanks,

Robbie

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:16:52 GMT

Don't be fooled by the apparently encouraging reply above; there's no sign of my landline being restored.

BT refuse to escalate the complaint and so nothing meaningful will happen. As with each attempt to contact BT over this, it just gets kicked down the road one week at a time, with no progress. BT are in breach of their universal service obligation. A fully working landline is essential. I was compelled to transfer my broadband to an expensive satellite service because the landline had become so unreliable.

Let's hope that my house doesn't catch fire or that there's an urgent need for an ambulance.

There's no accountability. Openreach fob off BT, BT fob off the customer.

Next update on the 19th - another week. I'll be astonished if that doesn't just say that there will be another update on the 26th, and so on.

Do I need to post here every day until this is resolved?

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 12:25:11 GMT

23rd July 2023
Landline still not repaired. Openreach kicking the can down the road week after week with "no information, update again in a week". BT indifferent or powerless.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:34:30 GMT

31st Jul 2023

Still no landline repair. More than 8 weeks now. This is appalling. Come on BT.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

imjolly — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:44:24 GMT

Have you tried contacting the forum mod @RobbieMac and see if he has any update

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

infinitywaiter — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:53:59 GMT

If you are still having issues and not receiving any new information from BT, then maybe raise it with Ofcom if your delay is as long as you claim it to be.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/broadband-landline-faults

Read the 'Compensation and Complaints' dropdown.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

RobbieMac — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:56:44 GMT

Thanks for posting back @giventherunaround

I am sorry for the delay repairing your line fault. As confirmed during our last conversation, your complaint has been escalated to our executive customer resolution team. A case handler within that team are now managing your complaint and will stay with you until this is all sorted out.

Thanks,

Robbie

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:44:49 GMT

Infinitywaiter: if my delay is as long as I claim it to be? Why write that? Do you think that I'm just making a noise for fun of it? Is that something that you would do? Why would you do that?

My landline has been dead for more than 9 weeks and was hugely unreliable for a considerable length of time before it died.

The escalation to the BT executive team: Robbie initially refused to escalate it and I had to keep pushing until it was. However, that made no difference as the executive team have just been kicking the can down the road one week at a time with "nothing happening, we'll update in a week": just like the BT fault reporting telephone number before them, just like the "assistance" offered here. Now, just silence.

This is dire. Completely ignoring the universal service obligation. And, I've been billed throughout.

Does this forum have any point whatsoever? My experience demonstrates that it's purely lip service.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:03:43 GMT

Do BT have a policy of closing faults that haven't been rectified? My experience is that they do.

My fault was closed on 24th June without any notification and when no repair had taken place. An attempt was made to close it again on 2nd August - despite no action taken to repair the line. Why does BT do this?

Why send a text message "Hello, BT Here. We're sorry you've had problems with your service. If everything's working now, please reply 1 to this message. If you still can't make or receive calls, reply 2." - when the fault hasn't been addressed? If the text message isn't replied to, what does BT do? It looks like they close the fault. A terrible system.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 18:09:32 GMT

10 weeks now. Landline still dead. A "courtesy call" today from the executive level - the highest level that a complaint can be escalated in BT; according to BT - no new information, no resolution of the fault and no timescale for restoring the essential service that is my landline. When I tried to get more information than the three stock sentences that were repeated and repeated, the executive level hung up on me. Amazing.

Apart from Ofcom, does anyone have an idea of how to make BT actually do something rather than just blaming Openreach and fobbing me off. Any idea on how to make Openreach actually do something? As a BT customer, Openreach won't speak to me. The situation is impossible. Mobile signal is poor where I live. If the house catches fire, I'll have to drive a distance to get into mobile signal to call the fire brigade.

Apparently no daily compensation either. This gets better and better.

This is extraordinarily poor.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 16:35:59 GMT

11 weeks now.

Line still dead. No indication whatsoever of when it will be repaired.

So much for the Universal service obligation and an essential service.

My experience: BT executive level aren't there to resolve. It's just a fobbing off department.

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

imjolly — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 16:49:26 GMT

Is it just your mobile provider that has a poor signal in your are? You do realise if you need to make a 999 emergency call from your mobile then it will connect to whichever mobile network is available

Re: Complaint being ignored, fault closed on BT website

giventherunaround — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:42:43 GMT

Week 22. No landline and no resolution in sight.