This topic

New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:08:27 GMT

Just signed up with BT. Activation for Broadband today 8th November. So what has happened... BT disconnect my old broadband provider at just after midnight last night... and send me text this morning to say "your now live". Sounds great right? However what they neglected to do was send me a broadband hub and TV box in time for broadband activation date. So now left with no broadband and no equipment either to connect to BT broadband.

Delivery package shows it has been in Swindon now for a couple of days and not moving (to me it looks like it is lost). When I call to chase it this morning I get a very simple "yeah that should not have happened and they should have sent this out weeks ago as you placed your order on 24th October, hmmm would you like to take out a new sim card to help you with data!!." So at the point a new customer is left without broadband they try to upsell me their sim cards! I could not believe it. I left BT a couple of years ago due to poor service, I thought I would give them a second chance... but what a poor start. They have now left me with "Nothing we can do...wait until Wednesday and I will call to see if it has arrived and we have to wait 10 days with Royal Mail to allow delivery" Where is the urgency ?!? So basically I should wait up to 10 days before BT will consider sending out new router and tv box or before they would even consider perhaps given some urgency to dispatching some urgent equipment. I work from home and now left with no broadband as I do not have the hardware to connect to it.

Pretty disappointed with this start. Really poor. I had to leave the call with "lets see what happens". Wow... lack of support to find a solution was very surprising to me. I wonder, am I within my rights to cancel already should equipment not arrive ASAP?

😞 😞

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:40:58 GMT

Under these circumstances BT used send out a mini hub on request, within 24 hours.

You should get automatic compensation for late activation.

https://www.bt.com/help/account-and-billing/automatic-compensation

This will be credited to any future bills.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 10:47:11 GMT

Thanks for the reply... but this is the issue... technically it is ON TIME activation by BT of the broadband connection (though I cannot prove if it is connected or not).. but I cannot USE it as have ZERO hardware at all.

Would be interested to know if anyone from BT actually reads this and decides to help provide a solution that is more timely than just "wait for 10 days or lets see".

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:00:52 GMT

You shouldn't have to but have a look on your local Facebook Marketplace a cheap Hub. If you've ordered Digital Voice you need a Smart Hub 2, although an original Smart Hub would get the broadband going.

Having said that, do you have a previous router that may be able to be used?

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:32:53 GMT

So I still have the old TALK TALK router there. but it now just has an orange solid light since it got disconnected by BT for BT to go live. So I am stuck.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:38:18 GMT

Have a Google & see if it can be manually configured.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:38:36 GMT

Is is a normal FTTC (VDSL) connection that you have?

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:41:24 GMT

No idea what that means lol sorry I am not technical in the slightest! But it was a standard broadband package with Talk Talk, i.e. was not the new fast cityfibre connection or anything like that. Just the standard old school connections.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:41:48 GMT

Same as what I have taken out with BT now... just a standard...

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:08:08 GMT

Standard broadband used to be ADSL, up to 20Mbs. Any copper connection above that speed would be VDSL.

Standard ADSL broadband is not normally sold any more, so you would be getting VDSL, so if you had ADSL with Talk Talk, then their route would not work wit the BT connection.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:09:50 GMT

oh in that case I must have had VDSL with Talk Talk too as I think I was getting about 60Mbs and BT will be around 50Mbs. So must be same.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:13:40 GMT

Unless you can change the login details on the Talk Talk router, its not going to work.

Many ISP provided routers are locked to their service, to keep things simple.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:24:15 GMT

You could probably buy something locally from Argos or PC World, that should work, but I doubt you could get BT to reimburse you. It would either have to returned, or kept as a spare.

Many shops seem to be concentrating on 4G routers, as normally ISPs supply their own.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:29:16 GMT

Cheapest would be TP-LINK Archer VR400 V3 £57.99 from PC World.

You would have to configure it yourself, but TP Link stuff is very easy.

No good if its not available locally.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

WSH — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:49:54 GMT

You can get a Smart Hub 2 for under £35 on Amazon and a spare’s always useful even when BT get round to sending you one.

Don’t be put off if it says it’s the FTTP version. It will work with FTTC/VDSL as well and the old cable from your Talk Talk should work.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:31:15 GMT

As a self-confessed non-techie, probably best to stick with a BT product. Even an ancient Home Hub 5 would do you in the short-term & shouldn't cost more that a fiver. As @WSH said, some form of backup is always useful in any case.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:11:11 GMT

Thanks all. Will see what I can find. Though I do still feel as a new customer I have been just left to it with no regard to BT wanting to solve the issue as urgent. 😞 Thanks everyone on here at least for trying to help.... at least you have tried where BT themselves have not.

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:13:22 GMT

You're looking at it from the wrong perspective. This is BT doing a sterling job of setting your expectation levels early! 😁

Re: New Customer with Broadband BUT NO EQUIPMENT

k33f — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:18:22 GMT

haha ! oh I left them last time with very low expectation levels... So I rejoin with low... but never did I imagine they would not send me hardware! lol to be honest if they dont get it sorted by Wednesday next week, I will cancel the contract as surely I must be within some kind of 14 days rights to cancel... seeing as service has not been delivered technically as the hardware is not here !