This topic

NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:29:59 GMT

Dear Forum,

I am a BT customer and tried to renew my contract plus remove my TV package add on. Unknowingly I ended up with an EE contract which (as I found out later) involves installing a new router, a new plug plus set up of new standing order (all to be carried out by me) and potentially a new phone.

I am not technically minded and, as I was happy with the past service, I really wanted to remain a BT customer and simply have a new contract and the TV add on removed. I therefore decided to make use of the 14 cooling off period and to cancel the EE contract immediately which had not been activated at that point in any case.

I contacted BT again (Connections & DI) and it was confirmed that I could indeed remain a BT customer on that basis - a new BT contract was discussed plus the TV package removed. All that was left to do was some fine-tuning.

Unfortunately, however, the reversion from EE back to BT has encountered some major problems (technical conflict between BT & EE???).

In the beginning the fine-tuning seemed to go well however out of the blue my landline was disconnected by mistake and it has been like that for 2 weeks now - some of my BT account details have disappeared also.

I have tried to get reconnected via BT Technical Support however they have been unable to do this and so far do not seem to have an answer.

Obviously there is a technical gremlin in the works somewhere however can somebody please advise how long it usually takes to get reconnected??.

Thank you so much for your kind assistance which is much appreciated.

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Leanne_T — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:45:25 GMT

Hi there @SMOKEY24

I am very sorry you have been without a landline for two weeks after cancelling the transfer to EE.

Our broadband technical team you have been in touch with are the best people to check the account for you to see what is needed and to let you know how long this may take.

Did the team provide any time scale for you when you called?

Thanks.

Leanne.

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

carlito000 — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:02:20 GMT

Hi there was this a Fibre product? What was the issue with the landline that required big changes? Did your old landline phone potentially not work?

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:34:31 GMT

Hi,

There was no issue with my landline and no problem with my phone either - I think all is linked to the reversion from EE back to BT - pls see my original message - the process started well - removal of TV package was however confirmed by EE (why EE ???) but then out of the blue I received a notification from BT that ALL SERVICES WOULD BE STOPPED, which also includes downgrading my email sooner or later - the landline was then disconnected somewhere by mistake on 15th and all dead now It has been like this since then - not sure about the Fibre bit.

I initially contacted BT Value dept. and explained that all I wanted to do was renew my BT contract and remove my TV package but I think there is now a technical conflict between BT and EE - just a guess. At the moment nobody seems to have an answer and I am going round in circles.

Thanks a million - your help is much appreciated. Hope all makes sense.

Kind regards SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:44:35 GMT

Unfortunately nobody has given me any idea - that's why I decided to join the forum to see how long it should take to reconnect a landline - at the moment I am going round in circles.

The entire process started at the beginning of October and the landline was cut off by mistake on 15th .

I am running out of steam but thanks all the same.

Regards

SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:32:51 GMT

Thank you for your response - sorry, I am a beginner, so please bear with me . I have been in touch with BT technical support on several occasions but they have not been able to offer a solution. However, they have raised a complaint on my behalf which was acknowledged by EE (??) - this still puzzles me as I am a BT customer - what do you think and what should I do because nobody has come back to me??? Thanks a million. SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Peter_W — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:16:19 GMT

Thanks for the update there @SMOKEY24, if a complaint is actively open on this then it will definitely be on the road to getting resolved.

When was it you last got in touch with our team, and how were things left with you?

We don't have access to your account via this forum to look into the exact nature of what's caused this issue, so it's hard for us to advise on a timescale for resolution.

Peter

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:42:38 GMT

Hi Peter,

Thank you so much for your message - I was in touch via chat with an adviser from Technical Support Landline Repairs yesterday in the hope that they would be able to let me have an update but unfortunately this was not the case. He suggested I get in touch with the Value Dept. to get reconnected as Technical Support apparently cannot do this (????) - and they also seem to think it is an Accounts issue. Yes, my account is muddled up also (i.e. 2nd issue) but surely does not explain/fix the disconnection on 15th?? and must therefore be a technical issue somewhere? In any case at the moment I just want to concentrate on getting the landline back,

Technical Support had already raised a complaint on my behalf - to be honest I did not really want to do this initially as I thought getting reconnected should be easy, bearing in mind it was not my fault in the first place. Obviously there is a gremlin in the works somewhere - it is just a question of finding it. I am sure that everybody involved is doing their best but ....

Unless I am mistaken, according to BT Complaints procedure I am supposed to be given an idea about timeframe but all I have had is an acknowledgement from EE (?? I am a BT customer). I suspect, rightly or wrongly, that there is a technical conflict between BT and EE which needs to be rectified (and I got caught in the middle - just a guess).

In conclusion I am going to wait until I hear from EE now and see what happens. I am however worried now that my email will be downgraded to basic also in due course as advised in the BT "ALL SERVICES WILL BE STOPPED" notification I received.

Finally, your message was very reassuring so I suppose I just have to be patient and hope that matters get rectified soon and do not get worse. ..... at the moment all seems a right mess ....

Thanks once again for your message - your response is much appreciated.

Last but not least, apologies for the length of my response - all is just so frustrating and I seem to be running round in circles!

Thanks a million.

With kind regards

SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Peter_W — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:45:08 GMT

Thanks for sharing all of that for me, @SMOKEY24.

Definitely don't apologise too, as having all the details is usually the best way to help us move forwards.

Did you get a chance to speak with the Value Team as they advised?
Peter

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:48:49 GMT

Hi Again, Peter

No and I do not have any intention either. I do not wish to be unkind but I am unfortunately blaming them for the entire mess - it is a long story.... instead of renewing my BT contract they made it EE without telling me and I was given the impression that I did have a choice (which is not the case as i found out later). I can indeed have a BT contract and do not have to move over to EE.

As I wanted to remain a BT customer I therefore made use of the 14 day cooling off period and Connections and DI started the reversion process from EE back to BT. A new BT contract was also put in place - all that was needed was some fine tuning. All seemed okay, phone email etc. and rebuilding the account was in progress. All was fine.

I suspect that initially being put on an EE contract (which I cancelled) has triggered certain automatic events, one of which is that the system no longer recognizes me as a BT customer but still thinks I am EE. As a consequence the system also generated the BT STOPPING SERVICE notification which then resulted in me being cut off by mistake altogether on 15th.

All guesswork, of course, could also be that it is related to one of my neighbours, who had a visit from an engineer on 15th who changed her over from another provider to BT/EE Perhaps he dislodged something at the Exchange or used my line by mistake, getting mixed up with the house number, who knows.

It is difficult to get hold of anybody by phone and with 45 minute waiting time my mobile phone would have gone flat by then! Apart from that even if I did get in touch with the Value dept. you always end up with another adviser who is not familiar with the background and I would have to explain all over again. As the entire issue is already under investigation in any case my "interference" will only complicate matters - I would probably end up with a new tel. number plus another EE contract - the possibilities of messing this up even further are endless. ...

Last but not least the Values Dept deal with Contracts only and do not deal with technical issues, which I am sure this is. Therefore I have decided to leave this to the professionals (i.e. the technicians/engineers) at Connections & DI) - by the way all my products do no longer show on my BT Account either....

At the end of the day I did not cause the disconnection and have done all I can to get this resolved and therefore leave it to BT to put things right. I don't think it is up to me to fix things.

Thank you so much for your kind words - your input is much appreciated - I have no doubt that all parties involved are doing there best to get matters resolved but I can do no more and have wasted enough time on this..

All the best and once again thanks a million

SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

chrisjp — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:25:22 GMT

I'm afraid that this is yet another example of the shambles that BT is making of its forceful migrations of customers to EE. I say forceful because, quite often, customers are migrated to EE without their knowledge and without them asking for it, having originally called BT on a separate matter. It seems that BT's agents are incentivised to bring about these migrations and some of them are a little "economical with the truth" in what they tell customers.
I also note that the Moderators on this forum now apparently do not have access to customer accounts as they used to have, so cannot investigate these problems as they used to. Does anyone know when, and why, this change has happened?

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 08:48:58 GMT

@chrisjpwrote:
I also note that the Moderators on this forum now apparently do not have access to customer accounts as they used to have, so cannot investigate these problems as they used to. Does anyone know when, and why, this change has happened?

The Moderators were based in Enniskillen & as part of the ongoing push to cut jobs & costs, BT decided to close the facility, so they were all laid off. What we have now is a completely new bunch who through no fault of their own, have been given the job without the tools to actually do it.

So whereas previously a Moderator may take on a case & personally see it through to resolution, the best the new one's can offer is "Call BT", despite numerous fruitless calls to BT having driven the poster here in the first place...

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Lopenalong — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:13:13 GMT

Commiserations with Smokey24 - I can fully understand the frustration as my elderly father and his partner find themselves in the same boat, for the second time in 12 months.

First time was involuntary switch to digital service resulting from a call to try and correct a mis-billing. That was an utterly shambolic process that resulted in the loss of the landline (and consequently fall alarm) for two weeks. This is a couple in their 80's, both frail and with terminal cancers and heavily reliant on their landline for medical matters as well as social contact. The mobile service there is such that calls can only be made/received in one upstairs room on a good day, or outside and up the road a bit, so arguing the toss with BT is problematic to say the least. In spite of many calls to BT, with their vulnerability and the importance of the service to them heavily emphasised from the outset, BT appeared indifferent. Whilst individual call handlers (once reached after hours on hold) were apparently pleasant and helpful, they appeared powerless to effect any change. Promised actions did not materialise, calls back were not made and in the end, service was only restored when the original, erroneously entered, changeover date arrived.

This time around, a billing enquiry produced the claim that they "MUST" change to EE. Dad resisted, fearing a repeat of the above fiasco, but was led to believe there was no alternative. Bare faced lies! Are the agents incentivised?

He later discovered that he didn't have to change and called back to insist the changeover be cancelled. Initially he was told it was impossible, but after persisting he was told the switch had been cancelled. Then they started getting communications from EE...... Contacted EE to say they didn't want to switch, but wanted to stay with BT. Again initially told it was impossible, but eventually agreed it was possible and that the switch was cancelled. Then, yesterday, the phone stopped working. So far broadband is still working but not clear if it will continue to.

Once again two elderly, vulnerable people have been severely let down by the arrogance and utter incompetence of BT. It's shameful.

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

imjolly — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:58:56 GMT

@Lopenalong

are your parents registered here https://www.bt.com/content/dam/bt/help/including-you/BT_Free_Priority_Fault_Repair_Scheme.pdf

https://www.bt.com/help/here-for-you

your parents with their age and medical conditions should not have been moved just now to digital voice unfortunately there is no way back to previous system after moving to DV

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

chrisjp — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:23:45 GMT

"This time around, a billing enquiry produced the claim that they "MUST" change to EE. Dad resisted, fearing a repeat of the above fiasco, but was led to believe there was no alternative. Bare faced lies! Are the agents incentivised?"

Yes they are, and I think that is the root of a lot of the issues customers are having with BT.
Although some agents are honest and are willing to forgo their commission if they can actually help the customer, others are clearly putting their commission above the needs of the customers and are willing to indulge in half truths, and even, dare I say, downright lies, to maximise their commission.
Helpline agents should not be incentivised to upsell and until BT changes this practice I fear they'll continue not offering any proper service.

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:24:00 GMT

Thank you Lopenalong - what a horrendous story .... I thought mine was bad enough but my heart goes out to all three of you.

I, too, was initially given the impression by the BT Value Dept (representing Contracts)) that I did NOT really have a choice (sorry, "misprint" on my part in one of my earlier posts...). However I soon came to the conclusion that something was wrong somewhere due to the 14 day cooling off period a customer is entitled to.

Therefore, if customers make use of this and cancel within 14 days surely this must mean that automatically the system should revert back to its original settings ???

Obviously this is not the case and I really feel sorry for the engineers who have to get involved sooner or later and try and sort out the mess which has been created .... but most of all I feel sorry for vulnerable customers who should not be put in this position in the first place!

At the moment it seems all of us are caught right in the middle of "the BT/EE technical system says NO" and there are no easy answers at present - all of this is of course unacceptable.

Have you raised an official complaint??

Hopefully a solution can be found for you very quickly nevertheless.

With kind regards

SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Peter_W — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:27:24 GMT

@Lopenalong I'm really concerned to hear about the position that this has left your father and his partner in, especially if they rely on their landline for their telecare system.

Have you had a chance to report this most recent fault to our team, and are they registered as vulnerable like @imjolly highlighted?

Also @SMOKEY24 I can appreciate why you'll not want to keep calling constantly for these issues, and whilst I'm confident our team will be able to get this resolved, we want to make sure some ownership is being taken.

When was the last update you had on this?
Peter

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:09:43 GMT

HI Peter, I have never had an update as such.

All I have had is an EE complaint acknowledgement "we are looking into it" dated 22nd October - this was initially actioned on my behalf via the Chat Facility with the BT Technical Landline Support and raised by them but I cannot remember when that was - I have lost track - I have been in touch with them that way on several occasions. The line went down on 15th October.

Thank you so much for your reassuring words - I truly feel sorry for all engineers involved- I am sure that they are doing their best and are also " tearing their hair out" but are probably also caught in the middle in the the same way as we customers are ....

Once again, thanks a million - I live in hope ....

Regards

SMOKEY24

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

Peter_W — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:15:46 GMT

Thanks @SMOKEY24, please keep us posted on how you get on.

If you get no further updates over the next few days please let me know and we can look into what other options we have available for getting this chased.

Peter

Re: NO LANDLINE FOR 2 WEEKS NOW

SMOKEY24 — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:28:08 GMT

You're a Star, Peter - will do!

SMOKEY24