BT Mobile Roaming and Equifax Credit Checks - Think twice then think again!

[KalamakiBob]

I switched over from O2 to BT mobile a few months ago.  My wife did the same a day or so later but she got the employee deal as he has worked for BT for many years.  I took advantage of the £5 reduction as we have BT broadband (not yet infinity but that's another story).

We went on holiday and found our phones were blocked and after enquiring this is normal practice and you have to wait for 3 bills to be paid or 3 months and to be honest that was in the acceptance e-mail.  No issue there should have read the small print. However this surprised me a bit as I have been a BT customer paying the account that both phones are on for 32 years and my wife is a BT employee but them's the rules I suppose. The first mobile bill was paid with ethe credit that was in the account before we signed up to BT mobile so you'd think this was all one anyway?

Then after I had made 3 payments I contacted BT mobile to get the roaming switched on (you have to ask - it is not automatic as suggested in the FAQs).  This wouldn't be a problem - I wa told and I expected this to be happening in 24 -48 hours as advised.  None of that! One phone was enabled quickly but the other wasn't so after 48 hours I contacted BT mobile gain only to be told that I'd have to wait six months as I have a poor credit rating.  I queried why we were told we'd get it in 3 months on the initial acceptance e-mail only to be told that this wasn't the case and I could only have roaming on one sim on my account until I passed the credit check.  I was concerned about my credit rating as it looked like there was something bad in there.  I signed up for an Equifax check (used by BT) and lo and behold I have an 'excellent' credit rating with nothing out of place at all.  And then BT Mobile increased the cap on the roaming enabled phone to £100 from £50 without me asking.  And me a poor credit risk. You couldn't make this up could you?

So more conatct an BT mobile do a quick swerve and pass me to the BT credit checkers.  Remember Little Britain and 'computer says no' well that's about the size of it.  Noything they can do and explaining the situation/problem is difficult as I think this may be an offshore contact team without a grasp for the nuances of the details I was trying to get over.  So ot was again the 'I'll ask my manager to contact you' and so we wait again.  All this for a £4.00 a month contract and a £50 capped account.

There are some companies out there with poor customer service but BT and BT Mobile specifically take firts prize today.  Even BT mobiles most helpful staff admit that they cant do anything as the Credit Checkers are a brick wall.

If you are thinking of taking up the BT Mobile offers then I would advise you to think again and then go elsewhere.  

[KalamakiBob]

Apologies for the misspelling. That's what anger does for you.

[pigglett]

Hello

Thank you for this info ..sorry to hear the BS your getting

But this is the last piece of info I needed to avoid BT mobile. I was due to order tomorrow ,with this info I'll pass

Good luck with sortign it out

[KalamakiBob]

Still no call back. Next step is the BT internal action line. Meanwhile I'll look at alternative suppliers. I'm a very light user so GiffGaff appears good on paper but so did BT. I think I'll run off and live on a remote island away from the hassle!

[KalamakiBob · Accepted solution]

Well we contacted ActionLine but that is only open to BT employees so you'll still be stumped if you don't know an employee!
ActionLine pursued the issue and within 36 hours the Manilla desk (credit checkers) have identified an error in the software that was creating a false reading. So we now have the roaming facility. No apology, no recognition of the suggestion that I have a poor credit rating and the distress that has caused nor the fact that we had to do without the paid for facility until BT finally got their act together. I only hope that they will fix the problem so that no one else needs to suffer. So BT are still bottom of my customer service ratings.

[KalamakiBob]

Well what do you know. The forum has notified me as Kalamaki Bob the Kalamaki Bob has marked this issue as solved. You couldn't write this BS. Really as a tech company BT you are a joke!

[Damien1]

If it's of any comfort to you for some reason when I signed up they said I couldn't roam for six months within a week I could switch roaming on and it works I think there systems are a bit glitchy

[KalamakiBob]

Not really any comfort as my situation has been resolved. Still nothing by way of an apology from BT for the distress etc. In my case they initially said 3 months to wait and then changed to 6 months on the back of an incorrect reading of a credit score via their faulty interfaces and systems. That was only on one of the two mobile accounts that we opened. These were both tied to my BT account of 30+years but still not showing as worth the risk of £4.00 per months and a £50 cap! BT have admitted that their systems are glitchy so there is no doubt on that score but the fact that they rely on them and without internal intervention stick to them is shameful.

[Beazer2]

Thanks for this. I have exactly the same problem.

You only learn of the six month restriction once you've signed up to 12 months. I do not have a low credit score.

I had searched the 'help' section of the site and found nothing.

I've just moved from giffgaff and had planned to move the family mobile phones over too. Am now moving back and will not move to BT mobile.

I'll post this all over the GG forum to warn others. Totally unacceptable BT.