Delay after delay after delay

[LastChanceSaloon]

Dear BT/Open Reach

Well done.

We are now on our 6th order placed for fibre 900. Only one of which was cancelled due to Covid-19.

We have had 5 external installations, 2 failed internal installations. Several hours chasing answers on the phone. I am done.

Our first order was placed a week before we moved into our property around the 15th of March. It is now coming to the end of July. Still no fibre.  Our initial order was cancelled due to Covid. Understandable. I received  a message saying you were doing internal installations again on the 17th of May. I ordered again on this date. It’s been 75 days. 

Nothing but issues since then, that you have admitted full liability for. Promises of dates we are connected have been given repeatedly. Said promises were broken. 

My partner is an essential worker, a call centre operator for a disability housing company. We were told that we weren’t deemed essential enough to do the work during lockdown. We have had to rely on our neighbours WiFi since the middle of March. She has dropped several calls due to this. Calls that range from people trapped in elevators to domestic abuse cases. Her livelihood was in danger because of your inability to provide an alternative. We asked for a 4g halo hub, we were told they were out of stock and to use a phones hotspot in the meantime. 

Only recently did we receive a 4g hub after complaining several times about delays. Which was useful for all of a week before a manager miraculously found that he could remotely activate our copper connection. That went live today and the 4g hub had the plug pulled 2 days prior to this. Unfortunately, the copper wire connection is somehow less stable than the 4g hub. 

I will be calling your office tomorrow at 10am. I will not be happy. I will be requesting a deadlock letter.

You have failed at every turn to correct your mistakes. It is incompetence at its highest form at this point. You have consistently blamed your partners that perform works for you, when my order is placed with you. It doesn’t matter if Kelly’s have done the installation wrong, or that open reach has again cancelled our order without leaving any notes in the system. I placed my order with you and you have failed to deliver at every turn.

Yours sincerely, DJG

[imjolly]

As it says when you joined this is a customer help customer forum. Your post does not go to BT

[LastChanceSaloon]

Understood, let’s just call it an open letter in view of other customers to encourage a response to my issue. If the post is not allowed lock it by all means.

[david39ni]

Been the same with me my friend check out my posts

I finally have the fibre  out side my doorstep but they coming now next week to finish off open reach missed their original survey date then promised me yesterday engineer would be here today to finish off never shown.

I logged into my portal to my horror without them advising me Friday 4TH August for completion. When I was sent not one not two but three texts from there sms service to say would be completed for the 30th as I work for the health trust over here and couldn't have any interruption from leaving virgin.

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Fibre-broadband/FTTP-Install-N-Ireland-Install-Horror-but-a-good-endi...

[LastChanceSaloon]

Thanks David. I guess I’m not alone in this at least.

Credit where it’s due aswell I’ve had no issue with any of the members of staff I’ve interacted with, I even sang the praises of the person that did the second internal installation due to his dedication to doing everything he could to get me connected that day. Unfortunately to no avail.

I understand these are unprecedented times, I’ve been patient and courteous to the very end, but this is causing me immense stress to deal with it all. I work nights and my partner works all day, we both understand that harassing a call centre employee will achieve nothing. However, I think we have about 7 hours worth of call time with BT at this point. We’re not being contacted when we’re told we will be. I have to wake up in the afternoon before my shift to make these calls or my partner has to do it when when finishes work or on her lunch.

The tipping point tonight was when I was told by my partner that Open Reach had cancelled our order once again, meaning another had to be placed, leading to another round of useless installation visits. Furthermore it was cancelled with no notes left on file for why.

Ive been given the direct line of the manager dealing with our case, who has now gone on annual leave, meaning once again I have to sit on the phone tomorrow for upwards of 45 minutes to be told it will ‘definitely’ be done within a fortnight for the umpteenth time.

It’s not good enough, my only option is to request a deadlock letter at this point.

Furthermore, BT literally owns the entire fibre network in my area, meaning that switching providers is out of the question as it will just cause this to start all over again as they piggy back off of BT’s connections. I’ve basically been left on hold in more ways than one with nothing I can do to help the situation.

I’m not the kind of person to just grovel for handouts at the first inconvenience, but BT have really lost any respect I had for them in my eyes. It will take a lot for them to win me over after all this.

My only option now is to request a deadlock letter, which my partner had done previously, but was urged to give them a chance by the manager we spoke to for them to rectify the issue. They failed in doing so, providing us with a replacement service that may I add is less useful than using my neighbours WiFi through 4/5 thick walls.

[david39ni]

I totally agree the open reach staff where brilliant so where the people on the phones.

But by god their Backoffice management is complete rubbish in satisfying customers 100% feel your pain lad.

[david39ni]

I raised a complaint with bt and got the complaints team email so at least i no they got it. I have never heard of a dead lock letter can you explain that a bit more plz

[LastChanceSaloon]

From what I understand it is an agreement between you and the provider of the service that they have 28 days to resolve the issue or the complaint will be handled by OFCOM directly which is the governing body for telecoms. It’s a way of the people getting fair representation in regards to issues without having to go through the court system. If BT are found to be incompetent in regards to delivery of service it will be fully investigated and their policies will have to be amended to make sure the issue does not come about again.

Its a worst case scenario, but I’m at the end of my tether at this point and don’t want to deal with it anymore. A simple ‘no we cannot provide this service’ would suffice so that I am no longer dedicated to persuading it and can look at other options. But I’ve been repeatedly told it will be done and it never is. 

[pippincp]

Are you actually dealing with the FTTP team? If not I suggest you give them a ring. 0800 587 4787, you shouldn't have to wait 40 mins to get through to them.

[LastChanceSaloon]

Just an update if anyone’s curious. I was informed by my partner that BT would be calling today anyway in regards to an update so I held off on calling. They haven’t had the courtesy to do so and instead sent a text to inform us that there is no update. So we will be calling shortly to request the deadlock.