Fibre installation fiasco

[SBaiasu]

I intended to move with my broadband to BT and get fibre. I was told that BT would contact my current provider and I was given an acceptable start date for the service. The current provider was in touch and confirmed they would stop providing on the same day. A little after, I was contacted and told that, in fact, the start date would be three-four weeks later. I tried to bring the date forward, but without success. I then decided to cancel my BT order (it was just a few days after placing the order) and placed an order with another provider, who confirmed the initial start date.

A few days later, the new provider also announced a delay. So I contacted my current provider and asked to extend a bit the service to meet the new date. I was told that they can only do this, if BT requests it, since I had an order with BT. I phoned BT and was told my order was cancelled and there was not much else they could do now. They said that the order with Open Reach might still be open, but they would contact Open Reach to cancel with them too. They confirmed they did that too.

Shortly after that, I received a note from Royal Mail saying that they would deliver a package for my fibre with BT (!!!). I phoned again BT, I was again told that the BT order was cancelled and should just ignore the note from Royal Mail. I also had the unexpected visit of an engineer, who said they were at the property to start the service. (!!!) I checked they were not from BT, but from the company where I had placed the order after cancelling with BT; then, reluctantly I invited him in and started to clear the space for him to take the cable from outside and install the socket inside. After I finished, the engineer said that in fact he made a mistake and would need to come a different date (this would be funny, if it were not so disturbing); I double-checked that they were not from BT, but from the new provider with whom I ordered after cancelling BT - the engineer confirmed.

Now, big surprise: email yesterday from BT and message today from BT too: an engineer will come to start the service tomorrow (!!!) Unbelievable isn't it?

What else is there to do after so many phone calls which confirmed that the order with BT was cancelled? It looks also the current provider will stop providing broadband tomorrow for me, so from tomorrow I will no longer have internet and no way to ask the current provider to extend the service a bit, because the order with BT is still open, after cancelling so many times!

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@SBaiasu 

Unless you intend to become a BT Retail customer, and complete your order, then this forum cannot help.

As most providers use Openreach, and that is where the problem will be, then you are not going to be any better off with any specific provider, and all you are doing at the moment is delaying your new service, each time you try and swap providers.

If BT Retail have an open order pending, then stick with them.

[SBaiasu]

Thanks, but the customer services with BT are not very good, so I do intend to leave BT - as mentioned in my message, I cancelled and tried to confirm cancellation several times. I do not care whether the problem is with Openreach - I deal with BT, not Openreach, so if there is a problem with Openreach, this is BT's problem not mine.

You say this Forum cannot help, unless I intend to be a BT customer - well, now you expect intentions from me - this is amazing! I want to cancel my order with BT and not be here, but it seems that I am forced to be here, since BT is unable even to cancel an order; at the same time, you tell me I cannot be here, since I do not *intend* to be a customer. This is really ridiculous!

A visit is scheduled tomorrow from a BT engineer , although BT confirmed cancellation of my order several times during the last few weeks - is it really the case I cannot get proper advice in this situation? It would be amazing!

[-Richie-]

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@SBaiasuwrote:

Thanks, but the customer services with BT are not very good, so I do intend to leave BT - as mentioned in my message, I cancelled and tried to confirm cancellation several times. I do not care whether the problem is with Openreach - I deal with BT, not Openreach, so if there is a problem with Openreach, this is BT's problem not mine.

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Ask your new provider to contact Openreach and confirm there is only 1 order to provide service at your address, Openreach are not customer facing, your new provider will be able to contact Openreach and explain the situation though, asking 2 providers to provide service will cause complications, It's best to pick one and stick with it.

[SBaiasu]

Thanks, but what do you mean when you say: "asking 2 providers to provide service will cause complications, It's best to pick one and stick with it"?

Have you not read my message? As I said there, I *cancelled* the order with BT *from the beginning* and confirmed and re-confirmed several times that it was *cancelled*. Where exactly in this do you see me asking 2 providers to provide service? I have never done that!

What you suggest is of no help, if BT does not cancel the order. It is really unhelpful for you to place the responsibility with another provider or to make false suggestions about me, when all that is needed is for BT to cancel an order properly - especially when I contacted them so many times!

Is this really all BT and this Forum can do? Disappointing, unacceptable, unbelievable!!!

[Keith_Beddoe]

This is only a customer to customer forum, nobody posting here, apart from the moderators, works for BT.

As you do not intend to use BT retail as your provider, there is nothing anyone here can do to help.

You are going to be dealing with Openreach, whichever provider you use, apart from Virgin Media.

[SBaiasu]

Thanks and it is useful to know that members of the community do not work for BT (although I am not very sure - are you a moderator or not?), but my problem is with BT, not Openreach; as mentioned by the other adviser, Openreach do not deal with customers; moreover, *BT* sends me messages as if I was a customer or intended to be one - they sent me a package with a router and announced me yesterday that an engineer would visit tomorrow - this is despite the fact that I have an email from 13 August confirming that I cancelled my order and despite the fact that they confirmed on the phone several times that they cancelled the order.

So, if BT thinks I am a customer, it is unclear why I cannot be here. At any rate, even if I were not a customer, why would Distinguished Sages like yourself or Experts, like the previous adviser, not help? Instead of telling me that I can only be helped if I *intended* to be a customer, perhaps you can use your knowledge to provide a useful advice?

 I can only see two alternatives: either you do not have the knowledge to help (in which case, this is fine, but it is better to say it) or you are unwilling to help (which is, again, fine, although a bit mean, in which case why try to exclude me from this Forum - maybe somebody can help)?

Again: it is not my choice to be here and, as far as I can see, there is no rule stating that only people who *intend* to be customers can be here and can be helped. What do you do with those who are customers and want to leave or those who are customers and are indifferent? Do you exclude them too? 

Again, where is the rule saying that you need to *intend* to be a BT customer to get help?

[meditek]

This is just another example of the parlous state of UK business which for the past 50 years has been attempting to turn it's customers into Pavlov's dogs. Started with Amstrad and Sugar. We've been trained to accept 30 minute waiting times,  being called by our christian names, given lying assurances that all will be well from call centers afar etc etc. It's quite appalling yet the customers seem happy to take it lying down.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@SBaiasu  The only moderators have the title "moderator" under their name.

If you would like to read the forum guides, then that may give you a better idea of what its for.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Announcements-Guides-Community/BT-Community-User-Guidelines/td-p/1375043

Quote "Welcome to the new BTCare community forums for BT UK residential customers"

And https://community.bt.com/t5/Announcements-Guides-Community/BT-Community-Terms-of-Use/td-p/1375035

If you have already decided which Service Provider you want to use, then most of the major providers have their own user forums, and that would be a good place to start. Your current provider should be able to provide the same services as BT Retail do, as it appears they use the same Openreach network.

[SBaiasu]

Many thanks - unfortunately, I have to agree, but I have never encountered anything like this before! It seems it is going from bad to worse!