Can't order / upgrade online

[Scott1210s]

Hello there, been with BT for Broadband and phone now for 2 years, contract ends this weekend (Dec 3rd).

For a few weeks now iv been regularly logging in to mybt to check the personal deals, and also during this time i got to hearing about being able to switch to digital voice and receiving a free phone. So out of curiosity, even though I had no intention of completing an order at the time, i thought I'd click through some of the steps of the order page just to see if it mentions coming with digital voice & a free phone.

And the very first notice that pops up is exactly that, letting me know that the order does indeed include switching to digital voice and a free handset. 

The problem though is that when I then clicked on continue, it then says "order cannot be made online with the number that has been entered." 

So I'm assuming this means our phone number linked to our account. It can't be a problem with the number itself because the number is active and working, and was actually given to us by bt. So I assume it's maybe to do with bt wanting to ask us if we are ok with switching to digital voice. Which yes we are fine with it! 

We have also since learned recently that we are eligible for 'home essentials' because of receiving pension credit. 

So I thought great, seeing as the contract is about to end, let's just now straight away order that. Unlimited Fibre £20. And even though the digital voice notice doesn't pop up this time on the screen (although I assume possibly still comes with it) it says the same thing, "order cannot be made online with the number that has been entered." 

Bit silly really that it says we can order online, but we actually can't. Unless there's some very specific reason why only us can't order online, then surely it must also potentially mean that any other customer that hasn't got digital voice yet can't order online either? And also either we are eligible for digital voice or we are not. If we are, well then surely it should just allow us to order, but if we arnt eligible for it, well then why attach it to our order. And because it is attached, its stopping me from being able to progress an order.

I know we could phone up bt, but could the order either be made over the live chat/txt,? Or a moderator here be able to place this order for us? (if our relevant information was given to the mod)

Thanks for reading &/or replying. 

[imjolly]

you need to phone so try options first 0800800030 or if able to change to essential phone CS 150 ot 0800800150 from mobile

check here to see if eligible

https://www.bt.com/exp/broadband/home-essentials?s_cid=con_bt_dg-home_awin_aff_vidAJM_110483-Editori...

[JohnC2]

Hi @Scott1210s, welcome to the forum and thanks for posting. 

Sorry you can't place your order online. Check that you've claimed the account holder status on your BTID: What's the difference between an Account holder and an Account manager in My BT? | BT Help

If you have already then it would be best to call the number advised by @imjolly as they would've access to retention deals that would not be available to us.

Cheers

John

[Scott1210s]

OK, abit of an update on this situation.

I contacted live chat, and the guy I spoke to was also having the same issue when he tried for me, and that he wasn't able to rectify it at his end, so we will have to phone up to get it sorted. 

He said there's a technical issue, and for some strange reason the system believes we are a business account instead of a residential one, and that's why it isn't allowing the order to progress.

But he's apparently left a note about it, so they will be aware of it when we call.

[Scott1210s]

OK, another update on this.

Firstly let me just clarify that the change of package is for my mothers broadband and I'm her son that has been making these posts.

So... She has now recently been on the phone with BT (about an hour ago at the time of me writing) and she has been successful in changing to Fibre 2 home essentials. It will switch over tomorrow. 

But... The home essentials package as advertised is supposed to be speeds of inbetween 61-73. And upload of 18-19. (and putting home essentials aside for a moment, even the normal full price fibre 2 package shows we would get a speed of 73) and btwholesale checker shows our line is capable of 80.

But iv just spoken to my mother after she got off the phone and has told me the speed they said she would get, and I said that's not right!

So iv just looked at the email confirmation, (and it's even titled as Home Essentials FIBRE 2, emphasis on fibre 2) and it's saying the speed will be 49-50. And upload 8-9. So they've basically put us on fibre 1 speeds. 

They probably either think because she isn't clued up or technically savvy that they can just offer the lower speed and that she won't know any different. Or that they advertise it as fibre 2 speeds, but think because its cheap we'l actually just give the customer fibre 1 speeds. It even comes across like it could be described as they've basically lied? 

So we are not getting the advertised package and speeds we are supposed to be getting. So it seems il have to be contacting BT live chat yet again later to hopefully rectify that. 

[imjolly]

I would suggest you wait and see what speeds you actually do achieve after the changes have been made and if not right then post back here for assistance possibly from a forum mod

[Scott1210s]

I've just spoken on bt chat, and they've acknowledged that the speed is incorrect.

They said we're glad you've contacted us over this and there appears to be a glitch on the system. (God another one? And was it really a glitch though, hmm, who knows)

Was then also told, "It looks like the person who placed the order did it manually and mistakenly put you on the wrong speed, we've made them aware of the situation and this is in hand, it will be resolved 24 hours after the new contract starts."

So there we go, hopefully everything will be sorted now! 

Scott.

[Scott1210s]

Just to add another further thought on this...

It doesn't actually make sence for them to of given us a package of 49-50 down and 8-9 up. 

Because the 'Social Tariff Home Essentials' packages only come as 2 packages.

You can choose either...

1. 36mb (equivalent to BT's lowest normal Essential Fibre.)

2. Or average of 67mb (equivalent to the normal Fibre 2)

Well seeing as both our BT website postcode estimates, and BT Wholesale estimates are in the 70's range, then in theory, we should of only of ended up on either the 36mb package, or the average 67mb package... Well... 49-50 is neither of those, or could be described as being inbetween those! (or at the very least for us personally our speed is able to be higher than 49-50)

So because that makes no sence, that makes it seem like our package wasn't created based on postcode or line estimates, and that it makes me think the woman who placed the order took it upon herself to just manually enter in any speed that she wanted to!

Dodgy!

Edit: another way to describe it, is it seems abit of a coincidence that the speed of 50mb is exactly the same advertised capped speed that we would personally get for Fibre 1. If them giving us the speed of 50mb on home essentials was supposedly based on what my line is capable of, then that seems a very specific speed. How comes not 45mb, or 60mb? From the fact 50mb is very specific, and is also the actual speed for one of their packages (fibre 1) then that makes it seem like the speed of 50mb given to us wasn't based on what we can actually get, but was manually capped, or manually entered in. 👍 

[Scott1210s]

So, I as iv already said, I contacted live chat again, explained the situation with the order having not given us the correct speeds.

The guy acknowledged and agreed that the speed is incorrect, and that the situation is in hand and that it will be resolved and put on the correct speed 24 hours after the contract started. Well.. Guess what? over 24 hours have passed, and it didn't happen! (we are still on the wrong speed) 

But what did happen though, which seemed promising or showed at least that something had been put in motion, is that the following day from that conversation in the morning, we did receive a new email with a new order number with updated information showing the higher speed we are supposed to be getting. But that's as far as it went. It hasn't resulted in the speed actually being changed though. 

So that's now confused me abit, because with the first confirmation email of our order we received, the changes then also began to update and change in mybt, as they obviously would, and showed that an order was open etc, and the different progress steps of the order, which then ended up completing.

But even though this new email has got a completely new order number, I thought maybe the email wasn't necessarily creating a new order from scratch as such, and that it was only just to update and reflect the new speed information. And nothing needed to be altered in mybt account. (apart from only maybe the speed of our package information)

But seeing as the speed hasn't ended up being changed, it's making me wonder, was that new order number and email supposed to of created an actual total new order, meaning that it should of also of created and shown a total new order in my bt account online aswell ? Because if that is the case, well it didn't create a new order in mybt. But I don't actually know if it was supposed to of or not. But if it was, maybe that's why the speed hasn't changed because the order didnt go through?

Even though I suppose the new email could be seen as the official new order number, I really dunno if the new email was mainly just for written confirmation/information purposes only? Or was it supposed to of over written the original order and created a new one in mybt aswell? 

The other issue is that the package comes with a call plan of unlimited minutes, (and I'm sure it was showing that to begin with in mybt as the order was progressing) but it's now showing as 'pay as you go'. So that needs changing in mybt account aswell. Iv got absolutely no idea wether the account has not got unlimited minutes but should have, or if it is unlimited minutes, but just isn't showing so? 

The first 2 times I had to contact live chat I wernt to bothered, but from the fact I'm now gonna have to contact them a THIRD time, and also part of the conversation in regards to getting the speed changed is me gonna be having to repeat myself, for a situation that should of been sorted the first time, this situation is now annoying me. I don't like to be told to wait 24 hours......for nothing!! 

This order has raised issues from the start. Even to begin with I wernt even able to order it online because of a glitch on the account, so had no choice but to phone up. Then the woman who makes the order puts us on the wrong speed. Then we are told we will be put on the correct speed, and havnt been.  And the call plan shows pay as you go instead of unlimited minutes. 

[Scott1210s]

I havnt been able to get a live chat begun at the moment, maybe it's to late now today.

But i just had the thought to look at my orders in mybt, and yes a new 2nd order had been created. And it's also showing as completed. But yet it didnt do anything, no change happened! 

Iv noticed a difference above the 2nd order (which it doesn't say above the first one) that it specifically says 'Closed Order'. I dunno if that has any significance, but it's making me wonder if that maybe means it was manually closed by somebody prematurely when it shouldn't of been.