Appalling Bullying Behaviour

[Christopher_G]

Hi @45SM 

I'm really sorry to hear that the letter left you feeling this way. The purpose of these letters isn't to frighten customers. They're intended to give advance notice of planned service changes or activity on the account, allowing customers time to prepare and make any alternative arrangements that may be needed.
I appreciate this won't change how the letter made you feel, and if you're unhappy about it, you've done the right thing in raising this with our executive team. They're the highest level of complaint escalation and will have opened a case on your account, which they'll be handling according to our complaint process.

We have lots of support available for customers switching to Digital Voice. If you have any questions or worries, our customer support team will be happy to check everything over for you, and make sure the transfer goes as smoothly as possible.

Please keep us updated with what happens.

Chris

[chrisjp]

If the purpose of the letter "isn't to frighten customers" why was the OP told by the Exec Complaints rep that "the email & letter were deliberately worded to cause alarm"?

[45SM]

thank you @chrisjp - as @midsummer100 said of of 'his/her experience "BT executive office contacted me and have apologised for the bullying, frightening and intimidating behaviour they display. Their staff at the executive office are embarrassed by their employers behaviour".

So some BT staff admit that some of them bully, frighten and intimidate - but the person I was speaking with said that it was to alarm such as I, not to frighten - as I have previously noted 'alarm is re a possible future threat at the possibility of this threat, whereas fear is a response to an immediate threat and the email etc were an immediate threat “This means your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next 5 days for 7 days” (bold is used in the email/letter).' The emails are an immediate threat not a possible future threat - it is an actual threat which is why the police listened - I have the incident reference from the police.

[45SM]

so - as posted below, this is what I wrote

"thank you @chrisjp - as @Midsummer100 said of of 'his/her experience "BT executive office contacted me and have apologised for the bullying, frightening and intimidating behaviour they display. Their staff at the executive office are embarrassed by their employers behaviour".

So some BT staff admit that some of them bully, frighten and intimidate - but the person I was speaking with said that it was to alarm such as I, not to frighten - as I have previously noted 'alarm is re a possible future threat at the possibility of this threat, whereas fear is a response to an immediate threat and the email etc were an immediate threat “This means your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next 5 days for 7 days” (bold is used in the email/letter).' The emails are an immediate threat not a possible future threat - it is an actual threat which is why the police listened - I have the incident reference from the police."

Perhaps you (@Christopher_G), especially as a Moderator, should take note of how this has made me feel, and that I am not the only one to feel such fear at such an email from BT, then such a letter from BT. Some BT employees clearly admit that some others within BT bully, frighten and intimidate customer - if this is not the case, why do some BT emplyees apologise for such?

[Jane2018]

I am sick to death of companies of many kinds lying to customers saying they have contacted you, emailed, called when they have not and it is an outright lie. I never ever miss an email, text or voicemail. I work for myself. Every communication is picked up within a few minutes of arrival to me. I think every time a big company makes these outright lies someone should lose their job - it is a massive issue throughout many companies. 

[45SM]

@Jane2018  - I agree 100% - if I could agree more than 100% I would do so. I was self-employed for most of my working life and retained clients through (apart from good service/advice) being efficient, open and honest. The problem is that the majority of 'customer facing' staff in larger companies are either blind to the awfulness of those senior to them, or too scared that they may lose their job - hence it is seldom in large (public - so called) companies that the customer is listened to - quite why the top people are paid so much for this failure I do not uinderstand - I, when up against the brick wall of senior management, email direct to the CEO - BUT they are too up**** to listen to a 'customer' who has been let down, and just pass the complaint back to the 'yes' people. If anyone can tell me why these top management are paid so much (they certainly do not earn it) please do let me know!

[iniltous]

Just read an article about this ‘warning’ communication, the article states after multiple failed attempts to communicate with unresponsive customers regarding switching from the PSTN network, these communications were send out specially to obtain an urgent response, and apparently 80% did respond having previously ignored all other communications around this matter ( admittedly the OP disputes that they were unresponsive to previous communications  ) , PSTN telephony was maintained during this period (and that’s what the alarm provision in question is thought to rely on , not the broadband service ) , so the overwhelming majority of recipients of this warning responded positively when previously they had ignored other communications around this matter , so arguably this was very successful in focusing the minds of the somewhat recalcitrant customers, who were then in a much less vulnerable position regarding the Jan 2027 PSTN switch off .

If the OP’s alarm was already working via broadband and not the PSTN (telephone network) , then if BT are the broadband provider  changing to Digital Voice is a relatively benign change, the phone cord goes into the router the alarm already off PSTN or was never on it  , if BT are not the broadband provider and just the telephone provider, the customer has a choice, join the broadband provider for telephone and broadband or join BT for telephone and broadband, but the shared nature of broadband from one provider and telephony from another cannot remain as it is .

As far as bullying behaviour, presumably 80% of recipients of this communication needed a hard truth otherwise they would have continued to ignore this upcoming deadline of Jan 2027 , it’s clearly  unfortunate that some misinterpreted the warning or were ‘frightened’ by it , given that it said broadband to be temporarily cut off , the problem customers are those with alarms connected to the telephone service (not broadband) and their telephony was never interrupted.

[Midsummer100]

Wow. Just wow.

Obviously you're not elderly, have no caring responsibility for anyone elderly or anyone with any special needs, such as dementia.

I'm not sure which OP you are replying to but I can assure you BT are completely out of order and it has been acknowledged that we have responded to every communication and it's OpenReach and BT who are at fault. 

There was absolutely nothing else we could do as OpenReach were waiting for our local council to give permission to dig up the road and it took too long so OpenReach closed the case and BT and OpenReach took us back to the beginning of the process, which is where we'd been 12 months previously. 

Please do share the link to the article so I can put the journalist right as they clearly do not have the facts and clearly have never been in the situation.

The BT employee who is dealing with us in the executive office told me they do not agree with the tactics used and don't agree that OpenReach and BT should be sending these appalling awful communications. 

[iniltous]

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/bt-reveals-95-percent-of-uk-customers-have-switched-to...
As stated , 80% responded to the push to acknowledge they were in danger of being dispossessed , clearly given the lack of response before this exactly what would  you have done ?, this isn’t a case of being unfeeling or dismissive, often it’s necessary to be forceful, the fire brigade don’t ask you to evacuate a burning building, they demand you evacuate.

FYI , the article quotes BT representatives not Openreach .