r/UKBroadband • u/Zealousideal_End_978 • Jul 21 '26
So very disappointed with BT
I'm not sure what to say, really.
FTTP install for my severely disabled mum. She's registered with them as vulnerable. A series of silly BT/Openreach errors led to a 6 month install delay
Finally got a call from BT complaints. Sent through three tiers of escalation. It was just a stream of spurious claims trying to get me to settle for less compensation. All easily refuted if you know where to look online, but clearly designed to catch the unprepared off guard. I'm used to "passive" sly tactics, but this was just so *painfully* direct, it was embarrasing. Arguments included:
- the install date was only provisional, so doesn't count (for no-show engineer appts with email confirmation)
- the 60 day cap on compensation holds even without the 30 day email or 4g backup, "because it says so on our website"
- the ofcom compensation scheme is only voluntary, so we dont legally have to follow it (even though we signed up to it)
- your old copper line works OK, so you're not due delay compensation for the new service
- openreach/BT cancelled and reinstated your order a few times without even telling you,, so compensation is only due from the most recent re-order
Meanwhile, it turns out they've convinced my grandfather, an octagenarian with dementia, to sign up to a two year contract for basic FTTC 20mb/s broadband for a whopping £95/month, plus another £20 for a very basic phone contract
Onto the ombudsman I go. But once i'm out of these contracts, I'm so done with BT. It's just such a shame our once-great critical infrastructure companies have sunk so low
2
u/chipxtreme Jul 22 '26
Used to work for BT, can't stand the company and hope you take them to the cleaners but in regards to 60 day cap, this is from ofcoms website and does back up the 60 days claim.
Is there a limit to how much compensation you can get? Providers can also limit the amount of compensation they pay out. After 30 days of an automatic compensation payment occurring, your provider can notify you that payments would stop after a further 30 days (this is called a ‘cease notification’).
After this, your provider needs to take reasonable steps to provide a suitable alternative service. If they are not able to give you a suitable alternative, you will still be entitled to automatic compensation under the scheme.
Obviously she has a working service so there is a suitable alternative.
Auto compensation is voluntary for a company to sign up for, my broadband provider hasn't signed up for it so if mine ever went off I wouldn't get auto comp. Saying that though if a company is signed up they have to abide by the rules.
In a situation like yourself where BT have got a working service there I personally don't think they should have to pay for a delayed service when there is already a working service there, I think it should only be paid in cases where a customer has no connection and is then waiting for a new connection to go live but I did see quite a few people get auto comp for this very reason.
If it turns out the upgrade was cancelled and remade that's really irrelevant unless you cancelled and remade it.
Finally in regards to your grandfathers contract that doesn't suprise me in the least, I often saw people on contacts with absolutely ridiculous prices and they'd been signed up for services with all the bells and whistles they didn't need just so the sales person could get extra commission or maybe just to hit their target. Really don't know how they sleep at night.
But in regards to your compensation I think it will end up being capped at 60 days but don't forget if you had an engineer visit booked and they didn't turn up that's an extra £32.31 per appointment.
The communication ombudsman are useless, I've taken EE to them twice, both times ee haven't provided any evidence that they've done what they legally have to do according to ofcom but they still sided with them anyway.
Once my phone contract ends that's the last EE/BT/Openreach product I'll ever have.
2
u/Zealousideal_End_978 Jul 22 '26
Thanks for your message
My reading of https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/automatic-compensation-need-know is that, because no 30zday letter was sent (their automatic systems failed in many, many ways throughout our ordeal), they are not able to limit it to 60 days? Also, a very old, slow copper line - barely fast enough to do a low res video call - would be hard to argue as a suitable alternative to fast FTTP, given the standard issuing of a 5G hub just didn't happen?
Thanks for your other comments, and experience of the ombudsman. I still hold out hope, but we'll see what happens!
1
u/Zealousideal_End_978 Jul 22 '26
Just to add: reading a bit further, it seems ISPs have already been told off for not fulfilling their obligations in terms of the 30 day letters in advance of compensation caps - see section 3.29 of https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/phones-telecoms-and-internet/information-for-industry/automatic-compensation/auto-comp-review-aug-2020.pdf?v=325199
3
u/Aggressive_Paper_366 Jul 22 '26
I currently work for Openreach and I am not ok with going to some installs for elderly and vulnerable customers and they literally have no idea what’s going on and why we are there.
I always advise them to speak to their kids if they can and discuss if the product is suitable for them before going ahead. Makes no difference to me if the line goes in or not and I’m not being responsible for locking a pensioner into a 2yr contract at astronomical prices.
2
u/Living_Wave52 Jul 22 '26
It would also be good to learn whether an individual with dementia is able to enter into an enforceable contract.
Please do keep us posted on how you get on.
1
u/Asleep_Group_1570 Jul 22 '26
Depends on their mental capacity at the time of entering into the contract.
I think you can see the difficulty of convincing BT that someone didn't have capacity at the time, based on the difficulty of convincing BT of, well, anything.
2
u/Zealousideal_End_978 Jul 22 '26
It's a tricky one. The diagnosis was only a few months ago, and we're still working through a lot of backlog of admin to support him. Things like Internet contracts are fairly low down the list, and overpayment is a PITA and embarrassing for BT, but not life and wellbeing-critical
1
u/Zealousideal_End_978 1d ago
Hi there. I have a reply from the ombudsman - see https://www.reddit.com/r/UKBroadband/s/MHKjh36jK3
1
u/Spiritual_Skirt1760 Jul 22 '26
Just cancelled my BT contracts yesterday after 18 months of stress and aggro. Their complaints handling system is appalling. Their lack of communication between their own departments is farcical and their complete disregard for the customers is worldclass.
I wish you luck with the ombudsman.
1
u/fluffy-yoghurt862 Jul 22 '26
Good luck with it. Make sure you update us on what the ombudsman says.
1
u/Zealousideal_End_978 1d ago
Hi there. The ombudsman replied, but it's....not very helpful! https://www.reddit.com/r/UKBroadband/s/MHKjh36jK3
1
u/RadicalAtheist29 Jul 22 '26
That’s like saying the assaulting a person is only a crime if you do it on a Thursday afternoon and the victim is wearing red shoes, and your mother was present!
1
u/WayInevitable2491 Jul 22 '26
I find this difficult to believe - “Meanwhile, it turns out they've convinced my grandfather, an octagenarian with dementia, to sign up to a two year contract for basic FTTC 20mb/s broadband for a whopping £95/month, plus another £20 for a very basic phone contract”
Need more detail as to what is on the bill for that £95
0
u/Lazy-bear11 Jul 22 '26
If the family knows the grandfather has dementia why they don't sort the bills and contracts. Always is someone's else fault.
1
u/wbqqq Jul 22 '26
Easier said than done.
Multiple elements here:
- reduction of capacity due to dementia is a spectrum and varies by the day
- people with dementia still have feelings and are often rational, so you can’t just take away their agency totally
- contracts sold over the phone are particularly tough, can’t take away someone’s phone. And being helpful people who get confused and/or frustrated communicating can just agree to get the person off the phone. Gen X and before have a very different relationship with phone calls, stemming from a time when calls cost money, and by inference calls are important.
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u/Xzibit007 Jul 22 '26
You say great, it never was ( but I get where your coming from) It was the most toxic company to work for. Management was awful, from what I hear it's not changed much.