BT’s reputation sucks – they were recently cited as being a broadband rip-off market leader – and now they have stooped so low as to exploit relatives following a death in the family of the main account holder. In such a situation, I contacted various utility companies today and all were sympathetic and helpful, as well they should have been as I was offering to pay off outstanding bills. Except one.
BT made all the right noises, but after switching all names and taking new bank account details – I wanted to keep the number we had had for 54 years – they informed me that as the name of the account holder was being changed they needed a new 12-month contract. I explained that the deceased’s house was being sold and so the number would only be required for two or three months. I was then told in that case there would be a £70 cancellation fee when the house was sold. The person in the Indian Call Centre simply repeated the mantra, off the ubiquitous idiot’s guide she was reading from, that it was the rules and that the company was most sympathetic at my loss. Time after time.
Imagine how many BT account holders are put in this situation every day … hundreds, if not thousands. BT don’t have to do anything other than change the account name, but for that they demand a new contract and many people who be too upset to see through their scam.
The solution is simple. Don’t tell them of the death, cancel any direct debits and pay by cheque. Or if you want to annoy BT even more, if you have sold the house don’t pay by cheque. They will only be able to claim again the account holder, who legally no longer exists, unless they want to start lengthy and expensive recovery procedures against the deceased’s estate which may then have been wound up. It’s not something I would usually advocate, but in this instance they deserve it.
The best came last. After a heated 15-minute call, the lady at the Indian Call Centre read me the final question on her idiot’s guide; “Are you happy with the way this matter has been handled”. “You are taking the piss,” I replied, “have you listened to anything that has been said in the last few minutes.” There was a pause. “Is that a yes or a no,” she then asked again.
4 Comments
February 5, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I am in dispute with BT who cut me off whilst I was abroad after I had changed my payment plan from monthly to quarterly in anticipation of the trip to Europe. They agreed to the change and sent me a bill almost as soon as I had left the UK for a three month period.
As soon as I learned about this bill (£133) I attempted to pay online with my bank card….despite having the money in my account, NatWest refused the transaction! I later discovered it was because of ‘unusual payment activity’ on my account! I had tried to pay a bill in my own name with my own bank card using my own money!
BT cut off my service before the end of the agreed three month billing period and demanded £712 pounds for an original bill of £133. They put the matter in the hands of a debt collection agency without any dialogue with me and they (the debt monkeys) claimed £185 for sending me a letter to inform me that I now owed them £845!
The saga continues….I would like to challenge them in court because this is clearly unfair. BT make more for NOT providing a service than they do for providing it. Nice work if you can get it. I think I’ll not provide services to everyone on earth and charge them what the hell I like!
Cheers!
August 29, 2008 at 11:48 am
So your bank would not pay your legitiment bills and you blame BT.
How illogical.
September 13, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I agree. It makes a pleasant change for BT to be in the clear. But the combination of BT and a bank makes a disaster almost sure to follow!
January 16, 2009 at 2:03 pm
There is definitely something very unpleasant with the BT Zeitgeist – senior managers suckled on the milk of “there is no society” Thatcherism I expect. Re the deceased situation how utterly despicable, and re the debt collection saga you couldn’t write a more fantastic story – like a lot of the utilities they now send out debtors letters at the drop of a hat. They are an utterly dreadful company who don’t desrve the epithet “British” not least because they use Indian call centres, but because in my view they indulge in sharp practice. In my case, I was unemployed for a while and ran into difficulties paying bills – I actually managed to pay an outstanding bill when I got a new job but the payment which i made via their payment card reached them two days past the payment dealine (their processing problem) – they disconnected my phone and thus it remained for as couple of weeks whilst I sorted myself out financially. In the meantime I wrote to their complaints section detailing the problems I had had and pointing out that I had made payment – I have never jhad a response – and by the way do you know that you cannot complain to Oftel until they respond up to a period of three months. Anyway to cut a long story short they eventually reconnected me subject to a £50 up front payment which I assumed would be offset against my first bill – not a bit of it. I get my first bill and naturally ring to query why my up front £50 was not included (which would have left me £10 in credit) and was told by some wallah in Mumbai that they will hang on to the £50 for 6 months!!! They didn’t mention that when asking me for payment – I will be pursuing this with them obviously. As if this isn’t bad enough when I was behind with my bill payments they charged £7.50 interest which would have represented an eye watering return even by the avaricious standards of banks!! In addition I am charged the infamous non direct debit levy of £4.50 despite the fact that i pay in cash using their payment card, so all in all yes I think BT are complete*rs*h*l*s as well!!!