I have had a reasonable service from BT for years however that looks like it is coming to an end as when they are actually required to do something it seems they are terrible. In this case fix a phone line that has been mainly dead for the last 4 weeks and fix broadband speed which has dropped from 6-7Mpbs to under 1 for no reason.

Anyway, they regularly have called me up at the end of the year to ask if I wish to sign up for another year and offer me some incentive. I haven't done that since I got my free BT vision 2 or 3 years ago. Over the phone I explicitly said that I don't want anything for free and I don't want a 12 month contract, I will just pay as I go.

Now I have tried to cancel because of the problems with the service they say I am under contract till December. I have also noticed a package on the phone line that I had removed after a long conversation on mis-selling with their customer service I have just noticed is still on.

Bottom line question. How can you take on these companies that don't get any formal agreement of a contract and at best only phone you up to ask? How can you prove that you are not under contract when the only thing that exists is a tick on their system?

I have pre-emptively sent their customer service an email saying that I do not wish to sign up for any contracts they have to offer but what can you do about the current ones?

Thanks for any advice.

BT have been trying to get me to sign up for 'free evening and weekend calls' which would actually tie me into another 12 month contract, but weren't up front about this. I didn't need this anyway having this through orange broadband, but it was only because I know that they would tie me into a new contract having carefully read an earlier offer.

You could always challenge them to provide the details of the contract that you are under (probably from last December).

You should follow their complaints proceedure before involving Otelo.

Sparky.

First I have no knowledge of BT Vision. With Broadband once one gets to the end of a contract period you can then give fourteen days notice of termination at any time. I specifically asked them if it rolled on for another period and they said no. The phone is fourteen days notice. That is from the horse's mouth and the latest because the notice periods were reduced earlier this year.

Broadband technical service is very poor and as there is no joined up thinking you can find yourself going around in ever decreasing circles. On the phone side you're dealing with Openreach (also BB) which, at arm's length, is used by all the telephone companies. Can't remember the detail but with the phone it's got to be functioning within a certain time or compensation kicks in. No such luck with broadband.

Certainly you cannot go to Otello until you are signed off or twelve weeks has passed since complaint is opened BUT I phoned them and Ofcom for informal advice and they were helpful.

If you want phone records you have to time and date - I'm not sure how accurate eg 11:01:01.

I think you should consider sending in a SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST under The DP Act before complaining - they have up to 40 days and it's a tenner.

access:

Certainly you cannot go to Otello until you are signed off or twelve weeks has passed since complaint is opened

Now 8 weeks since recently or tomorrow?

That was how they got me. They didn't mention being tied for another 12 months just fell for the "it's free" thing to finish the call.

I was blunt with them today and got it taken off. I think they do it to meet targets and hope that people don't care enough to notice.

No progress on broadband. I can sit out the 3 months if necessary, it'll be cheaper and less hassle. I just think that contracts should have a mutual agreement which is open, verifiable and referrable. This trend for "phone contracts" leaves the customer wide open if they are considered legally binding.

Thanks for all the advice. Fingers crossed BT will relent.

Cheers
Colin

Thanks Jalexa. Otello did tell me on the phone but I forgot possibly because I was so unimpressed with the reduction.

Hi, These over the phone contract "renewals" are subject to the same scrutiny that sales agents for power companies are. I.e. they need to prove (through the use of a call recording) that you consented to the extension having full knowledge of the extension.

They tried it on with me, offering me a £2 a month "discount" on my BBand. At no point did they tell me that it would be a contract extension, however i figured as much anyway. I said no explicitly, and a couple of months later received an email to say that my contract had been renewed.

When i phoned up I stated that I had never agreed to an extension. The response i got actually made my jaw drop. They said the computer screen stated that i had consented.

Basically, i just politely responded that at no point had i agreed to an extension. The onus was on them to prove that i had. Failure by them to produce a recording of me actually consenting, which they didn't have as i didn't consent, would result in the contract being null and void. If they did not agree to this course of action and immediately cancel my extension within the complaints period allowed, i'd be happy to take the complaint to the Ombudsman.

Funnily enough they agreed and cancelled there and then.

Hi. just had the same thing with one of my business broadband accounts.

They insist that our 'regrade' was actually another 2 year contract extension? Never at any stage was I advised of this and certainly would never agree to this. The call logs are no longer archived from 18 months ago? Convenient that one.

Made a complaint but they are still not interested and are closing the complaint. We are taking this to the next stage now with Ofcom. I cant believe the stance BT take with customers. We have lots of phone lines and broadband accounts. They will be losing them all soon.

Found a great broadband provider for one of our other properties who i will use from now on. Only 1 month contract/tie in required. Great rates and award winning service. They are called Zen and its .co.uk

Hope BT do not buy them out.

Hey scoobyclub. Slow broadband and problems with your telephone line are not good. Please PM your BT account details and I will look into this for you.

Yup, I know they are not good but I also prefer not to pass on account information to people I can't verify.

Anyway things appear to be resolving themselves slowly. Phone line hasn't gone dead for 3 days and the broadband connection seems to be being fixed.

However, I have had to spend an inordinate time on the phone checking this, checking that at the request of someone in India. I have spent hours on the phone, hours writing emails etc. I know that the customer service people were doing there best but when you keep hearing the same scripted responses and information time after time it drives you nuts. And, finally, they admitted that both faults lay within their exchange. Surely these should be the things they eliminate first.

As far as the contract goes I am going to move when the contract is up. O2 appears to be the best deal out there and they have UK call centres. I will still get line rental from BT as I am not prepared to risk TalkTalk or Tiscali. I used TalkTalk's speed checker on their website and they called me twice in the same day, once at 9pm. I generally find the worse the service the harder they try to sell it to you. Bit like a bad experience I had with a double glazing company.

Shame, BT had been fine for me until now but I guess you only find out how good a company is when thigs go wrong...

Thanks for all the advice, I will make sure I write down anything I agree to on the phone in future.

Dear scooby

Your last thread was almost painful to read - snap! The system is awful and they, not the polite operatives, hate to admit that the fault/s are their end. I switched to O2 having read very favourable reports BUT also because of the "30 day happiness promise" which I think is still available. CS is excellent and one operative seems to have a good knowledge of everything rather than... I'll just transfer/cut you off Sir... Standard speed much better than BT at a fraction of the price and £5 discount if you take another service. I don't understand why anyone is with BT unless they have to be.

BTCare:Hey scoobyclub. Slow broadband and problems with your telephone line are not good. Please PM your BT account details and I will look into this for you.

Just how is someone supposed to trust a complete stranger - asking for personal details to be sent to them - in any case HOW - PM ?

Either this person is a fraud or it is another case of BT incompetence - I will leave you to decide....

I received the obligatory phone call - yesterday from someone at BT - trying to talk me in to signing up for 12 months "free calls" - which, I get anyway - through my ISP - I rejected this - the chap who phoned, wouldn't take NO for an answer and kept on trying - eventually, I put the phone down on him - BT are a disgrace !!

Hi Twee,

I'm really sorry for the confusion around our previous post. It looks like a technical issue from our side that didn't pick up the advisor signature. Thats' now been corrected. If you want to stop receiving marketing calls you can sign up for the Telephone Preference Scheme, free of charge, at www.tpsonline.org.uk.

Cheers

David

It is NOT a technical issue - it is an INCOMPETENCE issue

Why should the default be that we want these marketing calls ?

The default should be NO marketing calls - unless we request them.....