BS: Corporate Phone B*******

Subject: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 11:12 AM

OK, I am MORE than a little hacked off.

I've just spent the last few days trying to get a new phone number/internet access for a new address.

Easy peasy, right?

No way!

Apparently, I can't even REQUEST a new phone/internet line until I've moved in.....???????...and then they'll charge me from £99 to £122 to reconnect me to *their* phone line...EVEN IF I stay with the same company as the previous owners had! ?????????   They'll then take anywhere between 7 to 21 days to give me my new phone number and internet access.....probably because they're so damned busy counting their pile of money from their outrageous reconnection charges.

So, I'm about ready to start The Rebellion again, because we're all being ripped off left, right and centre, by Corporate B*stards who've got it all stitched up to make maximum profit out of maximum customers...

I know, the world's gone nuts, but isn't it time to fight back?

Yeesh!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Amos
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 11:17 AM

Fuck 'em. Get a sat link and use VOIP to call anyone on the planet.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: jeffp
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 11:34 AM

Shop around. And let them know you're doing so.

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: 3refs
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 11:40 AM

"Shop around. And let them know you're doing so."

And when they find out your looking elsewhere, what you'll hear from them will resemble phone sex, as they try to keep you as a customer!

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 12:06 PM

That sounds like BT. Try some of the other providers. BT are notorious for this.

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: GUEST,PeterC
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 01:53 PM

I have never had a problem taking over an existing line with BT. Admittedly I have only needed to do this four times in my life as hate moving house.

Is this a property with no current connection or are you trying to change suppliers as you move in?

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Emma B
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 02:04 PM

I moved into a house with an existing BT line - had no problems whatsoever and no additional charges.

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 05:08 PM

The house is with Tiscali at present, both for internet and phone. Tiscali want to charge me £99 for reconnecting. ?????

BT want to charge me £122 as they say they need to put a line in, but they can't start the connection process going because Tiscali hide all the details from other companies, so they have no connection showing up for the house at all.

At least BT would have to send someone round to put a line in, so some of their gross charge is justified, but Tiscali...?   

The Tiscali line is NOT disconnected at present, as the same people are still living there, using their phone and internet, yet Tiscali won't change the number and name over to mine without charging me a vast amount.

Sheesh! It's bloomin' daylight robbery!

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 07:14 PM

I don't know if this would work in your case, Lizzie, but I just had a run-in with my cell phone company and emerged successfully. Actually emerged quite well satisfied.

I use my cell phone very little, generally because I have it only as a emergency measure if I'm out and around in my electric wheelchair—if the batteries fail, or if I otherwise get stranded. Or if I'm passing the grocery store and I call my wife to see if I should pick up anything. I opted for a pre-pay system where I pay $25 every three months, and that gives me 100 minutes during that three month period. If I don't put another $25 in exactly three months later, I lose whatever balance I had and have to start from zero. Otherwise, the new $25 is added to whatever balance I have built up. During the several years that I've had the cell phone, as I say, I've used it very little and have built up a substantial balance. Close to $500.

When I tried to add another $25 to my account on their web site a couple of days ago, it refused to take my payment and informed me that there was a problem with my account. Repeated attempts produced the same message. I called their customer service number, and after drilling down through several layers of recordings ("If you have blue eyes, press one, if you have three heads, press two. . . .") I got a more or less live person. I asked what the problem was. They informed me that since I hadn't used the phone much, they couldn't continue to carry me on their books as a pre-paid customer and I would have to change to a more expensive plan.

So—I said that if I lost the balance that I had already paid them, I was going to be a very unhappy person, and if I had to change to a more expensive plan, then I may as well change companies too.

There was some vigorous back-pedaling, and the person then told me that they would apply my balance to a full year. I would not have to pay in another $25 until August of 2010.

So, until then, I have 1,983 minutes worth of cell phone calls. Considering how much I use the thing, that should suffice!

A firm edge to the voice, a hint of anger, and the suggestion that you're thinking of taking your business elsewhere often works wonders.

The crucial question, of course, is, do you have an "elsewhere" to take your business to?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 11:55 PM

All being well, Lizzie, you may find that the figures they are giving you are maximum charges rather than set rates. BT quoted us about the same to restore a line when we moved from Virgin but then discovered there was an old one so they didn't charge us anything. Even though the old one needed mending with a new one!

If they stick to their guns though I would certainly be revolting. Well, more revolting than already...

BTW - I have heard bad things about both Tiscali and TalkTalk so I shied away from them. How about cable? Are Virgin verging on your area? We only moved off because we got a better deal from Sky - They need a BT line though. Virgin do some good deals. Or how about going completely mobile? Cheap enough nowadays.

Good luck anyway.

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Corporate Phone B*******
From: Acorn4
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 04:06 AM

Well justified rant, Lizzie.

When we moved to a new house we were without internet for a month because my ISP wouldn't let me transfer the hostname without jumping through all manner of hoops - I would have needed a temporary hostname for a month and then transfer back to the old one when they'd completed their bit. It just wasn't worth the hassle.