BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?

Subject: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 01:53 PM

Is/are British Telecom capable of giving a simple answer to a simple question?

For nearly two weeks I have been without my home phone and home broadband. My telecoms contractor (TalkTalk) have finally informed me what the problem is - a broken cable at the Shepherd's Bush BT telephone exchange.

I have just tried calling BT to find out how long it will take them to carry out the repair, and all they could inform me was that because i am not a BT customer, the repair, in thier exchange was not their responsibility. I did not not that TalkTalk actuial own BT's infrastructure!!!!!!!! I thought that the telecoms operators leased capcity from BT - still I could be mistaken.

Assuming my original assumption is correct, and that BT do in fact own their own telephone exchanges, then I can understand why BT are not prepared to tell me what the progress is with regards to effecting their own repairs. TalkTalk do send me information updates whenthey get some info - but trying to get any info out of the company thyat has caused the problem is virtually impossible.

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 01:56 PM

But do you not pay line rental to BT

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 02:51 PM

I may not be a BT customer, but I am affected by BT's action/inaction. All I have tried to ask them is when they are going to complete the work on their equipment.

TalkTAlk do not own the equipment that is at fault, BT do.

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 02:58 PM

This is one of the reasons why, no matter what broadband provider I might use, I would never leave BT as a line provider.

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: gnomad
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 04:01 PM

Having no contract with you, BT are not answerable to you save via the agency of TalkTalk.

You have chosen (for whatever reason) to contract with TalkTalk, who are letting you down, and it is up to them to pressure BT. If you and your fellow sufferers can get TT to 'have a go' at BT you can be sure that their voice is louder than yours (hardly difficult, you have none) but I wouldn't hold your breath while you wait.

Frustrating, isn't it?

As to your initial question, maybe yes, If it is very simple, and given enough notice. Will they? NO. I doubt that anyone at BT can accurately answer your perfectly reasonable inquiry, I an absolutely certain that they won't.

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: JHW
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 04:44 PM

BT are however always a B of T

Subject: RE: BS: Can BT give a simple answer?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 17 Feb 12 - 08:00 PM

A friend of mine had exactly the same problem with TalkTalk, and was handed the same excuse for their inability to supply broadband.

He got so fed up after having no service for frequent and varying periods over three months that he elbowed TalkTalk and returned to BT, who installed a Homehub within three days.

He has received perfect service since, throwing doubt on the trouble at t'exchange story.

Around this area TalkTalk have something of a reputation, and not in a good way.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 01:19 AM

BT is my line provider and telephony provider but not my ISP (which is alas talk talk) and I spent a fortnight without broadband not long ago.

I had to tell talk talk that the problem was likely the jumper had come off in the exchange - they had no clue.

I did talk to BT and talk talk quite a lot - and I am a usually effective complainer - but ONLY BT are allowed into the BT exchanges, and despite my yelling they did it when they wanted to.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 04:11 AM

I use talk talk for my homephone as I get free calls to Prague landlines, and I decided to use them fpor my broadband so that I am paying only one fixed charge.

I guess the problem is that TalkTAlk are in breach of agreement (unless the contract has a valid disclaimer). I am wondering if there is a way I can give TalkTalk a deadline for BT to sort out the problem,on pain of multiple plagues decending upon them.

There seems little protection for consumers where the problem is not with a service provider but the service provider's supply chain.

I had a similar problem in my flat a couple of yeatrs ago when the element failed in my immersion heater water tank. My landlord contracted out trhe maintenance, and when the contracor arrived, he did not have the right materials for the job, and sais that I would have to wait until they submitted a report to my Landlord and then they (Landlord) would have to re-engage the work (note - it is a pity that English does not have relexive pronouns as it would mak it a lot easier to make it clear who 'they' are!!!!). The upshot was that the contractor refused to talk to me to tell me when I could expect the work to be done, as I really need lts of notice so I can keep my day clear of client appointments.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 04:31 AM

I think you will find that talk talk contracts have a disclaimer - they don't have to provide any service at all. I had a client - a multimillion pound business - that was nearly destroyed by changing all its business mobiles and landlines and internet to talk talk. Random and systematic failures basically meant that no-one could contact them at all. What did talk talk do? Sweet FA.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 05:49 AM

We had to opt out of talktalk too - and are back with BT. Its not ideal, we're in the sticks and speeds are dreadful, but its better than TT was.

Paws

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Musket
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 06:15 AM

At what stage does a mercantile product become a necessary public service?

Interesting one for any privatised service, although with what I know from the past (under Post Office telecommunications everything connected needed a BABT licence, takes years to get blah blah) we would never have broadband if it wasn't for the opening up of markets.

One assumes a responsible government would insist a market around a monopolist infrastructure would be include safeguards against passing the buck?

No, silly me.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 06:24 AM

Have to say that we're with BT, have a HomeHub etc and have no problems at all. The very slow speed is due to our location.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Will Fly
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 06:33 AM

Talk Talk are utter crap and, if you believe the financial reports, lost 50,000 customers last year.

My original ISP was a good little provider called Nildram - who were taken over by Opal - who in turn were swallowed by Talk Talk to become Opal Business. I have never surrendered my BT line. At the moment, Opal Business is adequate but, should the service deteriorate, I shall change to BT. Had I surrendered the phone line to Talk Talk in such a circumstance, I would be charged a hefty fee by BT for going back to them.

Moral - whoever your broadband provider might be, stay with BT as the line provider, unless you've dispensed with landlines altogether.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 06:51 AM

BT internet speeds are not too bad with Option 3 Broadband, I get up to 120kbps upload and up to 450kbps download, which is 4 times the speeds of 2 years ago. Admittedly Virgin download speed is up to 1.5mbps but upload is much less than BT on a neighbour's connection.

I wouldn't go near a telephone provider which had sales oiks calling you all the time!!

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 07:06 AM

Upload is no big deal most of the time. Like Will, I joined F2s which got eaten by a bigger fish, which got eaten by Tiscali which got eaten by talktalk. However I have a very good deal off talktalk (but still a BT line) of £10 per month for ADSL2+ which is giving me nearly 20 Mbps over POTS.

But the reason I will never never ever go back to BT as an ISP is their spyware - called "Cleanfeed". It's presented as being antikiddiporn, but it bars you (and gives you a lying 404)for ANY site that is officially banned - oh and they say it does not log your identity but its funny that they can give the government statistics of how many attempts to access banned sites were blocked by Cleanfeed. It ain't hard to see how useful that would be for example to President Assad or any other dictatorship bent on oppressing a civilian population that was trying to organise opposition (even legal opposition) to it.

I might yet try plusnet.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: goatfell
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 07:52 AM

no they an't give a simple ansewr, they're a business.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 18 Feb 12 - 06:03 PM

I've been getting my TV, Broadband and phone line from Virgin Media since 2000 (they were Telewest back then).

I get a genuine 10Mbps (speed checked between 9.6 and 9.8), which in March goes up to 20Mbps at no extra charge.

The whole package runs out at £45 per month give or take a quid, and comprises 90 channels of TV and Radio, 10Mbps Broadband, and free phone calls to everything except O870/0871, 090 premium numbers and mobiles.

In just under twelve years I have never lost my TV or Broadband for more than 4-5 hours, and that very rarely, and I have never lost my phone connection at all.

Overall, I reckon I've saved money by not choosing one of these cheapo options, and living out in the sticks, I wouldn't bother with BT either.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: The Barden of England
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 10:04 AM

If you have a contract with Talk Talk then it is a Talk Talk problem. If it is a problem at the exchange it is for Talk Talk to sort out with BT and not you. Simple.
John Barden

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 11:54 AM

That's all very well John, but they don't.

Subject: RE: BS: Can British Telecom (BT) give a simple answer?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 04:09 PM

All I wan't form BT is some common decency to let me know when they are going to solve the problem. I have done sub-contracted work on behalf of clients, but at least I have kept their clients (the people I dierectly work with) in the loop when there are problems.

I know it is Talk Talks responsibility to provide the service I am paying for, but until BT donate their exchanges to Talk Talk, it is 100% in BTs hands to restore the service.

Unless all the employees of BT are imbiciles it is just a process of looking up the repair status on their computer network - which takes a few sweconds - a fraction of the time they spend arguing that they can't give me an answer because I am not a customer of theirs