7 hours, 3 complaints, no reply and no BT Sport

Question

Unbelievable. I know you're all having similar issues, but just in case someone at BT is actually listening (as our complaints and phone calls are going unanswered), here's our experience. If a mod can arrange the Exceptions team to call ME I'd appreciate that.
COMPLAINT 1:
Dear BT
We have been BT customers for a long time, and switched to a triple play deal a couple of years ago, taking phone, broadband and TV from you. I assume this is what you want from all customers, and we were happy with the deal.
I was even more pleased when I learned that BT Sport was coming, and I signed up early so not to miss out on subscription options. However, now I am trying to add BT Sports, being a long term committed customer of BT has placed me at a SIGNIFICANT DISADVANTAGE.
As I write, I am currently on hold to your customer contact team. In total, over the past 2 days, I've been on the phone for 6 HOURS trying to get this resolved. Let me take you through some of the pain of that 6 (yes 6!) hours.
1. Having received no communication via email or through MyBT in advance to enable me to access BT Sport, I waited until the launch. Being a BT customer, having BT Broadband and BT Vision, I was aware that we do not live in an Infinity area but the communications seemed to indicate that I would just be able to start watching online as soon as BT Sports was available. So I logged in through MyBT (having made sure I had access to it a few weeks ago), but when I tried to add BT Sports / access BT Sports, I received an error message asking me to contact BT. So I did.
2. Having used the QueueBuster feature (which is brilliant - why can't all your departments have it?) I received a call back within 10 minutes, in which the advisor informed me that 7.9Mb was not fast enough to receive BT Sport. I asked about the non-BT Infinity option, to which I was advised I could not receive. I was doubtful, but thought this may be possible, and so asked for help to access the app. He said he couldn't help me with this, and so I was transfered.
3. Eventually I got through to the technical help team. It took half an hour for them to figure out I could not access the app as I had not SUBSCRIBED to BT Sport. I asked HOW I was meant to subscribe, as I had received no communication on how to do this and every link in your utterly confusing website ended up in the same message. They passed me to the BT Sales team to organise this.
4. After another long wait I eventually got through to another department. When I explained my situation (all I wanted to do was watch BT Sports on my laptop, and I am a BT Broadband customer) they said I needed to subscribe. I said I know this, that's why I've been put through to them. After another 20 minutes going around in circles I was advised to go through to BT Sport on 0800800801. I asked to be transfered, which they could not do, so I hung up and called BT Sport.
5. I spoke to 2/3 advisors at BT Sport, who were able to identify that the cause of the problem was that I was on an OLD triple-play package, and that they could not process the order. All tried to transfer me through to the Exceptions team. All calls failed - just cutting off after 20 minutes on the call.
6. I gave up after 3 hours of going round in circles and decided to try again in the morning. I called back at 8.30am this morning. Now, at 11.30, it has just been resolved.
7. I called at 8.30 and spoke to Richard, who tried to be helpful but couldn't get any further either, and so transfered me to Exceptions. He tried to hang on but understandably after 5 minutes he had to transfer direct. The call then inexplicably dropped.
8. I called back again, and was put straight into the queue for Exceptions. After 40 minutes, the call was finally answered and the helpful Jeanette took up the cause. She explained that our package was an unusual situation (WHY?) due to it being on the old system. She tried to unpick it and process the order, but after half an hour her system would not let her go any further. So, diligently she asked to call me back after she'd reset her system. This she did, and half an hour later again (at around 10.30) she was finally successful in putting our package back together. For this we needed a new Vision box, a new router and a new viewing card. Great, sorted I thought.
9. I checked online for the order, which showed up fine on the email confirmation. I then double checked by tracking online, and found all the equipment was due to be delivered to our old address! So, I had an email to the right address, all account details in the right address, all details confirmed on calls (at least 9 times) to the right address, and our old address in on the delivery details?
10. I phoned back after again FAILING to change the details online. This time the call took around 40 minutes, and I was transfered to 2 departments just to check and confirm that the wrong delivery address HAD been allocated, and to change this to the account address. Something that I was lucky to catch - and I only caught on double checking online due to the PAINFUL experience I've had with BT over the last 2 days.
Finally, I'm hoping all is resolved. The package I believe we now have includes:
1. Line rental paid upfront for 1 year
2. BT calls package (weekends and evenings) at £2 per month
3. BT Unlimited Broadband at £16 per month
4. BT Vision Essentials pack at £5 per month (including BT Sports)
5. A new router
6. A new BT Vision box
7. A viewing card
This has been a hard slog. And surely it should not be like this for a customer who has been with you for a long time and has taken all services from you for a long time.
In fact, I'm sure it would have been much easier for Sky customers to switch to BT or add BT to their existing Sky package than it was for this BT customer to get an additional BT package!
I hope you can understand my EXTREME frustration with this process, and the time it has cost me to do this. Indeed, it would have been quicker for me to switch everything to another provider I think.
So, I would certainly like to be recompensed for this SEVERE INCONVENIENCE. I am happy to pay the £23 per month agreed, but I would like all upfront fees (line rental / BT Hub / Vision Box / Viewing Card / Delivery fees) reimburded as a gesture of goodwill and recognition that it really should not have been that hard.
I look forward to your positive response to this matter.
COMPLAINT 2 (After the equipment was delivered to the wrong address)
Now I don't have complaint 2, but it was something along the lines of why did I bother when you ended up sending my package 300 miles away from where I now live after confirming everything with you. TWICE.
COMPLAINT 3: (after getting the equipment, minus a remote control, and finding out it's useless anyway)
Dear BT
I've written so often that I almost feel like an old friend. Or a jilted lover, given that all of my messages fall on deaf ears, my calls aren't returned and there's never anyone to answer my call.
You've really outdone yourself this time.
You'll recall on my last love letter that I complained about the delivery of our new equipment going to the wrong address after I had confirmed with you that it would go to the right address? And this after 6 hours of trying to unpick our LEGACY package so I could adorn you with more money and you could tie me in for another 12 months of loveless partnership?
Well we eventually got our equipment (delivered from 300 miles away - no thanks to you), and had the joy of installing our new YouView box, only to find no remote control. The irony of it was that a new box was ordered as I had requested a new control for our broken one on our old Vision Plus box. So, back on the phone I go to try to get a control sent to us PDQ, and guess what...
1. You don't need a viewing card for a YouView box (oh, yes you charged me £10 for a Viewing Card too)
2. I can't get BT Sport (which was the whole purpose of this utterly fruitless exercise) on a YouView box with copper wires?
So why oh why have you sent me a new YouView box AND CHARGED ME FOR IT when I can't use it to get what I want? AND WHERE'S THE REMOTE CONTROL!
So apparently the magical, mysterious Exceptions team have the power to put everything right and make it all work. Except they're the ones who messed up in the first time. And your oh so lovely customer assistant assured me they aren't as busy as they were a couple of weeks ago. Well I've been on the phone 50 minutes now and still got a ring tone, and I know the lines will cut off in 30 minutes as the department closes at 8pm.
So, to sum up:
1. You've charged me god knows how much and tied me in for 12 months
2. You've removed our ability to record live TV on our Vision + box, and deleted ALL of our precious recordings
3. Sent me a Viewing card that doesn't work (it's a 118 card and my box asks my to enter a 119 number) AND charged me for it
4. Sent me a new box for which I don't NEED a viewing card.
5. Sent me a new box WITHOUT a remote control
6. Sent me a new box with which I can't get BT Sport
7. You are charging me £5 a month for LESS TV functionality
8. I have wasted 7 hours jumping through your hoops
9. I have sent you 2 previous letters of complaint - this is my third. ALL so far are unanswered.
10. Delivered the wrong order to the wrong address AND CHARGED ME FOR IT. AND I got the redelivery done myself as it was quicker than getting through to you!
Unbelievable. Shameful. Embarrassing.
It's actually worth spending £100 a month with Sky just so I don't have to deal with you.
In fact, I think I might just do that unless I get a pretty speedy response and an incredible gesture of love from you soon.
Much love

Answer 1

Hi aaronjaffery,
Welcome and thanks for posting. This certainly doesn't sound good at all. I'll be happy to look into this for you if you wish. Drop me an email with the details. You'll find the "contact us" form in the about me section of my profile. Once I have the details we'll take it from there.
Cheers
David
BTCare Community Mod
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