My adventures with BT- time to change company

Question

I've seen a few horror stories in the forums and felt like sharing mine. It is a long read, but the plot twists towards the end make it worth the time.
It all started when I decided to go with BT in my new flat because the previous tenants had BT so I guessed that it would be the fastest to activate compared to other companies. I know it's not the fastest (or best, in any way) but I needed to get online ASAP for work-related reasons. I placed my order over the phone and the woman said she would call me on the 20th of November (my activation date) to set up payments and make my line saver payment as well. She never did.
My hub arrived on the 20th of November. 2 days later after having no internet I called support. After spending an hour on the phone they established that my line is fine. But I don't have internet, so it's not fine for me. They said they have to send over a technician, problem being that I work 9-6 (I presume this is not such a rare case in the UK, so maybe BT could have thought about this?) and the technician can only arrive within a 5-hour timeframe, between 8-6. Having no intention of taking half a day off since I'm in  my probation period at work, I said that is not an option. I called again on the 2nd of December just to check if anything had happened that would let me connect. After running the same tests the person on the phone confirmed that I had to get a technician appointment. I did so, asking for the 1-6pm slot on December the 4th. I also asked that the person comes as late as possible and that they call in advance, which I was told is standard procedure anyway (I work close to home so I could come over on time, if they called 15minutes before arrival).
Furthermore I left work as early as possible and was at home by 4:30. No call came, just a text saying that my internet should be fixed now. I called at 5:45, intending to first raise a complain and then to cancel my contract. As soon as I was transferred over to the contract department I was told that the technician had come by and didnt  find me there. She also said that they never call as this is not standard procedure, and that I would have to pay the full 307 pounds of my contract since the technician has to approve before I cancel. That doesn't make sense to me since I am not getting the service I ordered, so I will not pay it. Furthermore, I haven't actually signed any contract.
Just as things were getting tense she told me that apparently I had just missed a call from the technical department at 17:53 (the time now was 17:58) so she would check with them what it was about. I was on hold for 5 minutes, then passed on to the technical department (3rd person I talk to during the call). The technical support person said that no appointment had been set with a technician, and then passed me on to a level 2 technical support person- I took this as leveling up and proudly proceeded. The chap on level 2 re-run tests and actually found something wrong with my line!!! Furthermore, when I asked about the 17:53 call, he put me on hold for 5. He then came back and informed me that the call was from the technician who had called to say he is on his way. 7 minutes before the end of his shift, the gallant technician decided that actually he had not visited my flat, that calling is standard procedure, and that he would come. What is more, my phone never registered a missed call (unfortunately my mobile provider is an unreliable company, unlike BT).
Well that gave me a 20% blood pressure increase so I yelled at him to pass me back to account cancellation. After the standard 5 minutes on hold I was back to canceling my order with the 5th person of the evening. She again said that I would have to pay the full value of the contract plus cancellation charges. Now I'm no economics genius, but giving money for no service isn't my idea of a good deal. So I said that if they want, they can come after me and try to get it. She tried to make me shut up without success, and also said that even if I switch company I would have the same issue with the technician times - a blatant lie since I know Virgin Media users who have  a dedicated person come up to 9pm, whenever the customer is available. The Virgin Media technician is called Colin and my friend can just call him directly to set up a visit.
At some point during the heated debate the contract cancellation woman said she would ask the technical team about something. I was on hold for the usual 5, and then suddenly I was talking to person number 6, another member of technical support. When I demanded to be put back to the person I was talking to, I was put on hold again. After -you guessed it- 5 minutes, person number 6 said that she sent an email to person number 5 and that person number 5 would call me asap. That was 24 hours ago, and I haven't had a call.
Funny part is, I wanted BT cause I needed to have my line activated ASAP. Jokes are on me.
I guess that there is no discussion left to make here, and Virgin will now be my next stop. Good luck with getting "your" money back BT.
For those who read to the end- congratulations and thank you for staying with me. Have a cookie.

Answer 1

Oliver.