Unable to Manage Add-ons to My Account over the In...

Question

On 27th Oct I signed up for a telephone and broadband service in a shopping arcade.
On 29th, I got a letter from BT detailing the order. The add-ons I expected were missing. I was particularly worried that I was Ex Directory and I did not want to lose my existing entry - the directory staff might close off at any time, leaving me unlisted for a whole year.
The letter told me I had an e-mail address and password, and I should check for e-mails regularly. During November I tried to access it but couldn't. I looked at BT sites and there were promises that I could amend my details over the internet.
 - "Welcome to My BT
 - My BT has everything you need online - you can view and download your bills 24/7, manage all your services, track your orders, get the latest offers and help - and much more"
I could not get this to work either.
Nearly 30 different explanations/advice I got for why I had no e-mail and couldn't change Add-ons over the internet are listed below.
 (1) 0800 111 4567: E-mail is not working because the line is not yet connected.
I asked for technical support since this seemed to conflict with the letter.
 (2) Security locked - give it 5-10 min.
I tried for 80 min. On dialling the same number
 () explanation 1 again, and I asked to speak to a supervisor.
 (3) Super said wait until Broadband is connected.
BT.custhelp let me send a complaint (I would rather have called it a problem at this stage). I also e-mailed a copy to the salesman.
The salesman asked me to explain what I had, in fact, patiently and carefully put in the e-mail.
 (4) He said he would call BT and cancel the order. I told him I thought his brinksmanship was a poor show.
 (1 again) He said to wait until the line was connected and it would be easy to sort out.
 (5) Eventually he insisted on handling the Directory Entry: I also wanted a slight change to the entry so that it said {Surname} {Wife's initial} and {My initial}. It took three attempts to get him to understand this, possibly because he was in the noisy arcade. This is why I prefer to do things on-line or by post.
(6) E-mail in reply to the "complaint": wait until connected. The originator said that he was to send a helpful e-mail within 24 hours. Call closed. I had 7 days to re-open it (what if on holiday?) The e-mail never arrived.
I re-opened. A... in Belfast 'phoned me - she was enthusiastic about helping me.
 (7) Unfortunately, she had already gone into my account and changed me to paperless billing. This is not one of the things I wanted - another reason to want to do my own amending on-line. She volunteered to change this so I will get both paper and on-line bills.
 (6 again) She will send me a helpful e-mail with a link, and she persuaded me that the call could be closed. I am not sure I ever got that e-mail.
 (8) A... 'phoned again to give me a number to call about the directory entry: I thought she had arranged something and the number she gave me would connect me with someone who would know.
The engineer arrived, connected me to BT and transfered the number. He was efficient and helpful. (But he knew nothing about BT e-mail etc.)
The 'phone line worked well and the Broadband was faster than my previous service.
I got to access my Btinternet.com e-mailbox.
I could not access BT.com/youraccount to change my Add-ons because
 (9) The system claimed I had chosen the security question "Mother's Maiden Name" from a list given to me. I had not chosen this. A... had asked me that question in order to set it up but when I did not reply immediately, she gave me a choice and let me set up a different question.
Later, I accessed this web page again and instead of asking me for Mothers Maiden Name, it asked me to set up the security question and gave me the options.
I tried to get in to update my Add-ons or my Account.
(10) "We are sorry. Our records show ... Outstanding order on this line ... to discuss ... helpful advisor on 0800 731 0286 8 am to 10 pm Mon to Sat".
(11) I 'phoned this. A2 said this was Directory Entry business, but it would clear at midnight.
(10 again) The following day, same message on BT.com.
I remembered A...'s words and 'phoned the number she had given regarding my Directory entry.
It was a general number for Directory things and when I got through the "Press 1 for ..." maze, the Advisor seemed to have no record of my problem.
(12) She said that I did have a Directory Entry, so either the original threat in the letter to make me Ex- has not (yet) been processed or the salesman came through.
(13) With regard to the listing, I explained what I want, but what she said in her thick accent gave me mixed feelings about if I will get it.
(14) 0800 713 0286 again. Advisor said there was no outstanding order. I should be able to get on now. I tried BT.com again
(15) "We are sorry ... we have noticed you already have one of our great package deals. Please call one of our helpful advisors on 0800 800 150 who will advise you on how to change your package."
I tried again. This time, I get
(16) "We are sorry we are unable to show you what your calling plan and add ons are. You may still change them on line - simply click the Change your Calling Plan link. Or contact a customer advisor on 0800 800 150 from 8am to 10 pm Monday to Saturday." I clicked 'Change your Calling Plan'.
The next screen showed a radio control against my Account number and phone number and another to allow me to enter an alternative number and my postcode. I clicked the control against my existing details and ticked a check box to confirm me as the account holder. A screen told me that my 'phone line was being checked. The next screen was a repeat of the message about already having a package deal.
I called 0800 800 150. I had a lot of trouble working out an appropriate key to press in response to the automated message and I got told
(17) "We do not have an order for you", but I got some more options. Remember that it says on the internet that I can call from 8am to 10pm. Ut was only 9:15.
(18) After going through all the rigmarole, I was told that Advisors are available 8am to 9pm.
(An e-mail to my BT.com preferred address told me I could now look at my bill online. I followed the link. The web page had no bill on it and none of its four links got me access.)
I called 0800 800 150 again.
(19) The advisor did not know anything about the internet - I should contact BT Shop on 0800 917 0510 where someone would talk me through it. Unfortunately, they were now closed for the weekend.
(20) He continually pushed for me to do my Add-ons over the 'phone - yet he had obviously not listened to what I had said since he wanted to fix the wrong things for me.
I received a letter confirming signing up for online billing.
An e-mail on Btinternet.com thanked me for signing up to BT.com.
(21) I was to click a link in it to finish the procedure. I did this.
Immediately I was set up for On-line Billing only. No advance warning. No confirmation screen. It seems incredibly easy to update my details over the internet to what BT want them to be, but, once again, it was impossible for me to get in and update them to what I wanted.
(22) Logging out I got "We are sorry, but there has been a problem/ Your order can not be fulfilled".
(23) The letter mentioned screen option "Profile". There was one called "Your Profile". I had not tried this before. It sent me off to a screen about BT OneID. A red herring.
(24) I called BT Shop. Internet was nothing to do with them.
I called 0800 800 150 again. The Advisor said she would also have recommended BT Shop.
I called 0800 800 150 again. A transfer, I forget where. No sooner had I got through than I was cut off by a dialling tone.
Dialled 100. After a strange procedure, I was through to an Accounts Advisor.
After another little adventure, he put me through to what I thought he said was the Accounts Department.
(25) The lady said that Call Centres know nothing about the internet, and that I will never be able to use it to access my details since I will only be able to speak to Call Centres. She said she was in the Cancellation Department.
(26) This probably meant that the previous Advisor had thought that my only hope was to cancel my entire service and get a new one.
She transfered me to Billing.
(27) S... checked my details and said that I did not have Paperless Billing set up(!), nor Direct Debit. I think also redit/Debit Card details that I had seen on one of the internet pages. She assured me that if I put these in I would be able to amend my Add-ons (I could change/delete these afterwards if I wanted).
Setting up the Direct Debit was complicated by one screen saying that I could change to a Regular Payment or Direct Debit, and the next only mentioning Regular Payment: in trepidation I opted for the Regular Payment, and the screen after that allowed me to set up the Direct Debit.
Having set up all the options suggested, I waited to be able to change my details. And waited.
It was at this point that I searched the internet for "We have noticed you already have one of our great package deals." It came up with BT Community Forum, and that the visitors all say how helpful the Moderator is. Here goes.

Answer 1

Hi Jim-in-Hemel,
Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear of the problems you're having with your order.
If you could send in your forum username and BT account details to the email address registered against my profile I'll see what we can do to help.
Thanks,
Stephanie
Stephanie
BTCare Community Manager
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