BT Internet fraud   |   BT Nevertime   |   Telewest   |   weed's home page

BT Internet Anytime? - BT Nevertime

personal experience of duplicity - 11 October 2001


i've just cancelled my British Telecoms Internet Access Account (known as BTInternet, BT Open World, BT Anytime etc) -- since their 'upgrade' at the end of September 2001 the service has deteriorated to the point where i've found it unusable because --

  • it is very difficult to login via dial-up networking -- sometimes 12+ attempts needed

  • it has very slow transfer rates -- for web pages, rarely above 360 bytes/sec, and sometimes down to below 12 bytes/sec so even simple pages never finish loading

  • there are arbitrary disconnections -- often within a few minutes of logging on

  • there is inadequate technical support -- emails get standard responses that user's equipment needs upgrading -- the telephone helpline is expensive and offers no useful advice

  • it has a misleading status page -- there's a daily report which usually states that there are no known difficulties with dial-up access

the reason why


apparently BT Internet are secretly downgrading access to those customers who they consider to be 'overusing' their accounts, so that they are no longer able to logon easily to the net! -- immensely annoying, disgustingly deceitful, and wasting hours of peoples' time

what fun they must have laughing at the emails they receive carefully detailing all the problems their customers are having trying to get the basic net access that they've paid for and which they've been told is available to them -- and how they must sneer at the gullibility of the punters as they email back the pre-written standard replies advising that the modem drivers must be updated, or a faster chip is needed, or a special BT line booster service must be purchased, or some other such drivel

forget all that bullshit about 'customer service' -- the reality is that BT Internet employees are there not to help, but to deliberately mislead, to tell you whatever they've been instructed to tell you

their arrogant duplicity was exposed on the BBC's Watchdog program in October 2001

BT may not be the worst Internet Acccess Provider in the UK (tho they are the worst i've come across) -- but they are surely one of the most untrustworthy -- so if you're reading this and you go ahead and purchase an internet account from them, and you end up getting taken for a ride, well you've been warned


postscript


well i _tried_ to cancel my BTInernet account -- i phoned them -- they said they'd deal with it there and then, and that it was now cancelled, and there'd be a refund for October! -- my bank account was debited in October and there was no refund -- presumed that these things take time -- my bank account was again debited in November and still there was no refund --- another phone call, and they said they'd deal with it there and then, and that it was now definitely cancelled -- hurray! (?)



BT Internet fraud   |   BT Nevertime   |   Telewest   |   weed's home page

thanks to Dave at World Flags for info re BBC article
comments to weed@wussu.com
revised 28 June 2010
URL http://www.wussu.com/various/bt.htm