Dear BT Business Broadband,
We’ve been together for so long, it was so beautiful, but I think it is over. How did we get here? We had been together for years! We had been so happy! But you had to go and ruin it!
So how did we get here?
- You called me up and offered to upgrade my BT Business Broadband, reduce the price and of course sign me up to another two year contract (the T&C’s of which are a mystery). Great news and of course I said “YES PLEASE”.
- On Thursday you sent me a kind automated email telling me the upgrade was complete and we were wedded to each other for the duration of the contract. I was so excited and it almost felt like my wedding day all over again.
- The honeymoon was short lived and the connection started playing up on Friday, things went down hill over the weekend and I started to think we were not a marriage made in heaven on Monday when you just couldn’t deliver your side of the bargain. You couldn’t hold your connection so for me that meant - No Internet, no phones (we use voip), no reservation system, no business, no bookings.
- I understand that the start of any relationship can be rocky so I called BT Business Broadband Customer Service. You were so loving, told me you understood my problem, knew it was important to me, were doing everything to help and even gave me a call reference number so I felt valued and like something was being done.
- You asked for my IT guy to come on site and help you fix our problems, they were here for hours, you spoke, you said that it was you, not me, you were going to change. It was going to be fixed asap.
- It wasn’t fixed!
- We still had our problems on Tuesday.
- We spoke on the phone, told you the same story each time. Each time you said it was you not me.
- You said you would call me back. You didn’t call. I called you and we started again.
- I emailed, you said you would reply, you didn’t
- I called, we started again, you said you were sorting everything out.
- It’s Friday afternoon. My connection with you is still broken. I feel so disappointed that you have let me down like this.
- Where do we go from here? Is divorce the only option or can we reconcile? We’ve been together for years, I thought you cared but it seems not.
So BT Business Broadband, your technical support is terrible, your customer service and call handling is even worse and no matter how many times I call you you can’t fix my problem. I think it’s time for me to leave, to say goodbye and shed a tear. I so wanted to stay but you have made it impossible.
Goodbye
All my love
Neil
With apologies to “It’s over Vodafone. I’m leaving You.”
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for linking back to my original blog post.
I’m dissapointed you overooked the opportuni on BT having problems “keeping it up”! : )
Neil that story is truly touching and perhaps would have been suitable for Simon Bates “Our Tunes”
Neil, Can I help? Drop me an email at david dot pincott at bt dot com.
Regards
David
Interesting that BT’s social media team seem to be more on the case than their technical support. I was beginning to think that they were unable to make any outgoing contact.
Well, I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed and have emailed David, so lets see what he can do for me. Or is all hope of BT Business Broadband Love Lost?
My pleading email to David
“Dear David,
Thank you for your comment on my blog. I sincerely hope that you can help me resolve this issue. I presume you are from the customer service/web presense monitoring team.
For your records if you wish to trace the complaint/process etc the call reference was: 218 986 ********* – my BT business broadband line is 0141 *******.
This fault was reported last Monday and is still not resolved.
The main issues I would like either your Technical Support/Engineers or Customer Service Department to resolve are as follows:
- Fix the ongoing issue. My IT suport have now spent over six hours on site doing the “diagnostics” your helpline continues to request. Each time they call (even when your team has just asked them to go onsite and call back) it is as if this is the first time we have called, they are asked to check the router and faceplate and go through a series of idiotic tests. Your engineers have established the fault is on your side! Not ours, this has been agreed. We briefly had a connection this morning but it as since dropped again and was at a download speed of 2.92M and upload speed of .35. Hardly a 20M download speed I have supposedly upgraded to. You need to get your technical team on this as a matter of urgency and get one of your engineers out to my premises.
- Your call logging system needs to be completely overhauled. Why do we have to go through all the same questions each time we call. Why do you even bother to give us a call ref when nothing is ever witten down on your side.
- Why do you bother having an email contact form on your website when I receive no response?
- Your customer service team needs to call me urgently to explain why I shouldn’t cancel my contract with BT Business Broadband service immediately and offer me compensation.
Please David, I need a stable Broadband connection to run my business and since you “upgraded” my service it has cost me hundred of pounds in IT costs and thousands of pounds in lost revenue, lets hope you can get this sorted out for me.
Oh, and if someone asks me if my router is compatable with ADSL 2+ again I am going to scream and possibly cry.
Let’s get this sorted and see if BT Business Broadband can redeem itself.
Your sincerely,
Neil”
Peter, as I am just a young thing I had to to go in search of the reference and yes I have to agree. For those of you who are also sprighty young things here is an explanation courtesy of Wikipedia:
Full article
Duane, it was a pleasure, I really enjoy your blog and missing “keeping it up” is another clear illustration of just why you are way ahead of me on the blogging front.
I am sure I will be in touch again as your software looks great and I think it could tie in really well with a reservation system we use which is also a Saas solution.
Thanks again for the inspiration and continuing amusement via your blog. The taxman is also a favourite.
It seems that blogging about your problems with BT Business Broadband is the only way to get things moving. Since David (from PR) got in touch regarding my relationship problems with BT things have moved along quickly.
I have just had a call from Elaine in “The Chairman’s Office” who is looking into our ongoing problems. It looks like things may be happening.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Will my BT Broadband problems be resolved? Will we be reconciled and live happily ever after? There may be hope.
Elaine, I’m counting on you!
Excellent post, top quality Neil!
Mash from BT called yesterday morning. She said an engineer was coming out between 1 and 5 to solve our problems. I put the kettle on, ordered in some choccie biscuits and tidied up the office.
Needless to say they didn’t call, didn’t arrive and I was left eating choccie biscuits and crying into my tea as the sun set on another day of my BT Business Broadband customer service saga.
On the plus side something has happened as we now have a BT Broadband connection, all be it at a speed of 1.45mbps, hardly the 20mpbs I was promised when I renewed my contract and about a quarter of what we used to have. Wow! Some engineer who has sorted out this fix.
I feel a bit like I walked up the aisle with Kate Moss and after a brief and confusing ceremony left the church in the arms of Mike Tyson.
Come on Mash, Elaine and David I am sure you can do better than this.
Show me what the best of BT can do!
Neil, I am onto this again…
I’m sorry.
David
It’s been a busy day, time flies when you are using a temporary email system and your broadband runs at a snails pace, but I thought I would just give you a quick update.
Mash called again this morning, apparently an engineer was going to the exchange yesterday – my misunderstanding obviously – just goes to show how the smallest misunderstanding can inflame things in delicate situations like these.
A BT engineer is now booked to come round to our office tomorrow morning. I’ll get some more biscuits in but if I have to eat the whole packet again out of desperation it’s not going to be good for my waistline or future prospects.
David from BT’s PR has been back on the case again – there is a man who is ahead of the game – lets get him promoted to head of customer service, he’s wasted in BT’s social media PR department!
Fingers crossed fro tomorrow’s visit.
I’ll let you know how we get on.
Shock! Horror! Keith from BT was here at 9 this morning. Unfortunately he didn’t want choccie biscuits or tea so I will have to let out the belt another notch. Not that it matters as it doesn’t look like Kate Moss is coming back anytime soon, so I can probably let myself go.
Keith did his tests, we talked briefly, he was charming and reconciliatory, nothing changed, I am still married to Mike Tyson and suffering from a super slow connection – check this out for a 20mpbs connection promised – speedtest result
Oh well, tomorrow’s another day, almost two weeks since my BT 20mpbs upgrade and life is almost back to normal (at 1.3mpbs), although at a much slower pace than previously. I suppose that’s what marriage does to you.
Time to go, Mike’s ready for his dinner and I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.
I’m still with you! Will check on what’s happening.
David
Success at last (I hope, fingers and toes are firmly crossed). BT Broadband and Macs Adventure are back in each others loving arms. Here is this mornings speed test:
Well done to David, Elaine and Mash for finally getting us back together.
Hey, it’s not 20 meg but its better than Mike Tyson.
Thanks for your efforts BT.
Thanks Neil!
Regards
David
Hi Neil
A most enlightening (not to mention entertaining) blog.
I found you whilst looking for a marriage guidance counsellor myself. I have also been married to Beattie (BT) for several years – I hope/believe polygamy is OK in this instance ?
Like you I was also introduced to an upgraded 20MB bride & was told to look forward to a superfast relationship.
Shortly after I carried my new bride across the threshold I was given cause for doubt. My email started getting stuck in my outbox last Thursday. I ran a speed test which failed part the way through with a dropped connection. Service light on my hub went from flashing green to red.
Call into the BT marriage counsellor on Friday (21st August 2009) resulted in some online tests & an acknowledgement that there indeed was a problem – their end, they would find my bride & send her back to me untarnished. I even received a text to my mobile promising a call back within 48 hours. I then received a voicemail from the original counsellor with a further promise of a call back with an update.
Things looked as if they were “improving” yesterday (Sunday) afternoon – my service seemed to be back online with a 3Mps upload speed. Beatie was at least back & functioning reliably albeit not quite the Olympic runner I was promised.
That was until mid day today ! Emails again getting stuck in my outbox, unable to reach BT’s home page, internet light on hub glowing an angry red. Beatie had packed her bags & left – again !
Called & spoke to another counsellor a few minutes ago. Told me his notes seemed to indicate the technical investigation team saw traffic flowing & “assumed” all was OK & Beatie was back so ceased any further investigation. They saw no need to establish the root cause of the problem – so perhaps no great surprise that the issue returned & Beatie left without saying goodbye.
I explained that Beatie was my life – I was totally dependent on her to earn my living as an IT Consultant. Every hour without her costs me money.
He told me he sympathised – they would investigate again & get back to me with any news within (another) 48 hours but I shouldn’t expect to hear back from them – better I keep calling in the hope that at some point they may have some news…
Sounds to me like Beatie is walking out on a lot of people & their investigators are over stretched.
Doesn’t instil much confidence – sounds like Beatie is a bit of a serial offender. Mike Tyson actually sounds quite good right now…
…. GP
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