Rant continues….
Speak to the same guy “Richard” again at BT (in India), he states the web browsing problem is fixed, and yet, surprise surprise, it’s not. Just a recap from this blog post that the problem is sporadic internet browsing problems. One moment I can get to Google or BT Yahoo websites, the next second I can’t. If I ping the sites I can see timeouts or even DNS resolution errors.
After 20 mins on the phone with him doing diagnostics and telling him that 3 other people I’ve spoken to in various parts of the country this morning are still experiencing the same problem he says “Oh but I think it’s a problem with your router”. I ask him “how did he come to that conclusion?”. He says “Because we don’t know how to configure Netgear routers, we are only trained in BT Home Hub”.
Aha, we’re getting further again. Let’s back track….because BT don’t know how to configure a router, the router is at fault? WOW, it’s a shame my 20 years of IT knowledge in configuring routers and IP gear never taught me that. I’ll remember that one next time I have a problem with a piece of tech gear!
So the call continues….I say “But as I just told you 3 times already, other people in the country are having the exact same problem STILL. Do you really want me to tell you a 4th time that this is not a local problem at my internet exchange or a router problem?”. As always he keeps replying “Yes I am very sorry for you sir, please accept my apologies”. He says this like every 15 seconds. I say “You are clearly not listening to me. Do you understand English? Do you understand what I’m telling you?”, he says “Yes sir, I am very sorry for you sir, please accept my apologies”.
You know what this feels like? It feels like picking up one of those dolls / figurines when you were a kid that had a button to press and you pressed it and it said the same old message every single time you pressed it.
I asked to speak to a supervisor, richard says “I’m sorry sir but I don’t have a supervisor”. I said “I manage a Global Call Center so I know you have a supervisor”, richard says “I’m sorry sir I don’t”, I say “Transfer me to your manager now”, Richard says “I’m sorry sir, I do not have a Manager, but I can transfer you to complaints”, I said “Do it please”.
After waiting 2 mins on the phone Richard at BT then comes back and says “let me run one more test with you” so we go through the router test again” and he says “okay sir I will now transfer you to complaints”. 2 mins later Richard comes back “Hello sir, I’m sorry but our complaints department are not open for another 30 mins”.
Complete and utter sham! BT won’t even investigate a customers reference to them still having problems to a fault that they claimed is fixed!
Running commentary on the entire problem is available here.
I run a pc services company in south wales. Have spoken to BT on 3 occasions but each time they deny its their problem. Not had any proplems with Home Hubs tho. Just wondering if BT have somehow managed to prevent access using non BT equipment, get peolpe to sign new contracts in order to issue a home hub
By: mark on September 18, 2009
at 12:29 pm
It really wouldn’t surprise me Mark. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me) this just seems to be a regional type problem, some people with Home Hubs are also experiencing the problem too. What truly amazed me working with IT for 20+ years is that someone who claims to be technical at BT in the Call Center turns around and tells a very technical 20+ years IT experience BT customer that there is a problem with their router, and the reason behind it is that the BT agent doesn’t know how to configure a router so he then deems that to mean that the router is faulty.
I’m really amazed at the lack of knowledge BT have, and the lack of trying to fault find a problem. At one point BT used to be a really good company that everyone loved.
By: Dave Burrows on September 18, 2009
at 12:50 pm