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Is BT taking the ...???

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  • 18-04-2008 2:15pm
    #1
    SlimDusty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭


    G'day,

    Im new to the whole Irish Broadband world & I have to say its interesting to say the least...

    Im living in Rathmines & have being doing my research & decided to go for BT. (Can't get Smart, Landlord doesnt want receivers coming off the roof or walls for Digiweb/Irish Broadband, NTL just sound dodgy).

    I already have a landline coming into the flat so when I rang BT sales they explained how I need to activate it first & it would be €25 providing no work is needed, then they would test the line etc...
    No problem for me & I ordered it. I was told I would get a phonecall once they had switched it on & tested it. If it wasnt DSL capable then I had the right to cancel only losing my €25 or I could authorise work to be done on the line for €145.

    So I was quite surprised to receive a letter in the mail a week later advising I would need to make a €125 pre-payment before they would go any further. Upon calling them & querying why I was NEVER TOLD this during the sales pitch I was fobbed off with the "dont worry it comes off your first bill". I asked the girl if I would get this €125 credited back if my line turned out to not be able to handle DSL & was advised that because I lived in Rathmines I would have to be the unluckiest person in Ireland if that was the case?? When I pressed her I got a mumble about they may not be able to refund the full amount due to the fact I would have to pay for the first month...

    Hesitantly I coughed up the cash & now I await with baited breath to see what happens next.

    Can I ask you guys & gals is this standard procedure for new customers? Have I been duped by those 'clever' folks @ BT like so many on here claim to have been??

    Any opinions would be appreciated (need to calm the Grrlfriend down on the fact paid €125 for a service we dont have yet). :D

    Cheers
    SLim


Comments

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    #2
    kaimera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,396 ✭✭✭✭kaimera


    lol.

    That 125 wont come off your first bill. afaik it's a security deposit and you can request it back after 6 months I do believe.


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    #3
    zilog_jones
    Registered Users Posts: 6,638 ✭✭✭zilog_jones


    AFAIK ISPs often ask for deposits like that if you're not a home owner.


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    #4
    Jumpy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,606 ✭✭✭Jumpy


    BATED breath.

    *bangs head off desk*


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    #5
    SlimDusty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭SlimDusty


    Jumpy,

    Your from Tasmania aren't you?

    I'm not looking for an English lesson from an Aussie, just some advice on the above topic. So if you don't mind...


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    #6
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    SlimDusty wrote: »
    Im living in Rathmines & have being doing my research & decided to go for BT.
    Bad move, BT are the worst company in the entire world.
    "dont worry it comes off your first bill"
    A complete lie on their part.
    NTL just sound dodgy
    You should probably have gone with them.

    If it's not too late, you should cancel BT and get your deposit back. If they refuse to refund the deposit then you should take them to the small claims court for it.

    If you decide to go ahead with BT, then all I can say is best of luck. Keep at them if they start bullsh*tting you in any way. Scrutinise your bill when it arrives and make sure it's correct. Don't take any crap about having to pay an incorrect bill with the promise of a refund later either. You do not have to pay a wrong bill. They must correct it. If they refuse, cancel the direct debit and don't pay till they get it right. These are just some of the issues I had with them, but I'm sure there are loads more.


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    #7
    zilog_jones
    Registered Users Posts: 6,638 ✭✭✭zilog_jones


    jor el wrote: »
    Bad move, BT are the worst company in the entire world.
    Come on now, they're not great but they're not that bad! There's definately several phone providers/ISPs even within this country that have a worse track record than them. At least their actual service is (usually) reliable.


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    #8
    dub45
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 12,448 Mod ✭✭✭✭dub45


    Here I go again!!!:rolleyes:

    It is incredible to me anyways that a supposedly reputable company will request a deposit from a customer without giving the 'terms and conditions' attaching to the deposit. It is also even more incredible to me that someone will pay it without asking the following questions:

    Will I get a signed receipt?
    What exactly is the deposit for?
    In what circumstances will it be lost?
    For what period will it be held?
    How exactly do I get it back and when?

    I have posted these or similar questions before and I recall someone posting and saying that BT would or could not answer the questions. (Acutally its here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054887658&http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054887658&

    ''It comes off your first bill'' as posted already is a lie as in that case it would not be a 'deposit' it would simply be an advance payment. A deposit is held to give the service provider some security. It it obvious from the the above remark that BT's csrs still haven't been briefed properly about the deposit lark and that BT are not behaving as a reputable company should but there again given their record on billing that is obviously not a priority with them.

    I really do not understand how BT's internal auditors can stand over such behaviour.

    In case you are in any doubt there is plenty of reading material here:

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/search.php?searchid=1603633&pp=25&page=3

    Run!!!


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    #9
    Blindpew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭Blindpew


    If you own your own phone make sure they don't charge you for a handset. They charged us for 8 months before I copped it on the bill. It only came to about 20 euro but they said they couldn't refund it. They did say sorry however. Also if you download more than 30gbs in a month they reduce your speed to double dial up.


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    #10
    dub45
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 12,448 Mod ✭✭✭✭dub45


    Blindpew wrote: »
    If you own your own phone make sure they don't charge you for a handset. They charged us for 8 months before I copped it on the bill. It only came to about 20 euro but they said they couldn't refund it. They did say sorry however. Also if you download more than 30gbs in a month they reduce your speed to double dial up.

    Could you enlarge on this a bit please? Some people might call this robbery!!!


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    #11
    Blindpew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭Blindpew


    dub45 wrote: »
    Could you enlarge on this a bit please? Some people might call this robbery!!!


    Do you mean the throttling of a 3 meg connection to 15kb is robbery or charging us for a phone set that we owned.
    The phone charge came when we changed our phone line to BT from Eircom. We had previously bought the actual phone from eircom for 10 euros but when BT took over the phone line they started charging us for the hand set, 3.75 on each bill. As I said they apoligised but said it wasn't possible to refund the money. I didn't want to annoy them by kicking up a fuss as it was only 20 euro and I was downloading in excess of the cap each month. But now they have throttled me anyway. That's the real robbery.


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    #12
    dub45
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 12,448 Mod ✭✭✭✭dub45


    Blindpew wrote: »
    Do you mean the throttling of a 3 meg connection to 15kb is robbery or charging us for a phone set that we owned.
    The phone charge came when we changed our phone line to BT from Eircom. We had previously bought the actual phone from eircom for 10 euros but when BT took over the phone line they started charging us for the hand set, 3.75 on each bill. As I said they apoligised but said it wasn't possible to refund the money. I didn't want to annoy them by kicking up a fuss as it was only 20 euro and I was downloading in excess of the cap each month. But now they have throttled me anyway. That's the real robbery.

    I meant the bit I had but in bold. It seems incredible (I am worn out using that word with BT!!:mad:) that a 'reputable' company will charge you for something - it doesnt matter if the amount is small - admit that they are wrong and then tell you that they cannot refund it!! What did they say when you asked why not? Apologies cant buy food!!!!

    BT give you used car sales men dignity!!


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    #13
    Blindpew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭Blindpew


    What did they say when you asked why not? Apologies cant buy food!!!!
    !![/QUOTE]

    Well as I said I didn't want to make a fuss and attract attention to my broadband usage so I didn't argue it out with them. I don't know why they couldn't have credited to the next bill though. They did agree to stop charging for it though, which they did, and apoligised. The wife was going mad so I refunded her myself.


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    #14
    Lord Nikon
    Registered Users Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭Lord Nikon


    Why didnt you go with Eircom?


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    #15
    Blindpew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 286 ✭✭Blindpew


    neuromancer wrote: »
    Why didnt you go with Eircom?

    I had problems with eircom back in the 90s when I first had the internet. I signed up with Indigo for dial up but was never able to connect, but yet got charged each time I tried to. I got a bill for £250 that time which they reduced by £100 pounds when challanged. They owned Indigo I think and gave out free installation discs which allowed you to log on to the internet for free, with their own name, Eircom , they charged £15 for the disc and £15 a month thereafter just to be able to log on to the internet. They also charged then per minute that you were online. I paid them a fortune until Esat Bt brought out the No Limits package. We left the phone line with eircom until last year when we got fed up paying them 50 euro every two month when BT gave it for free almost. All the telecoms are gansters in thin disguise I think.


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    #16
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    zilog_jones wrote: »
    Come on now, they're not great but they're not that bad!

    Yes they are :pac: Truly, I've never heard of, or dealt with, a company that willfully and continuously flouts just about every aspect of consumer law, and treats their customers with such contempt.
    If you own your own phone make sure they don't charge you for a handset. They charged us for 8 months before I copped it on the bill.
    Now that is a new one on me. I didn't even know BT supplied phones, normally eircom provide these. You should definitely not let them away with charging you for this. You have the bills, do you have an admission from them that they never provided you with a phone? If so, you have them over a barrel.


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    #17
    zilog_jones
    Registered Users Posts: 6,638 ✭✭✭zilog_jones


    jor el wrote: »
    Yes they are :pac: Truly, I've never heard of, or dealt with, a company that willfully and continuously flouts just about every aspect of consumer law, and treats their customers with such contempt.
    TBH we've been with them since they were still Esat Clear and besides the occasional billing faux pas (which were all sorted out... eventually) and waiting like 4 months for broadband (it was during the free trial period though) we haven't really had trouble with them, and they've seemed to have got their act together regarding billing recently. What about the likes of Clearwire and Perlico? I have never heard anything good about them. I'd say we've had more trouble with Chorus.

    I didn't even know BT supplied phones, normally eircom provide these.
    They do or at least used to. We have an old corded (remember them lol?) Esat-branded one - handy for power cuts :).


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    #18
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    SlimDusty wrote: »
    NTL just sound dodgy).

    lol. i thought the same until i got ntl. i wont use any other provider than ntl for now on.


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    #19
    animaal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 815 ✭✭✭animaal


    Blindpew wrote: »
    All the telecoms are gansters in thin disguise I think.

    Sorry, that's incorrect.

    They don't bother using any disguise.


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    #20
    mukki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,669 ✭✭✭mukki


    jor el wrote: »
    Yes they are :pac: Truly, I've never heard of, or dealt with, a company that willfully and continuously flouts just about every aspect of consumer law, and treats their customers with such contempt.




    +1

    everyone reading this, make a mental note..... never ever sign up too anything from BT

    i spent a year with them about 3years back

    eircom seemed a good bit dearer when I compared their prices, but BT sent me bill for between €150-€180 every 2 months, even though ther were advertised to be charging €40 a month


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