Sneaky BT

[croweman]

Beware folks anyone who has BT broadband and also therefore gets free BT sports. Check your bill I checked mine and had started to be charged for BT sports HD package, you do as they say get BT sports free of charge as long as you are a broadband customer. But at no point was I made aware of any charges for a HD package.

Even when the cheery gent rang me in July and said will you be wanting free BT sports again this year, yes of course I replied. Well all you have to do is remain a broadband customer and you will get BT sports free of charge. Still no mention of any extra charges. No email warning me this might happen, nothing on previous bills telling me to expect this limited offer to run out.

Check your bills folks dont get caught out.

[Kingy]

I'm on BT and get the free BT Sports. I did get a letter though, same as Sky do, saying I will keep my free fantastic sports HD for the second year of my contract but HD would be charged. Rang them and told them I didn't want it - so they swapped me to SD which remains free. I don't use it through them anyway as I can get it free in HD through 'other means'.
Looks like the useless bastids didn't send you the letter. I'm not surprised. The fibre bb is good, but they are a useless shower of idiots.
When I was on business fibre at home (Im now domestic) they had to issue a credit to me against my bill for a couple of hundred quid as they quoted me one price but charged another. Took several months to sort out with them being rude and belligerent every step of the way in the hope I'd give up. I was even threatened by one jumped up lady when I mentioned the ombudsman and watchdog. She sent me a letter to sign confirming I would take no further action if they paid me a credit and said if I didn't sign it I'd get nothing. I didn't, got my money and made sure she got a whole load of sh*te by the time I'd finished complaining!

[croweman]

When I rang they immediately offered me a refund, no hassle no questions so it would suggest they realised they fecked up. They didn't offer me HD free for the confusion though I just cancelled it.

I am considering a new broadband provider though, i'm on infinity as fibre isn't in this area yet. Infinity is the most unstable connection i've ever used its either brilliant one minute or completely crap the next. I've had 2 weeks of it droping out continually every 20 minutes or so and web pages taking 30+ seconds to load. And then you get put through to Mumbai who deal with the tech issues. And tell you to do all the stuff i've already done i.e unplugged the hub and infinity box waited 20 seconds plugged everything back in. It works ok for half hour or so thens drops out again.

Amazingly enough once you log a fault it miraculously improves, could it be that i'm using too much download of my so called unlimited download usage with no (subject to fair usage clause) it does make you wonder.

[Kingy]

Do you have the newer hub 4? I only ask as when I had the last hub 3 I went though four of them in two years. They are crap and BT know it. The hub 4's are much better and maintain line and (importantly) wifi connection where the hub 3's do not. Luckily all those issues were when I had business fibre - so UK call centre and guaranteed 24 hour fix at no cost to me.

BT's system is very two tiered. Business pays more (now about £20 a month as the gap has widened) but gets the support you would hope for. No waiting, efficient call backs, replaacement equipment FOC the next day and guaranteed fix within 24 hours when we had a line issue (my neighbours loved me!). Now I'm on domestic I have to slum it in Mumbai and just keep my fingers crossed I dont have an issue as it will be minimum 4 to 7 days for a fix if I do.

BB wise I'm lucky. Because we can't and won't ever get Virgin in Glossop BT saw an opportunity and rolled out fibre BB very early here. With mine and the kids streaming I'm using a minimum of 180 gig a month (average) download. Solid connection and no issues. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

[croweman]

I have the home hub 3, so that could be the issue. It does appear the more wireless useage it gets the worse its perfomance is. I get discount through virgin but as a package deal and don't really want they're tv service.

[Christof]

Long story short, I would have to be desperate to have any broadband product from BT again. Customer service is the worst I have ever experienced should you have a problem.

[Kingy]

Report the hub 3 as having a fault. Tell them its continually dropping wifi and making your internet unusable. It's not the connection to the hub (which they can see and will no doubt be constant), its the hub itself. Exactly the issue I had.
Its a known issue and has been covered in their own BT community and other forums : https://community.bt.com/t5/Other-Broadb...d-p/276729
They should replace with a Hub 4 - or I think there is now a hub 5.

(11-27-2014, 12:14 PM)Christof Wrote: Long story short, I would have to be desperate to have any broadband product from BT again. Customer service is the worst I have ever experienced should you have a problem.

Every domestic BB supplier I've used has been crap customer service sadly.
Only one I would recommend is ZEN. But you pay more for that. Absolutely brilliant customer service though and based in Rochdale. I use them for my work internet.
They stood by me fighting BT to eventually get a 'lift and shift' of the line at the exchange and new cabling from the green box right into our socket. If it werent for them we simply wouldn't have got it done and would still be having intermittent bb a few hours every other day.

[croweman]

Cheers Kingy I shall do that.

[croweman]

I raised the fault, they did their checks agred the hub was suffering from wireless instability. And agreed to replace the hub for the same hub 3, or a hub 4 for £35, when i pointed out their own forums listed the hub 3 as having known problems when multiple wireless devices were running they didn't want to know.

I told them in no uncertain terms if I had to contact them again with the same or similar fault with the new hub I would be leaving BT forthwith and asked them to document what I had said. I'l give it a month at the most when the new hub arrives before the issues start.

[Kingy]

They are idiots.
As you say - It will happen again. The hub 4 fixed it for me. My brother has the hub 3 (as he refused to pay extra for a hub 4) and has the same issue of wifi dropping out and has to re-set the router. He isn't in much so is not bothered, but its a very common issue. BT just want to get rid of all their old stock so supply kit knowing it is inferior. Idiots.