Five months, hours of calls.. and Barry’s STILL waiting for a landline

When Barry Morris spoke to a BT representative about his landline problem, little did he know that over the next few months he would speak to a further 12 people and be on the phone for at least six hours.

The 70-year-old mortgage adviser and father of two from Brighton first contacted BT in February to install an additional landline in his home.

The current landline runs through the family’s Wi-Fi router, which they wanted to turn off at night.

BT agreed to install the new connection and Barry was charged £27.75 a month for the extra landline.

However, when the line was connected, it was connected to the family’s Wi-Fi router, which was not agreed upon.

When Barry contacted BT he was told that if he removed the extra landline he would also lose his original line, which he has had since 1978.

Barry spoke to 13 different members of staff to resolve the issue to no avail. Now BT has marked its case resolved and closed its complaint.

Barry is one of many customers who closed their business before the problem was resolved.

He says: ‘I’ve spent at least six hours on the phone with BT over the last few weeks and I’m no closer to solving this problem.

“In years past, service was paramount, but today it seems that companies are run for the benefit of the company, staff and shareholders, while customers who contact them are treated as a nuisance.”

BT’s recent announcement to cut 55,000 employees by 2030 as it integrates new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations can only exasperate customers like Barry.

Indeed, regulator Ofcom found that only 51 per cent of fixed and 55 per cent of broadband customers are satisfied with the way BT is handling the issues.

It also found that BT customers spent more time on hold to speak to customer service in 2022 than in 2021.

Customers have reported waiting times of more than six months for wired and Wi-Fi installations.

When they contact customer service, conversations can last for hours as their case is passed on to several members of staff.

The Money Mail mailbag is overflowing with letters from frustrated readers despairing over BT’s ridiculous customer service. Many have also taken to social media to voice their grievances.

Among those who had to wait months for an engineer to visit was Stanley Weedon, 76, from Torquay, Devon. He faced a seven-month delay before his home was connected to fiber optic cables that had been installed in his area.

In October, an engineer came out to fix a cable from his road to a box on the sidewalk in front of his property.

A week later, a second engineer ran a cable from this box along Stanley’s garden wall under the front window of his house, where it would then be connected.

Stanley expected another engineer soon after, only to find out it would be April before the job would be done.

He says, “What a frustrating experience this has been. I kept getting emails that an appointment was scheduled, but was told it had been cancelled.’

In the end, Stanley sent 58 emails, made 20 phone calls and spoke to three advisers before his situation was resolved.

‘It’s a good thing calling BT is free,’ he says. Each call could take up to an hour. I think I’ve probably spent over ten hours on the phone with BT in the last seven months.’

Others say the telecom giant’s customer service has gotten so bad they’re afraid to call the company’s phone helpline.

Among them is Philip Travers, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, who says several bad interactions with BT customer service have left him feeling quite anxious about having to call them.

Philip, 70, has seen his mobile phone direct debit increase from £40 a month to £60 in the last year.

The former insurance expert knows calling BT to haggle over this price hike could help him take essential pounds off his monthly bill, but he’d rather pay the higher amount than spend hours on hold.

Philip says: ‘I’ve worked at BT all my life, but the idea of ​​calling the company gives me stress. I know that if I call the helpline I will be on the phone for an hour and end up in a fight.

“The situation makes me angry because BT should be the number one phone provider, but the service could be better.”

Philip recently moved and spent four to five hours on the phone with BT trying to get a landline. ‘It was so hard work. In any case, something has gone haywire.

“The worst time was when I was standing outside my new home with a moving van and no mechanic, despite booking one in advance.

‘When I called BT I was told I had another appointment in two weeks. When I pointed out that it was the company’s fault and asked if it would be resolved sooner, BT more or less said “It is what it is”. And then never did anything.’

He added: ‘A telephone line is an essential service, but BT is run to make a profit when it should be there for the benefit of its customers.’

Money Mail’s Pick Up Or Pay Up campaign calls for companies to be penalized if they don’t answer the phone within ten minutes. Currently there are no sanctions, which we believe should change.

Similar legislation was passed in Spain last year, meaning businesses now have three minutes to answer their phone or face fines of up to £85,000.

A BT spokesman said: “We are doing everything we can to keep our customers connected. We are among the best in the industry for the overall service we provide, and we are committed to helping our customers wherever they need us.”

a.cooke@dailymail.co.uk