Thanks to all who provided contact details for the now famous Nigel Stagg.

I too have had 3 months of getting no where with BT. Have just fired off an email to Nigel Stagg (see below). It has not as yet bounced back. I cc’d it to all BT email addresses I have collected over the last 3 months. Have had quite a few READ receipts but alas nothing as yet from Nigel.

Letter of Complaint reads:

Mr Stagg – I would welcome a reply to my complaint or at least read this through before you bin it – if it ever gets to your inbox.

Is the senior management at BT real or are you and your colleagues just scanned names on standard templated letters?

In case you hadn’t noticed, BT have allowed a computer database to take over the management of their business. The result is that BT senior management appear to be living in a bubble and have absolutely no idea of the havoc the BT database is causing to their customers.

It is of course possible that you are already aware of this mismanagement and you may well be happy with the way in which the BT database is running the company. In which case you do of course have the option of deleting this email and not bothering to address my complaint. I would like to add however that it would not be wise to leave so many unresolved complaints without satisfactory outcome. It will go horribly wrong for BT unless the senior management decide to act now, take their heads out of the sand and start working out a strategy for putting it right.

You might want to (in fact you MUST) open up the customer service doors and let your public in. We need BT staff (not a database) who are available to communicate with us directly and who are empowered to put things right. We do not want BT staff who type words of complaint into a computer database, allocate a ref no to the said words and then sit back and wait for the database to resolve the problem. That is not ownership of responsibility. I am sure BT staff would find it far more rewarding to be allowed to deliver on customer service and put things right. Happy peops all round. Simples.

A computer database cannot reason, it has no sensibility, it cannot question, there is no resolution. Your BT database is good at wasting huge amounts of time and money, it generates communications which are not personal, always incorrect, idiotic nonsense that make your clients want to cry at the same time pushing their stress levels through the roof.

The storyline to my complaint is rather drawn out and longstanding. I give as brief (as I can) summary of my complaint:

It started at the beginning of November 2010 and is still ongoing. I requested BT close our three business accounts (3 telephone numbers) as we had sold our business and would be retiring. Why should that be such a difficult thing to ask? Apparently as soon as the BT database got involved it was an impossibility. BT confirmed in Nov 2010 that they had closed the 3 accounts but to date they still remain open. To add insult to injury, even though we are no longer at the billing address (new contact details were given to BT), BT are still sending communications to the old business address. The new owners of the business are however enjoying all the services BT are providing for them…. but then they would, they are not being billed, we are being billed for the services BT are providing to the new owners. We set up a redirection of post from old address to our home and every week we get redirected communications from BT – they continue to keep mailing to the old billing address as if we had never moved away. The latest communication from BT is now threatening us with the introduction of a debt collection agency for which we are now seeking legal advice and have also decided to contact Otelo.

BT spend a great deal of money on marketing, promotion etc often highlighting their excellent customer service. It is clear from the attached link that for every 1 new customer BT gain, they must be losing at least 3. Perhaps you, and other senior management within BT, should take a look at the attached link and read the blogs from so many unsatisfied customers – your BT database appears to be downsizing itself by reducing the client base – as you will read, BT customers really are turning away. As for what BT think they are delivering in the way of customer service well, read for yourself. I cannot believe BT senior management would not be concerned at what they read here. They say repetition is a good way to learn. Why then does BT not address these complaints and learn from their repeated mistakes?

http://www.chickenmonkeydog.com/missing-something-yes-bt-you-are

A real reply with real action would be most welcome or will I get a standard, templated, redirected communication from the BT database with your name and signature scanned in and you totally unaware that it has been sent.

If it was my company I would be very worried indeed.

I’m glad to say that we still have service so this didn’t go through. I rang BT today to try and find out 1) what company had (supposedly) done this? 2) What procedures and safeguards BT have in re the switching of accounts.

I got precisely nowhere – it seems they just don’t have that information!!! On their call centre script, maybe but someone somwewhere does – perhaps the legendary Nigel

I’ve not heard of that before. Very troubling though. Did you lose service yet?

Please do keep us posted.

Liam

My BT problem is that I received a letter while i was away saying that I had agreed to change my phone company away from BT. I had till 4pm on Nov 16th to contact them if I didn’t want to go ahead. Oh yes, they were going to charge me £78.19 termination charges.

I had NEVER agreed to change phone companies so I rang them as soon as I opened the letter – 1pm on Nov 16th. First off the operative said that it was too late, it had gone through – even though I had till 4pm. When i said that i hadn’t authorised this and please could she tell me what company had informed BT of this change she:

1) just kept saying it was too late, it had gone through
2) couldn’t/wouldn’t tell me who this other company who was interfering in my contractual relationship with BT

Eventually she agreed to halt the cutoff after my partner (a lawyer) got on the phone. She asked us to check the line tomorrow to make sure it was still operating.

So I’m left thinking

1) Will i still have service tomorrow – have a strong feeling BT will still cut me off

2) Is some rogue company telling BT that people are switching to them?

Has anyone come across this before?

Thanks

thanks for listineing to my rave….
ave a nice day !
Caroline