# Anyone having problems with BT billing for broadband?



## Lauren

I signed up for BT Broadband a few months ago for their discounted rate of 15 Euro per month. To date I have yet to receive a correct bill for that amount. They keep double charging me for the installation and over charging for the actual service. When I eventually got through to them a very helpful girl did assist and spent ages trying to work out the problem. I think last  months mess is resolved but its happened so often now I'm thinking of cancelling the service. Anyone else experienced the same?


----------



## stobear

Not quite the same thing, but they insist on charging me 13-15 Euro as a 'misc' charge after I cancelled my account with them, took 7 weeks to resolve, finally got a cheque from them, only to discover they took more money from me, Spoke to them again and they were very very sorry, I went to the top in my case as customer service seems somewhat non-existant to be honest.


----------



## TarfHead

There is at least one other thread on this board berating ESAT/BT for rubbish customer service.

In my own case, they switched off outbound calls for me because my account was overdue because they stopped presenting direct debits for payment. It took me some time to get that sorted out.

It is just inertia that has stopped me switching to another service provider, i.e. other than them or eircom.


----------



## Carpenter

I've already posted regarding their appalling service and am currently in dispute with them- and I am a customer of 2 months standing.  I won't go into details but suffice to say that it's the worst customer service I've ever had the misfortune to avail of.


----------



## z107

I can't believe they STILL haven't sorted out their dire billing system. I stopped my BB with them about six months ago. I got another bill last week for minus €300 odd.

Maybe they take from the rich and give to the poor


----------



## car

Im with them 3 months and am genuinely full of praise for their tech service if not their billing.  They did initially have me on a higher service then I requested, (thanks to someone here who put me on to it), but theyve been fine apart from that.
Im especially happy with the second router they sent out last week after thanking me for deciding to apply for broadband with them (again).  How nice.


----------



## ClubMan

In my previous job we found that they were not billing/charging us at all for our leased line for about two years. When they discovered the mistake they settled for a fraction of what was owed (the company was severely cash strapped) and we then terminated the agreement and moved to _Irish Broadband _for a fraction of the price.


----------



## etel

ClubMan said:
			
		

> In my previous job we found that they were not billing/charging us at all for our leased line for about two years. When they discovered the mistake they settled for a fraction of what was owed (the company was severely cash strapped) and we then terminated the agreement and moved to _Irish Broadband _for a fraction of the price.



Hmmmmmmm  , the company did not know what a provision was did it as in like was it cash strapped when it entered into a contract for a service it knew it could not pay for ???? .


----------



## ClubMan

No - they weren't cash strapped when they entered into the contract and never traded recklessly/fraudulently (just about).


----------



## Guest127

I changed to bt bb about two weeks ago. also got for bill for €50 'self connection' ((which as stated in the terms) but also got full whack for two months rental for bb of €40 ( rental +bb) their 'deal'stated that the first 4 months for bb+rental was €25 so I am currently overcharged €30. I sent them an email and got the usual automatic reply saying they would come back within 4 days must check out emails now. but I doubt there is anything there. Also Pigsback have stated that they are discontinuing their €9.99 for 27 hours deals on 31st december, and the final bill will be in January but I thought they charged a months advance at the beginning. nearly sure of it.


----------



## Lauren

cuchulainn,

suggest you call them to ensure your complaint is properly recorded. Any e-mails I sent originally were responded to automatically (or so it seemed) so I wasn't satisfied that a 'human' had read the complaint properly and dealt with it. I never really received a satisfactory response to any e-mails. When I eventually got through to them on the phone (be prepared to wait a while) the staff were sympathetic and helpful. They agreed the billing system is a nightmare. For example they cannot actually see the bill that I received, they apparently have to look at multiple systems raw data to determine what I was billed and through some detective work they can actually work out what the overcharge was. The girl I spoke to alluded to the fact that despite advertised 'offers' full service charges were being applied until queried. Given the extent of overcharing I hope all consumers are realising this and complaining!

Has anyone actually signed up for a deal and been billed properly for it?


----------



## DrMoriarty

I'm approaching the end of a 12-month contract and, while their tech support has been great on the one or two occasions I've needed it, their billing ops/customer service have been consistently disastrous. They've cocked up every single thing you'd think possible, and then some. Hours of holding on the phone and repeated emails, and then the next bi-monthly bill comes (or not) and it's back to square one...  

I'd advise anyone trying to get satisfaction to address their queries/complaints directly to lisa.buchanan@bt.com (Customer Care 'Team Leader') and to the 'main man', bill.murphy@btireland.ie.


----------



## dave_mc25

Have a look at this site
[broken link removed]


----------



## Carpenter

I'm getting onto Bill straight away!

Actually my email was returned,"did not like recipient"


----------



## ClubMan

Carpenter said:
			
		

> Actually my email was returned,"did not like recipient"


Was that the verbatim message that you got?!


----------



## Carpenter

<bill.murphy@btireland.ie>:
194.145.128.7 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 unknown user
Giving up on 194.145.128.7.

Should I worry?


----------



## ClubMan

Not really - it's _Bill _that the _SMTP _server doesn't like. It probably still likes you though.


----------



## Carpenter

Oh that's ok so, I'm having feelings of self loathing as it is and that really didn't help my self esteem............


----------



## ClubMan

[broken link removed] might cheer you up.


----------



## Carpenter

Something like this:

"Meanwhile, Mark Roberts was told by a sulky mail server that his mesage could not be delivered becuase "207.171.0.250 does not like recipient."


----------



## RainyDay

Carpenter said:
			
		

> <bill.murphy@btireland.ie>:
> 194.145.128.7 does not like recipient.
> Remote host said: 550 unknown user
> Giving up on 194.145.128.7.
> 
> Should I worry?


I noticed a picture of somebody other than Bill listed as CEO of BT Ireland in the supplement with today's Indo. Maybe Bill has moved on...


----------



## Carpenter

Maybe BT are having more problems with their Bill system?


----------



## etel

@esatbt.com not @btireland.ie


----------



## Guest127

Thanks Lauren: 4 days have duly elapsed and needless to say no further response. I think 40 days might  pass and the result will be the same. However armed with the information I now have, off I jolly well will go and tilt at this particular windmill. I know  its only a difference of €15 per month for the first 4 months but its the principal. if tesco say all drink is  €xxxx off tomorrow then you expect them to honour their word. same applies here.


----------



## Lauren

Good luck! I await my next bill with the same keen anticipation I normally hold for a visit to the dentist!


----------



## Carpenter

I made a formal complaint to BT, by email on 9th November.  1 week later a received a reply which promised a full and prompt response.  A further week later I requested an update...twice.  Heard nothing so I sent another complaint by snail mail on Monday 28th.  3 weeks today and no meaningful response other than a complaint reference number and promises.  If I don't hear anything by Friday I'm going to refer the matter to ComReg.  The lack of even the basic courtesy to reply to my mails is very frustrating.  Has anyone any experience of dealing with ComReg?


----------



## Carpenter

BTW thanks for some of the PMs I've received in relation to BT.  Just to update on this, I've had no response from BT this week so I'm going to make an official complaint to ComReg this weekend.  It shouldn't have to come to this but by my reckoning I'm owed a couple of hundred euro by BT and I don't tolerate sh*t customer service! I'll keep you posted, for the benefit of other BT customers........


----------



## Guest127

not yet ready to go down your road carpenter, but I will if need be, in my case the only overcharging they are capable of is by charging me  the full €40 for bb+line rental per month when they advertise the first 4 months at €25 so the difference will only be a total of €60. but if they dont get their act together I will switch calls over the another operator. I am going to print off my first bill and also the offer from their site and will if necessary take it up with comreg. I am also keeping a copy of emails and responses'
cheers 
ps I have heard that anyone using Eircom broadband or in BT's case Eircom supplied bb that they are going to double the download speeds in January. anyone else hear this?


----------



## Carpenter

Just to update- finally someone from BT contacted me at work yesterday and they assure me this is being actively investigated.  I've been promised an email detailing the problem and a solution this week, followed by a call to see if I'm happy.  In addition to recouping monies I'm owed I plan to seek return of the BB self installation charge as a goodwill gesture.  I'll keep you all updated!


----------



## vector

I have BT Ireland broadband (the "plus" product)

Without getting into details I can say that their very method of operation is confusing

-no *paper* bills
-charged to me bimonthly (yet they advertise the price as monthly)


----------



## an hamstar

I have been overbilled by Esat Bt for my broadband account............... 
it all started when I noticed that a deduction of Euros 326 was made on my bank account, I queried this with the bank and the payment was stopped, 

Esat Bt then informed me that I owned them Euros 598 which they sent me on a statement, looking at the statement I realised that I had been billed Euros 119 montly for an internet broadband but they were sending me statements saying it was Euros 119 for every two months. After numerous phone calls getting nowhere I made a formal complaint with Comreg and Esat BT admitted that they had overcharged me.

Thanks to the nice people in Comreg, Esat Bt send me a letter saying that I was due a refund of Euros 1134 + vat to be credited to me account, I told them I wanted a check and I am still waiting..... but then they send me a bill saying I now owed them Euros 925 which I cannot understand where they got this figure from..

the really funny thing was last week Esat Bt rang me to tell me that I had a shared phoneline with Eircom and would not be able to have broadband, I told the woman that I was already on  BT broadband. the saga continues

Esat Bt are the pits but in the new year its back to Eircom.(I was hoping to get my refund first)


----------



## michaelm

Lauren said:
			
		

> Has anyone actually signed up for a deal and been billed properly for it?


I'd like to know the answer to this too.  I'm close to getting BB and the BT deal looks like the best one available but the billing sounds like trouble.


----------



## Lauren

Only go for it if you are willing to spend up to an hour on the phone every two months to try and get it sorted out!


----------



## DrMoriarty

Or put all queries in writing, as I suggested . Less time-consuming, and inevitably more effective...


----------



## Guest127

jolly eircom how now joined in the merry go round. got my eircom bill yesterday and its quite easy to see where the cut of point for calls occurred  05/11. also no rental shown on page 2. however as i was on talktime 2 (31.99 pm) I am getting a bill for two months talktime ( dec/jan) plus the calls up to 05/11. I assumed that when I left Eircom for line rental etc that they would cease billing me for it but I obviously have to inform them that I have jumped ship even though its pretty obvious from  the phone calls and line rental on page 2. Page 1 of course has charges including rental and those few calls. Will contact them tomorrow and see if I can sort it out. If I can't I will pay for the calls and leave the line rental unpaid. Can't see where they can cut me off for unpaid line rental when I dont rent the line from them anymore. anyone else have this little scenario? 
cheers


----------



## Guest127

where to start? rang eircom today and got a very helpful lady who absolutely assured me I was STILL an Eircom customer. checked out my complaint that I was now a BT BB+line rental customer and she stated that not alone was I an Eircom customer there was no indication from BT that they were in the process of 'taking over' the line rental. Rang Bt and naturally didnt get through but pushed one of those buttons where they call you back when they are free. this was around 11am this morning. by 3.30pm hadn't called back so I tried again and this time got through. very pleasant male informed me that a) I had only bb at present but that line rental would follow - by the next account he was sure. told him I wasn't a happy bunny getting two bills for line rental from two different companies and into the bargain didnt get the 4 months introductory offer for lr+bb. He then informed me that I didn't get the introductory offer because --- I was only on BB!!I asked him how much bb was on its own and he said €30 I then asked him how come I was billed for almost €80 for two months when it was only €30 per month. Stated that NORMALLY bt charge in advance but because of ????? I was billed for €9 for October!!! ( bb commenced sometime in November). assured me that by the next account everything would be sorted out. Around 4pm phone rings and lo and behold its BT customer service ringing back about my earlier call ( 11am). I decided not to tell this operator about the previous call at around 3.30pm and went over the details again. Turns out I am not even down for line rental, admitted this had happened to a 'number' of internet bookings and put me through to another section where I had to give all details again, name, address, mothers maiden name, credit card number etc etc. THEN was forwarded to a 'verification agency' who informed me that they were NOT bt but were employed by bt to verify my details etc. back to bt who now informed me that my bb+lr would be sorted in about 3 weeks time. conclusion : a) the jolly ship that is BT is clearly not in ship shape order.b) the operator I dealt with at 3.30 was clearly telling porkies about being sorted out by next billing period. I have no problem sticking with it, keeping a log/dates/details etc and if and when necessary I will go to comreg with them. I will revert here in a few months when we are further down the road - or not as they case may well be. 
cheers


----------



## Carpenter

Cuchulainn

Without getting into details my situation with BT is IDENTICAL to yours!  I am waiting on a final bill from eircom before I sit down to work out how much BT owe me (they've made a miserable settlement offer- €88) and I'll probably go to ComReg as well. I'd be prepared to forget the whole thing if they's left it at an even €100 but no, "that's not standard policy" HA!

Carpenter


----------



## Guest127

Carpenter: I have a hard copy of their original terms printed off which unfortunately I cannot locate at this moment. I can't print it off again either as I upgraded to xp in the meantime and all my previous emails were wiped clean in the upgrade. Must have a look for it again. It just states that I have   agreed to sign up for bb+line rental, though to talk to their operators on Friday you would never guess this. I suspect that any day now I will be slapped  with a new bill for bb+line rental without any credit for the payment they have already taken from my credit card. If it comes to say March/April and I am not sorted out I will contact comreg and the small claims court. but in the meantime I will wait and see what happens next. Odd thing is their bb is quite good and their tech support which I needed to get started were very efficient. ( again had to do with changing to xp and certain files getting wiped)  Maybe BT were sent to keep our little grey cells in tip top working order!


----------



## Carpenter

Cuchulainn
I've decided to park the issue until sometime in the new year also, in the meantime I'm enjoying the benefits of a good broadband service so all is not lost!  But I've a feeling it will be necessary to resort to ComReg in the end.


----------



## slave1

does anyone have firm info on how the BT speeds and limits are going to increase by in January as queried by cuchulainn earlier, BB+ in particular, tks


----------



## Guest127

checked my emails last night and low and behold another bill from bt for €65 for two months bb. Still no sign of the line rental. So I sent them a yellow card stating that as they were only currently supplying bb that I was entitled to the €15 per month 'introductory offer' and not as currently being charged ie €80 for the first two months and €65 for next two.and if they didnt get their finger out I was going to report them to comreg for misleading advertising etc. got an email tonite inviting me to ring them to sort out the line rental issue and also informing me that €60 ( 4 months x €15 introductory offer was being credited to my account ) and apologising for not applying it before the 2nd billing. I will ring the number given and see how I get on with the line rental issue. Must look for a reasonable and plausable explanation how the first four introductory months (bb+lr should be €25 and bb alone should be €15) have so far cost me €80 +€65 with a refund now of €60 thus making total of cost of €85. Not a million miles away I agree but still need to find out where the extra bit is coming from. ie this two months bb comes to €65 , when allowing for the non applying of discount it should be only €60 according to their own website.
Getting there. Slowly. like the irish rail adds.
cheers


----------



## Seagull

Don't expect the refund in a hurry.I booked BB online, and they hadn't waived the installation charge. I phoned up to query this, and was told I would get a credit to my account. The account arrived, and the credit wasn't there. Phoned again, and they were very apologetic, the credit will be applied to your next account. In the end, it took them 3 billing periods before I finally got the credit.


----------



## Lauren

Yes my two monthly bill was wrong again...and I haven't been credited for previous mistakes. I'm really at a loss..


----------



## Seagull

Keep bugging them. The credit should (hopefully) arrive in the end.


----------



## Lauren

Yes I will keep bugging them and will go to the top. I'm moving house so I'll be cancelling the service with them. Its a pity the billing is so screwed because the actual service is fine. Even if it was easy to fix the billing problems I think I could live with it but its such an effort to get on the phone explain the saga, stay on hold for ages etc etc.

I don't have the line rental with them but my bill always mentions line rental although it is not itemised as a specific charge. The itemised amounts don't seem to match totals no matter how you look at them...

I think I will recommend that if they should get hold of some of those clever Young Scientists out at the RDS and ask them to design a new billing system for them. (They are sponsoring this year I hear!)


----------



## bb12

i tried signing up for their dial up at the beginning of last year when they were Esat I think. after numerous phonecalls to get the account open and being constantly told by service agents it would be operational that night, it never worked! after a few weeks of this i eventually gave up. then cancelled my phone line last june and actually moved out of the rented house last august. surprise surprise i've just been forwarded BT bills for the last 6 months!! wrote to them to explain that i didn't even have a phone line at the time so how on earth could i be using their dial up. 

this is the reply i've gotten in an email from them 



> Please be advised that this service as requested and cancel all charges


 
what does this mean? 



absolute rubbish company. steer well clear!


----------



## Guest127

I have let them know that the 6month contract still has 3 months to run and if they dont get it sorted by may then I am out of there, but that comreg will be hearing from me. I live in hope. their bb is ok though.


----------



## harvey

*Bt*

My problem is smaller in that, I signed up for online billing In August and have a printout confirming same. Therefore they have owed me €5 for the last 3 bills. It took a reminder and 3 weeks later to answer 1 of the 3 questions I posed. Still awaiting a reply.....

Had difficulty with the line, rang them, they said they would ring back and they did and they sorted me out in 15 minutes. Tech. wise they are very good but as for the billing and answering emails. I also find that there website was never in touch with latest offers etc etc.


----------



## Guest127

yet. can see that €5 overcharge on my one too, even though I am online for billing from start. I am only 2 bills in so they owe me €10 for that, awaiting reply to my last email.   if you go into their website and look up you old questions you will see that that have them marked 'solved'. they will have us all on nodding terms with sanity.


----------



## Guest127

decided to check with bt today to see if they were any further in transferring my line rental from eircom. surprise suprise. they claim they know nothing about it. despite admitting on 16/12 that they originally 'missed' my application for bb+line rental and going over the process again by phone on 16/12 and then forwarding me onto a 'verification agency' for further details.  I am beginning to doubt that the €40 offer for line renal and bb actually exists. maybe a few get it ( like the free child places in the holiday brochures) and once the quota is up - that's it.
I am now emailing them now for a complaint reference number ( on advice from comreg) will see out the next two months and switch to smart or utv. got a very nice operator on the line today ( cannot complain about their friendliness or courtesty) who promised to refund my €60 immediately ( first four months x€15 discount per month) and also the €10 overcharge (  my  bills are by email but naturally they never applied this discount) 
just decided enough is enough. 
will post on how my complain with comreg proceeds 
cheers


----------



## Guest107

Better contact them (yet again )on  friday to make sure she was not simply trying to get rid of you . An Immediate Refund (as in reverse direct debit) normally means the money should be in you account by friday , but hey , its ESAT BT we are talking about here. I'll bet if you ring friday the CS android will know nothing about any of this


----------



## Guest127

Hi 2Pack. You are probably not a million miles away from the truth ( or reality) I have received an email today from our friends at BT requesting me to formally email complaints@btireland.ie with my complaint and to request the aformentioned complaint reference number.
I am beginning to think that BT are employing more than their fair quota of staff who are not quite the 'full shilling' as my father would put it.
besides comreg does anyone think I have a case to take to the advertising standards authority ie non supply of goods as advertised ( I am in possession of an order confirmation from bt dated 20/10/2005 where they state that the details of my order are line rental and broadband etc
also they have twice billed me for paper bills despite their own statement that all new accounts default to online billing. And they charged me for full broadband rental despite their advertising that new customers get a special discount for the first four months. Trying to think outside the box. If anyone else advertised for a product and then didnt supply it and when they partly supplied it- charged more then the advertised price I suspect the ASA would be on their case pretty hard. all advice greatly appreciated.
Finally I dont want to be disconnected , before I am ready, by a disgruntled bt so providing I continue paying I presume they cannot automatically cease providing the service?
I hate to admit this next bit. I am starting to enjoy this. 
Memo to self: get out more.


----------



## need2build

the name of director of customer service or commercial will be on nice letter that comes with the bill (not Bill, he wont take your mail) - email her @- _firstname.surname@bt.com _
_I did it and am now at -€180 bill and increasing and will switch to smart when hits zero....._


----------



## Guest127

nice one need2build. I now have a name from bt custom complaints section . actually I have received TWO emails from bt with this same name but one of them has since been withdrawn. (not surprising really as it was for another customer.) I am beginning to suspect that an awful lot of bt customer care time is spend issuing emails to disgruntled customers. Pity really. their broadband is excellent. their tech support is very very good. their pricing is better than the rest except Smart.( only €5 more than smart). And we know that Smart are discounting to build market share. So why all the hassle? BT advertise a product ( line rental and broadband) for a certain price and confirm by email that the application is to be regared as a contract and then deny ( one 3 occasions) that line rental was part of the agreement,they advertise email billing as being €5 cheaper than paper billing and then charge the €5 anyway, and finally they advertise the first 4 months at a special discount rate but charge full whack anyway, and then are absolutely gobsmacked when you complain! what planet are they on? . All I want off them is that they supply what they spend thousands advertising .nothing more and nothing less. cheers.


----------



## Guest107

any joy with ESAT BT since , its nearly Feb


----------



## hairymary

Have had absolutely no satisfaction with Btireland since we availed of their €15 broadband service on the 8/10/05.I can readily identified with  the total frustration others have experienced trying to resolve the overcharging that appears to be endemic with BtIreland.I actually called into their building on Grand Canal street to try to speak to someone to stop them overcharging our account, but they told me none of their managers were available.
Unfortunately we're tied into a 6 month contract with Bt.Bank of Ireland have told us that they(BOI) cannot cancel our direct debit on our credit card(mastercard) to prevent Bt overcharging us.We must cancel the direct debit with BtIreland who appear to be intent on screwing the customer at every available opportunity.Quite extraordinary.


----------



## Guest107

everyone I know who should have gotten €40 a month deal were ripped off so far, soem were billed twice for November (Or October)  and have had no satisfaction from BT or correct bills or refunds, I am so embarassed I ever recommended them to anyone for line rental and BB


----------



## Guest127

I await the outcome of their compaint enquiry,buts its early doors yet.What I have noticed though is that they have not taken the 2nd bill off my credit card yet and it should have been deducted on 23rd Jan. I also have the name of a girl in com reg who I spoke to twice about this and she is the one who gave me the advice re the customer complaint reference number. So if I get no satisfaction I will transfer the bb back to eircom ( now the same price for broadband only) make a copy of the original agreement which I have downloaded, print off my emailed ( written) complaints and send the whole lot to a) comreg b) advertising standards authority c) complaints section at bt informing them of what I have done. have to say I don't really mind this at all. almost stress relieving. (as long as you remember that most of the staff with bt customer care are obviously under pressure and at this stage are only on nodding terms with reality)
cheers
just checked credit card balance and the €65 charge is there. (Should be either €25 for bb+ lr or €15 for bb only.)
checked the eircom bb page tonight and they charge €20 for 20 hours only €30 for always on but according to their on page its only 1mb for both of these services, which is pretty steep compared to the price BT advertises ( Dan Brown could probably write a novel on BT using their figures as codes )


----------



## jnealon

I originally signed up with bt for phone and broadband and all I got was broadband. They then enabeled the wrong telephone number for DSL so I had to pay for somebody elses broadband for a month until they connected the right number.
My first bill arrived with none of the discounted rates that I singed up for ie €25 for the first 4 months. Contacted BT and they said I would be credited on next bill. 2 months lates bill arrives, didn't pay any attention to it as I took there word until I noticed that they debited €182 for 2 months broadband from my account. Contacted them straight away and there response was to give me " store credit" but I declined preferring to have the money back as I would be cancelling my account with them. They said that I would have a cheque in the post in 4 - 6 weeks
We'll see


----------



## harvey

cuchulainn said:
			
		

> I hate to admit this next bit. I am starting to enjoy this.
> Memo to self: get out more.


 
I thought the same to myself when emailing but despite number of calls and emails I gave up on my tenner. What is has done has made it quite clear that I do not want to give them telephone calls (bundle) too because of the probable hassle. I was told that if I disconnected to move elsewhere that I would have to pay a disconnection fee as Eircom charge them eventhough I have had BB for about 2 years - and that was not in the terms and conditions. Had dealings with Dell too but you know what life really is too short and my life too valuable to be chasing these people in call centres, some of whom do not understand my accent or dialect let alone turn of phrases. I can only assume Smart, Imagine, Clearwire etc are all the same. I see Dell are outsourcing even more jobs in India which doesn't augur well for Ireland. There really is a lot to be said for reducing stress by paying that bit extra to the local shop who can advise and help you how to turn your pc on, clear your viruses, fix your hard drive etc etc. Unfortunately, we have driven out a lot of these small businesses by shopping in Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl or Dell. When profits go down, watch Dell bail out, like Gateway.


----------



## Guest127

beginning to think the same Harvey. Maybe leave Eircom alone with one of basic  talk time packages and use talktalk for international calls ( 13636)


----------



## suzie

My 12 month BB is coming to an end and I hope they will terminate the contract without the hassle discussed. I thought this to be an option but this thread appears to say otherwise. If BT over charge your CC, can you not just issue a chargeback through the CC?

S.


----------



## Guest107

maybe there is a €30 disconnect charge from eircom, maybe not, and check if you own the modem (some do some do not) or BT will charge an extra €100 for it if not sent back.


----------



## wibblewobble

I signed up to BT Broadband at the end of July (offer was Broadband and line rental for €25 for first 4 months, then reverting to €40 per month). I have yet to receive an accurate bill from BT. Have called at least three times (probably more) and only got partial refunds but not the full amount. Checked my latest online bill today and found that, not only did the promised refund not materialise,  but they are overcharging me yet again (line rental + BB for 2 months for over €100 when it should be €80). Called customer care and, guess what, they tried to tell me that I had not called to complain the previous month (which I had) - obviously they are having similar problems with their CRM system to what they are having with their billling system. Anyway appears the overcharging on the latest bill was a known error so I suggest that you all verify your bill very closely this month as judging from the answer I got probably everyone is effected.

Also, the promised free upgrade from 1MB down to 2MB down in January never materialised. Looks like you have to call to complain before your get it.

For anyone contemplating signing up with BT broadband, I would strongly recommend that you do no such thing. Very bad company,  unreadable bills /  major problems with billing system & rubbish customer care support (though they did seem good on the technical support side).


----------



## buyingabroad

Yes, I too am one of those that have a problem with BT's billing. I have the E40/month bundle but I keep getting billed separately for the line rental and the stand alone broadband service which works out more expensive obviously. 

Also, they have me on Talk Plus despite many attempts to get on the Talk only product.

And as I'm at it, I have made many attempts to stop those intrusive telephone marketing calls by completing the online form on my BT account. Yet, I keep getting the calls!


----------



## Guest107

The Consumers Association is after BT over their kakky billing now . If you register a complaint with the consumers association they now apparently have a liason officer within BT who cleans up the billing problems for them.

story here 



and you may register your complaint here

[broken link removed]


----------



## Grumpy

Posted application for Bt Broadband in early Dec05.Moving from eircom.
Discovered, today, they know nothing of the application.


----------



## Guest127

shake hands grumpy. EXACTLY what they have informed me. three times now. despite on one occasion actually taking all the details over the phone again. unreal. I have an email from them dated 26/01( with a customer complaint reference number) which states that they give complaints priority and will be back to me as soon as possible.   for what its worth one of their staff informed me that a number of applications for broadband and line rental were 'missed'.


----------



## Sapele

*BT, My Broadband, What a JOKE*

Yes i've joined that huge and ever growing line of disgruntled BT customers..... I'll tell you what happened .... 


For a number of years I have been a Broadband customer of BTIreland. Last August I received a phone call from BT billing informing me that my account was in deficit to the tune of €563.44. Apparently a problem had developed with my Direct Debit with I had set up and was paying with BT. For over a year BT had not been taking payments for the Broadband service out of my account. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed that the payments were not going out of my account, but once I investigated I found that they were correct, I did actually owe them the €563. That was fine; I have no problems paying my bills. I rang BT billing and gave the operator my credit card details and he told me, that’s great, your account is now clear. The payment went through on my credit card early September.

At this point I forgot about BT until I applied for their online billing option in early October, about a month and a half after I paid the bill by credit card. When I logged onto BT's site and viewed my online bill, I noticed that the €563 was still down as owing on my account. I immediately contacted BT billing, who said they would have to initiate a payment trace to find the payment, as they had no record of it. I provided BT with details of the credit card payment, my card type/bank and the date and reference number of the transaction. They told me they have all the information they need. This payment trace is down on BT's system as having begun in mid October '05. I was told I would be informed when it was finished. 

Over the next few month's I contacted BT regularly to see if they had found the missing payment. On each occasion I was told that the case was high priority and somebody would ring me back very shortly. They never did. In actual fact, they took the payment out of my account via Direct Debit again on the 13th of February '06. So, to clarify, I made the payment of €563 in August '05, this payment was not applied to my account with BT and by the start of February '06 this bill had risen to €818, which includes the €563 which I had already paid by credit card, and the rest is made up of the legitimate broadband bill for the months between August '05 and February '06.

At this point one of BT's operators suggested to me that I contact BT's complaints department, because the credit trace was just not being done. On the 15th February '06 I emailed off to complaints@btireland.com . I received a reply telling me my complaint has been logged, an investigation will take place and that I will be informed. In the email I’m also told that if I require any information on the case to ring a number listed in the email. However, the number is constantly on voicemail  I have left two messages but no one has returned my calls. I have rang BT's 1904 number several times trying to speak to anyone from Residential customer complaints, but was unable to speak to anyone. I forgot to mention earlier I was promised a manager call back twice on the lost payment issue, but no one ever called me back. One of BT's customer service operators actually hung up the phone on me and was extremely rude. 

BT's customer service is disgraceful. I am unable to talk to a person who can sort the mess out. BT is not returning my calls and I am ringing BT's 1904 number and then being put on hold by an operator who checks if their is someone available to deal with the call and then being told their is no one available. Obviously I have cancelled my Direct Debit with BT with my bank. 

I long for the day when I’m rid of BT for good. I have literally made 20 phone calls to them (and the same amount of emails). If I see anything with a BT logo on it I will run a mile (no joke here). 

I get the feeling that this is well-oiled machine BT have and the machine is definitely not customer focused. BT does this because they can get away with it. What's to stop them? 

I have contacted comreq about this situation and they emailed me telling me they would contact BT on my behalf.

Update: Today (28/02/06) I got a letter from BT, from a complaint officer called Linda Loughran, she says
"Thank you for your recent contact received via Com Reg regarding problems experienced. Please accept my sincere apologies on behalf of BT for any inconvenience that this has caused" blah blah blah

So it seems contacting Com Reg does work in some way. I also received an email from BT telling me that after a thorough investigation (ROFL), they have found my payment. They have informed me they will put the payment on my credit card shortly. I'm waiting now for this to happen....

So it looks (fingers crossed until i get the money back) as if my BT experience is coming to an end. Thank all that's holy  

Peace and good luck all you current and future BT customers, your certainly going to need it .....


----------



## Seagull

Don't hold your breath waiting for the money to arrive. I trust they haven't at any stage charged you interest for late payment. You might think about asking them for interest for the period it takes them to refund you. That would be from when they took the money the second time until it's back in your account.


----------



## wibblewobble

*Problems with free upgrade from 1Mbps to 2Mbps download speed?*



			
				wibblewobble said:
			
		

> Also, the promised free upgrade from 1MB down to 2MB down in January never materialised. Looks like you have to call to complain before your get it.


 
I complained to BT on 18 Feb and again last Monday and have yet to get the upgrade to 2Mbps down. Anyone else experiencing the same problem ?


----------



## Guest127

€120 credit from bt yesterday. no explanation. just checked my _electronic _bill and its in credit. took a few mins to decipher it. full bill again ie €53.72 + vat @21% = €65 for _'paper bill'_ but other charges are €-99.18 and vat is also  -9.54. ( you have to work out the vat refund on €99.18+ the vat due on the €53.72 to get to the €120.) Clever. in short I get €120 but BT only pay €98.18. fat man from offaly picks up difference.
better than a kick up the backside but still not what I ordered nor is there an explanation on my emails how they arrived at this conclusion. this still has legs.


----------



## Pelagic

I signed up for BB+,Talk+ and line rental Sept 05. I've had most of the usual problems, no order found, part order supplied, incorrect billing etc...
I'm sticking to email for complaints so I have a hard copy of BT's replies including the platitudes of how important I am and how seriously they take it... And it is still ongoing...

I'm now wondering about their charges per call. Anyone else carefully examined their calculations?

For example:
Their website states that a weekend call to an O2 mobile costs €0.1024 per minute inclusive of VAT but that the call is charged per second.

So you would expect that a weekend call to an O2 mobile that lasted 95 seconds would cost:
95 X 0.1024 / 60= €0.162133 Gross or €0.133994 Net.
But they list it as €0.17 Net on my bill (when exported to Excel). It seems they are charging €0.13 per minute.

It could be that they have a lot 'done'.
I've 'more to do'!


----------



## Lauren

Well its off to COMREG with me. I have had virtually no joy with BT. Have spoken to them on the phone, they have confirmed they will reimburse the overcharged amounts they owe me but have seen none of it. I'm completely at a loss when dealing with them so I'm in the process of documenting the entire sorry saga to sent to COMREG. 
Has anyone actually received a refund from them?
Has anyone actually EVER been billed correctly by them?
I feel very sorry for the people who work in their call centre. They must be getting some serious abuse.....
At this stage despite sending written complaints to them, all I'm getting back is a complaint number but no responses. This service is shocking and I would never have anything to do with them again as a residential or business user.


----------



## Seagull

I did receive a refund from them. It only took three billing cycles to come through, with calls every time I got the bill without the amount credited back to my account.


----------



## Lauren

Seagull thats good to hear. I'll live in hope then. Did you have the name of someone who helped you? Did you use Comreg?


----------



## Seagull

I just called customer service and spoke to whoever answered the phone.


----------



## Guest127

Lauren:
Michelle McLaughlin, residential complaints manager, BT replied to my complaint when I demaned a customer complaint reference number as instructed by comreg. the girl in comreg was Lorraine. Said the first thing you need is this number. BT ignored me until I asked for it. I have since replied saying that I am not satisfied as the service I signed up for ie line rental &broadband for €40 per month was still not provided by them as I am still with eircom for line rental etc . but at least I did get the €120 refund. I figure I was actually owed 4 months @€15 plus 3 bills @€5 a total of €75 plus the rental for broadband for the weeks before I actually got connected. As for your query about anyone getting an accurate bill from BT for its services- I very much doubt it. They dont even have the foggiest what you are talking about when you ring them. Not a clue. it's like ringing a home for the bewildered. 
detail your main complaints to bt and state that comreg have advised you that bt must supply a customer complaints reference number. they will reply with one fairly quickly and about 6 weeks later you should get your first refund.
cheers and good luck


----------



## Sapele

Lauren I managed to get my refund off esatBT earlier this week. I nearly fell over from shock when I saw it. It is possible to get the refund but it takes a long time and a lot of effort. It's sad to say that BT only did something when Conreg contacted them on my behalf. Any decent company would have sorted this problem out in days not months, one or two phone calls not twenty plus calls and the same or more emails. They are a disgrace. I've cancelled my DD with them and if I ever have any dealings with them again it will be far too soon. 

I got a letter from BT after Comreg wrote to them about my case, thanking me for contacting BT via comreg, the letter is signed by Linda Loughran. She gives a number inviting me to contact her if I have any questions. It's not actually her number (LOL), I rang the number and it goes straight to the voicemail of another complaints officer. Of course I've rang it a few times, left a message but nobody called me back (what a surprise)

Actually, I encourage anyone reading this who has had similiar problems with esatBT to check out a thread on boards.ie (in the broadband section). A member named surveys is compiling a dossier of complaints against BT and sending them to BT's European Director. I think its a good idea and have sent him an email giving my story. Check it out if you're so inclined. You'll get your refund eventually + a few extra grey hairs, pith that .....

EDIT: I just noticed you started this thread Lauren, last November ... Comreg will help you get your money, don't worry your not the only 1 on the BT billing merry go round, peace and try not to get too frustrated


----------



## Lauren

I'm almost emotional writing this! I FINALLY got a letter from BT admitting they were over charging me to the tune of over 400 Euro over the term of the contract and that a refund is on the horizon. They want to 'CREDIT' my account but I have replied saying I want a cheque refund. Hopefully I will actually get the money in the near future but at least they have admitted their mistake, in writing, so theres light at the end of the tunnel!


----------



## Sapele

Well done !!  I know how you feel. It's terrible trying to fight an organisation like BT when you know they are ripping you off but you might as well be talking to the wall ...! I had great satisfaction lodging my refund to the bank today, then checking my online balance and seeing it there... It took me three weeks to actually get the cheque after they admitted they charged me twice, so contact them for updates, you know what there like ......


----------



## DrMoriarty

I'm half-tempted to rename this thread '*Anyone NOT having problems with BT Billing for Broadband?*'

As posted elsewhere, I've had an ongoing billing issue with BT since last July/August. Without going into boring details, 
(a) BT fecked up my transfer to single billing w/'Talk Plus', so that I ended up being overcharged for a bunch of 'free' calls. The bill was paid by DD from my credit card, so, after protracted correspondence, I finally managed to get an apology and a promise of a refund.
(b) Refund failed to materialise.
(c) Without any action from my side, the DD to my credit card mysteriously stopped working. Every month or so, I'd email them a reminder and ask them to sort out the problem. Nada. Zip. Zilch. But now I owed _them_ money instead of the other way round, so I let it sit...
(d) As my unpaid bill mounted, I suddenly received a stiff letter from them with all sorts of dire threats about disconnection, re-connection fees, referrals to debt collection agencies, etc.
(e) Wrote back and gave new meaning to the word 'stiff'...  Fulsome apologies all round, assurances that there would be no disconnection and that the problem would be resolved. This was in December.
(f) Last week, got a call at work from another poor sap to say that this had landed on her desk, that everything was OK now and would I please pay up. Looked online again — no refund, no change of any kind. Only online option was to overpay what I didn't owe.

Having checked carefully where and to whose attention it should be sent, I've now posted them a cheque for what I reckon I actually owe them, together with a copy of all the correspondence. I wonder what'll happen next...


----------



## Guest107

DrMoriarty said:
			
		

> I wonder what'll happen next...


Intrum Justitia are usually called in to threaten people once the billing system reckons you owe them €500 and are 6 months behind on yoru payments. 

Intrums phone droids are as ignorant a bunch of thicks as you will ever have the dubious pleasure of encountering. They will remind you forcibly that you owe the money, in full and that they intend to sully your credit record unless you write them a cheque for that €500, and a 'fee' of €50 to cover Intrums costs and post it within a week.


----------



## Sapele

Well Doc, esat BT bring a new meaning to the phrase your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing. Actually in their case the brain doesn't know what either hand is doing. Assuming the presence of a brain of course  There are just so many of these types of stories out there with them, it's staggering. My DD with them also suddenly stopped working, then all of a sudden a few months later it started working and double billed nearly €600. I'd advise you to contact your bank putting a stop to your DD with BT until they can bill you correctly. The idea of customers having to estimate what they owe BT is funny. What happens next is that they have no record of your cheque and bill you some more .... 

Even though I got my refund, when I log in to view my online bill it still says I owe esatbT over €800!! My online bill has been incorrect since the first day I signed up for online billing last October I think. The worrying thing is I wonder how many people are just paying BT without really checking their bills? Methinks a lot, it's possible the overcharge could amout to a nice tidy sum ......


----------



## Guest127

I signed up to credit card payments as it suits me better. So far I have been debited the first two bills but not the third one ( which is showing €55 in credit) assume the next bill will take this credit into account. Wonder am I in a better or worse position paying through credit card as I feel that should I move from Bt later I can instruct the credit card company that I no longer wish to have bt debit the card. also I know from my last IP that when mbna renewed the card (due again  next year) that they were unable to make deductions without finding out the new credit card number from me. I still can't  get an answer  from them why they won't provide line rental and broadband as advertised by them. definitely think this is a 'smuggle' to get new customers to sign up. like a loss leader in a shop but when you go looking for it, there was only 1 for sale and its gone, but the sign is still in the window.


----------



## jackfoley200

nobody should be on direct debit with bt, they will screw you

there are hundreds of broadband comapies that are much cheaper and offer a better service

http://www.finfacts.com/Private/bestprice/broadband.htm


----------



## Surveys

Hello Guys & Gals.  Please have a look at these forum pages.  They are All about ESATBT horrendous bad billing. We are also looking for help and 'submissions' as a 'dossier' is being sent to the top man in BT HQ in London. If anyone wants to help, and join in please post here and I will get back to you. We already have a large 'dossier' but from reading the posts on this site I think you guys have also had an horrendous time, so join us please.  The more the merrier, but in this case its 'more the heavier'. !  We have all tried the 'local' route for complaints but it does no good, and never will.  The only answer is BT in London. Right to the top...Thanks.
*My BT broadband nightmare... turns out it should never have happened*
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=51086572&posted=1#post51086572

*ESAT BT Dossier - Documents, complaints, wanted*
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=51058182#post51058182


----------



## nicelives

jackfoley200 said:
			
		

> nobody should be on direct debit with bt, they will screw you
> 
> there are hundreds of broadband comapies that are much cheaper and offer a better service
> 
> http://www.finfacts.com/Private/bestprice/broadband.htm


 
I think people are very attracted to BT when you bundle the line rental in with them, they then work out much cheaper than most and because they're reselling eircom, they have a much higher availability than someone like Smart.


----------



## Guest127

nicelives, they may advertise this bundle but try and get it. different story. three times now I have signed up for this package. even have copy of their email thanking me for signing up etc. Grumpy is in the same boat. they let you sign up and after supplying broadband only they say they have no record of your application for bb+line rental. have to admire them for cheek though. nice little earner they have thought up.


----------



## nicelives

Fair enough, no good if that's been your experience. I managed to sign up for both a couple of months ago, I had to chase it on the phone afterwards, don't believe their site application has ever been properly tested. Fair enough I was overcharged about €30 on my first bill but so was half the country according to boards.ie and expect to be refunded this coming bill, who knows. It is annoying when you have to chase people and it would save BT a lot of work if they could juct get their automated application and billing sorted, bizarre that a company would want to receive so many complaints each month.


----------



## car

i signed up for their 40e all in package last sept.  Fair play to them, I got set up within a week.  Overbilled the first time, as it seems was everyone else, but no problems after that.  
Or so it seemed until this morning I decided to check my BT billing, its being DD from an account i dont check often.  Talk about over charging.   They bill for every 2 months which should be c80e plus whatever calls which would be minimal.  However, the last 2 bills have been over 200e, theyve been charging me for extra options I never asked for.  On the phone to them straight away and theyve promised me a refund but having gone over this thread Im not hopeful so Im documenting all correspondence.   Is there a building you can call in to and face them over this?


----------



## Josey Wales

car said:
			
		

> They bill for every 2 months which should be c80e plus whatever calls which would be minimal. However, the last 2 bills have been over 200e, theyve been charging me for extra options I never asked for. On the phone to them straight away and theyve promised me a refund but having gone over this thread Im not hopeful so Im documenting all correspondence. Is there a building you can call in to and face them over this?


 
I found out today I have the exact same problem. I rang and they said they can't give a refund as I'm an existing customer. They can only credit my next two bills. 

Has anybody ever gotten a refund into their account from BT?


----------



## Guest127

last saturday morning I was leaving Aldi and I saw a chap loading his groceries into a  dublin reg white  van with BT logo  etc. As I was passing I just remarked that I was a BT broadband customer, found the service good, found their technical help brilliant but had he ever heard of anyone complaining of their bills. ( at this stage if he had told me to eff off I would have done so knowing that it was not really the place to tackle a BT employee, especially a lineman/installer etc) anyway his story was better than mine. Told me that he didnt get billed for ages and when he did it was for hundreds of euro. called into HQ to investigate and discovered he was being billed for 13 broadband lines. He said the staff member he was talking to then insisted he witness her deleting the bills for the 13 lines and asked him to check that she had done so. following month he got a bill for the 13 lines again. next month he was CUT OFF for not paying his bill, even though he was a BT employee. agreed that the billing was unreal. Said that he still wasn't sorted out .I left him at that and when I was loading my boot he gave a big wave and toot of the horn as he drove off. I dont actually know of course if it was big white one or not but with BT billing anything is possible. I have more or less made up my mind to stick with Eircom talk time for line rental and calls for moment and maybe switch back fully when they finally get around to offering a bb+ line rental package. which of course won't happen until there is a bigger number of disserters from them for broadband.


----------



## Guest107

car said:
			
		

> so Im documenting all correspondence.   Is there a building you can call in to and face them over this?



The contact details for complaints are listed on this site here 

[broken link removed]


----------



## DrMoriarty

DrMoriarty said:
			
		

> I've now posted them a cheque for what I reckon I actually owe them, together with a copy of all the correspondence. I wonder what'll happen next...


Well, ten days later, the cheque has been cashed — although the full amount still appears as unpaid online. I'm just glad I held back the amount I felt I'd been overcharged, 'cause I'd sure hate to be waiting for a credit. They initially promised me one of those last September...


----------



## Seagull

Josey Wales said:
			
		

> I found out today I have the exact same problem. I rang and they said they can't give a refund as I'm an existing customer. They can only credit my next two bills.
> 
> Has anybody ever gotten a refund into their account from BT?


I have. It took 3 billing cycles to come through, with a reminder to them each time they hadn't credited the account.


----------



## car

Got on to them again last night and got them to stop the direct debit .  They initially said they would only accept payment this way but when I argued that theyre just taking whatever figure they feel like from my account and as its the third time its happened I was going to get on to guards about theft, which which when I think about it, isnt a million miles away from what theyre doing.  The full overcharged amount is (the guy couldnt tell me when) getting credited back to my account, but NOT refunded.


----------



## nlgbbbblth

I had horrendous problems with BT when I dared to move house at the end of 2003. 

For 12 months I was charged for two internet connections. Each time I would ring up and complain and I would get a refund on the next bill. But the double-charging wouldn't stop until I emailed Bill Murphy one Sunday night. It seems that they found it impossible to delete my old address from their records.

There have been subsequent cock-ups.

Signed up for broadband in late 2004, requested modem be delivered to my work address. Three weeks later I arrive home to a note from the postman - 'we tried to deliver a package etc'. Took time off work to go to the sorting office to pick it up. When I got home I looked at the address on the front of the package - it was my *old address*. With a line through it and a 'please try <new address>' written below. Despite everything they had contrived to deliver the modem to my old address. Thankfully a guy living there had the presence of mind to re-direct to my new address. 

Paid nothing for the broadband for eight months. Upon calling them they claimed to have attempted to take the direct debit but it was returned by my bank. Given that I have worked in a bank for the last 12 years it was very easy to check that their story was completely inaccurate and no direct debit had been requested. I then asked them to verify the bank account details they held for me and they admitted they 'didn't hold any' (!) 

Eventually sorted it out and the billing is now going through bi-monthly.


----------



## Krusty2001

I switched to the 40 euro - 2MB BroadBand and Talk package a year ago.
Despite having complained on numerous occasions, and having received two refunds from EsatBT, I am still being over-charged a year later.  I've even been over-charged on the invoices in which they've credited me with refunds.

Don't expect anything to change tomed.


----------



## xpot4

i canceled with bt in december got charged for jan 2 march got on to them and told them i cancelled they told me i didn't but i did eventually they told me they will pass it on to their boss i've being on to them a number of times since told i will be refunded but i still haven't any ideas


----------



## z108

I hate Eircom with a passion but I still have to admit I ve had problems with BT. Their customer service is very poor and lacking any concern for the customer.


----------



## Westie123

Hi 

My latest experience of BT's "customer service" is as follows:

Last October I applied for BT's Broadband & Total Talk option and availed of the free online connection offer. My first bill in Jan had the amount credited to my account which was fine. My next bill was due in March but as of yet have not received it, despite phone calls. In the meantime an amount of money was charged to my credit card which was higher than expected. When I phoned to find out why I was told that the connection charge was being reapplied. I was told that the reason for this was that this offer expired on the 15/11/06 and that my first contact with BT was on the 17/11/06, despite the fact that I have a BT letter dated 20/10/06 thanking me for choosing BT!
When I insisted that I had applied in October I was told by the snotty individual I was talking to that "I don't appreciate bring told by you how to do my job". Eventually he contacted another dept to check and when he came back he said that while I had "some communication" with BT in October it did not concern him as it was with a different dept and that my application was still 17/11/06!!

I have sent an e-mail of complaint to "ronelle.tibaldi@bt.com" and am awaiting a reply.

Thanks.


----------

