BT ISDN30 and analogue lines - poor customer service, no lines, stress and anxiety

[the_it_bloke]

So I the IT Manager of an SME, and we are moving to a brand new building.

I realise these things never go quite smoothly so I order my ISDN30 (through a small local telecoms provider) and broadband (direct through BT sales) 3 months before the move in date and request an install date around 2 weeks before the move in date (the earliest i can get racks and power into the server room). The critical analogue lines I order probably a month before required.

A few weeks ago i am told the (separate) Fibre Lease Line and ISDN30 surveys have been completed - Leased Line no problem, ISDN30 i have to pay £1,500 extra installation charges - I have no explanation of what for but if I dont agree to pay ASAP I will loose my place in the queue. This doesnt seem right but too late in the day to argue sio I have to agree to pay!

All going well, but then last week, a week before the install date  (which is now) and 3 weeks before we move in I am told by the phone line people there is a collapsed conduit in the road and my IDSN30 and analogue lines have been had a 'fault' put on them and the install dates have been cancelled - there is no explanation and no one can tell me when the situation will be rectified. I basically have lost my install date and that is that... but it should be resolved by the end of the year!!!!! a month after the move in date.

I chase this through my Telecoms people who get nowhere, a day later a very nice BT manager phones me to try to see why 3 analogue lines and an ISDN30 have had install dates cancelled. Panacking I explain the story, eventually when he realises that the survey team have identified the wrong building plot he is able to get a 20pair pulled into the building at short notice, ...but i will need to wait until the end of the month for the 3 lines to be installed...ahhhg! and no idea about the ISDN30 because thats another team. Finally today I am able to get the 'fault' taken off of the analogue lines. After more begging (litterally) I have an install for 2 analogue lines on the 20th, honest guv! and only because they are critical but because the 3rd analogue line is on another order ... and despite all lines being installed in the same closet as the DP box so only minutes more install time, they cant do them at the same time and have to come out on another date... I have no idea when the 3rd analogue line will go in now.

Then a message then comes thorugh that no one knows who owns the road so nothing has happened, I had to identify this and pass the message back but I have no idea if the message got through or what the plan is to rectify the situation as I have no contact for anyone associated with the ISDN30 - it has alll gone quiet...

About the same time I get a call from the Lease Line people last week asking when I want the install (they dont know anything about a collapsed conduit in the road) - I ask for the 18th - they say no problem - warm happy feeling there at least. Later in the week I am told the Line will be installed but it can take an additional 10 days for the actual install to take place - OMG thats just a few days before the move in date.... Why didnt anyoone tell me that before now?

I try to contact BT about this but the project manager tells me that it is now in the hands of BT Open reach and neither the project manager or i can contact them - also i have no idea if the collapsed conduit in the street is going to affect this install - then i get a call from the engineer saying he will be doing the install in the 20th! - hang on what about the 18th ... sorry mate that isnt going to happen ... so add 10 days andt its pretty much right on the move in date.

So here I am, from a few weeks ago when I was planning the move and all was going well, to now.

I am 2 weeks from move in date.

I will have 2 analogue lines, the 3rd (going to the same place) I have no idea whren that will be installed.

My Fibre Leased Line may or may not get installed on the 20th assuming the issue in the road doesnt affect it, otherwise who knows.

My ISDN30, well I have no idea but it certainly will not be in by the move date.

Now I appreciate a collapsed conduit is something thats going to mess up the schedule, but how can you just cancel all my install dates without contacting me - the business customer - and woorking through things wiith me to find out how critical this will be? Why with 3 months notice and a survey wasnt this identified earlier?

Why leave it until 1 week from the install with no chance to meet my deadlines to tell me?

So thank you BT, I now cant sleep with worry, I am being sick and having panic attacks, I have to explain to my leadership team why it is going to cost us thousands because we cant move in on time and the reason is because BT have identified an issue and rather than working with the customer to resolve the issue they have just cancelled the install dates with no hope of getting them back and barely communicated with the customer. Oh and moved dates to suit them rather than me because they are too busy.

I will probably loose my job and am already on my way to going off sick with stress.

I cannot contact anyone withn BT who has any idea how to resolve this, so I ask myself, what can I possibly do about this to get back on track? - the answer from BT seems to be NOTHING ! Tough! You loose!

Why isnt there any joined up thinking? Why is communication between departments so bad?

How can this possibly be regarded as customer service? and more importantly and when will I ever trust my business with BT again?

[HowsThat]

Hello Paul,

I am sorry to read of all your issues.  Unfortunately I cannot help you speed things up but if needed I might be able to help you with a temporary emergency solution for phones and broadband.

If you would like to talk about your situation and the opens please Private Message me with your contact details and new address?

Kind regards,

Stuart.

[the_it_bloke]

So as an update, I have had to get the relevent forms signed from the land owners to provide BT permisison to dig up the road.

I have passed this in electronic form to everyone i have a contact for in BT and hand delivered to BT the original.

It is now down to the 'Planning Group' who i am not allowed to speak to who will decide the fate of our site move.

Be warned anyone who is planning to get BT fibre for phones or broadband, they will not plan the install unless you have everything in place to receive the equipment (rack, power etc) which is very difficuly on a new build, then when they find out that their duct is blocked everything just stops and you have to hold your building move up for an indefinate period of time whilst they sort themselves out.

Your project manager will just repeat the words 'sorry its with Openreach, you will just have to wait until they come back to you' and no one will come back to you! Meanwhile your career is shot!

I gave BT 3 months notice...

HOW IS THIS CUSTOMER SERVICE?