Sir,
A word to the wise, for anyone considering going online at home for the first time (as I've recently done) or for those thinking about switching internet service providers: in my experience of BT Broadband, their help desk and the delivery company they use, I would urge others to exercise strong caution in the case of BT. I had not had my new home hub from BT long before it 'died' on me. BT Home IT advisor and the cover they use, via Home Delivery Network (HDN) have wasted four days of my life so far, by insisting I remain at home between 7 am and 7 pm each day to take delivery of my replacement home hub. This involved me in cancelling appointments, the inability to access any e-mails that may have been sent to me, loss of work, expensive phone calls at national rate to HDN's Llanelli-based deliverer (who insisted they'd got my address correctly every time I contacted them, but turned out to be sending their driver to a 'Stanley Street' in Tenby - is there a Stanley Street? Does it sound remotely like Victoria Street? This at the behest of BT). A case of 'Chinese whispers'? After four days of this, I spoke with a BT technical support worker, who said he'd sorted things and to stay in the next day, Saturday, November 24, to await delivery of the hub. "And if HDN's supplier fails again?" I enquired. "Then they'll have to honour their contract and deliver on Sunday," the BT assistant replied. I was surprised at the idea of a Sunday delivery, but was assured it would happen, if necessary. Come Saturday night, no hub. Phoning BT Broadband again and remaining on hold for an hour to speak to a manager -who talked a lot, but said nothing beyond a load of spiel and hot air. This tale of woe goes on and on. I won't bore Tenby Observer readers with all the details, but still, as I write (evening of Monday, November 26), I am without a replacement hub. Hence the 'word to the wise' in the light of my experience (I have since heard of others who've been messed about by BT Broadband). Sure, I'm dealing with the situation in my own way, this letter to the Observer being part of it, but in the meantime, I'm off-line and, apart from all the other time-wasting and disadvantages incurred, I am missing fresh air during the fine bright days we've been recently blessed with. Today, I phoned BT Home IT advisor again, in order to obtain the full name and office address of the manager who had toyed with my problem on Saturday night. "Address? What do you mean?" asked the assistant who responded to my call. How could anyone possibly misunderstand that question, I wondered, and suitably worded a sarcastic response. The assistant indicated he would have to connect me with his manager (a different person to the Saturday night manager) for such an unusual thing as an address: more holding, more time wasted until I was finally connected. "All I'm doing is trying to be polite, in copying the Saturday night manager in on my letter to Nick Ainger MP" - seeking help with my hub problem and assistance in terminating my contract with BT Broadband without incurring any financial penalty. In the course of finally giving me that seemingly rare phenomenon, an address, the Monday morning manager was good enough to clarify the postcode which involved the letter 'N', "N for Nuts," he said. "You have no idea how appropriate 'N for Nuts' is, in this case," I responded. Need I say more?
Anne-Ruth Alton,
3 Islay Court, Victoria Street, Tenby.