ChatterBank2 mins ago
Bt A Shower Of ~~~~~~
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Just been told by BT if the noisy line is nothing to do with them then i will be charged £180 to me this is a form of blackmail how would i know anything about a crackling on the line
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I think it's to cover themselves if the fault is found to be generated by some piece of faulty equipment you may have connected to.
I was told the same a few months back when we had a very crackly line and then lost all service for a couple of days. They checked the Line right up to the front door, fault turned out to be in the junction box screwed to the wall where the cable entered the house.
As it was outside the property there was no bill.
To be fair to BT, they warn customers over and over again (before agreeing to send an engineer out) that they'll be charged if it's not a BT fault. (e.g. if it's simply a faulty phone).
I really had to struggle to get someone to deal with a problem (where my phone wasn't ringing when someone called me but the call was there if I picked up the receiver) because their automated system couldn't detect a line fault and they didn't want me to incur a big bill.
So it seems rather churlish to complain about them simply trying to save you money!
I really had to struggle to get someone to deal with a problem (where my phone wasn't ringing when someone called me but the call was there if I picked up the receiver) because their automated system couldn't detect a line fault and they didn't want me to incur a big bill.
So it seems rather churlish to complain about them simply trying to save you money!
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You need to phone BT again and specifically ask that your line is checked at the exchange before you agree to anything else. Also ask that the engineer who checks at the exchange, phones you back with the results the same day. With any luck, they'll pick up the noisy line there and effectively admit the fault is in their equipment.
They can't do these checks from a call centre despite what they tell you. Furthermore, BT don't always do this check before they turn up at your property preferring to bill you if there is the slightest reason to attribute the fault to your equipment. This is why the call centres prefer to give you the standard warnings about the charge.
If they admit the fault is theirs and want to call to check the Master Socket, don't leave the engineer over the doorstep until he says there won't be a charge. Confirm it with him at the front door when he leaves.
What most people don't know about this is that when the engineer sits in his van and submits his report electronically on his tablet, there are two buttons on the screen. One says "chargeable repair" and the other says "non-chargeable repair". It's the engineer's decision alone that will decide if you get a bill for the repair, but you are in a position to dispute an unjustified bill if you've been told that there was no charge.
Personally, I'd go over to another telecoms provider because although companies like Sky and TalkTalk give you the same warning about the charge and you still get a visit from a BT engineer, you can challenge a bill with your provider ( they'll have been charged by BT ) and you stand a better chance of getting the bill cancelled.
They can't do these checks from a call centre despite what they tell you. Furthermore, BT don't always do this check before they turn up at your property preferring to bill you if there is the slightest reason to attribute the fault to your equipment. This is why the call centres prefer to give you the standard warnings about the charge.
If they admit the fault is theirs and want to call to check the Master Socket, don't leave the engineer over the doorstep until he says there won't be a charge. Confirm it with him at the front door when he leaves.
What most people don't know about this is that when the engineer sits in his van and submits his report electronically on his tablet, there are two buttons on the screen. One says "chargeable repair" and the other says "non-chargeable repair". It's the engineer's decision alone that will decide if you get a bill for the repair, but you are in a position to dispute an unjustified bill if you've been told that there was no charge.
Personally, I'd go over to another telecoms provider because although companies like Sky and TalkTalk give you the same warning about the charge and you still get a visit from a BT engineer, you can challenge a bill with your provider ( they'll have been charged by BT ) and you stand a better chance of getting the bill cancelled.
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jordy, I think its fair enough and easy to check. You just plug a different corded phone into the master socket. If the phone works properly then the fault is in the house and down to you, if its still crackly then the fault is down to them. its all on their website. You can’t expect them to come out to your house, find the fault is down to you not down to them and not charge you?
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We had a similar problem. The engineer came out and could find nothing wrong with our system, but he did change the box in the house as ours was very old at no charge to us. The problem was actually a long way down the line. Think they have fixed that now. They may be a useless company with no Customer Service to speak of, but have to say that they were very efficient in dealing with our problem. (Probably because we have no Mobile signal here so need wire for emergencies).
