Problems with BT locally

Judging by recent Chatbox comments, a fair number of people in the area are having trouble with their phones. They are also disappointed by the problems they are having getting BT or OpenReach to fix the problem.

Geraint, an Audlem resident, adds his voice to the frustration. "GRRRRR! Is that how Korky the cat's frustration was depicted in Dandy all those years ago?

"We've suffered erratic, intermittent faults on our BT landline since the heavy rains about three weeks ago.

"Sometimes the dialling tone does not come on, sometimes it does but then goes dead when you dial a number (yet you find later that it has rung at the receiver's phone) and the otherday was the latest new wrinkle when it dialled correctly with the number recorded correctly on the 'window' and the call was answered- by a bemused stranger in Oxford!

"It's so frustrating to not be able to talk to someone at BT. How long can they hold out without doing
anything about it?

Another resident writes: "Our line hasn't gone down, however, we are getting an intermittent fault whereby I dial a number, hear the pips and then it goes dead. I know of at least two other people experiencing this problem, one in Buerton and two of us in Audlem.

"My question is, is anyone else having this problem? I have tried talking to BT (absolutely appalling customer service for a so called communications company) and so far got nowhere."

And another local resident says: "We are having same problem which seems to be intermittent. Have had BT engineer out to house who changed a box but fault still there. Recently rang a number three times. First two times line seemed to go dead but person who was calling heard it ring but got a dead line when picked up the phone. Third time managed to get through.

"We have also had reverse when someone rings us but we get a dead line and they hear nothing.
Suspect a fault in exchange but having great difficulty in talking to a real person in BT!"

There are other comments along the same lines, all indicating lousy customer service.

As many will have read in the national media, BT are coming under increasing pressure from other telephone suppliers who think they should lose their control of OpenReach. Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone are trying to steer Ofcom's thinking as it implements a once-a-decade review of the communications market.

Ofcom has said it will stop short of pushing for a formal break-up of BT and Openreach, but kept the threat over the former state monopoly as it seeks to negotiate voluntary changes.

On the basis of what's reported above, BT's competitors could have a point! Locally, certainly, residents want a better service from BT.

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