BT Yahoo sucks!
‘fraid I have to confess… I’m one of those net-Luddites who’re still using dial-up to connect. But at least I have two separate isp accounts. Or I did!
My main one was with BT, principally cos I’ve got a BT phone line, so it made sense to have my internet access with them as well (or at least, I thought it did).
Well, everything worked fine until they hived off (or whatever they did) their internet division and created this weird entity named “BT Yahoo”.
First problem I noticed was with my webspace. It was still there sure enough. But could I access it? Could I hell. Everything was on-line, but I couldn’t upload, edit, delete, or anything (an’ I’m not really a novice at this sort of caper, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t “user error”).
Normal ftp wouldn’t work. Ftp through the browser wouldn’t work. Ftp through Dreamweaver (the way I normally manage sites) wouldn’t work. Even trying to go through my own account page at BTinternet (latterly BT OpenWorld – before it became BT Yahoo) wouldn’t work.
So I gave up. Wasn’t too critical, cos I’ve got plenty of other stuff to be getting on with anyway.
Tried emailing BT, but to no avail. In fact, I didn’t even receive a response (or responses, cos I sent more than one email).
So I put the problem on the back burner.
Until yesterday.
Now let me explain that my second isp is the one I normally use to access the internet, reserving the BT account only for BT-related type stuff (like not managing the website I’ve got with them!).
So I disconnect from my default isp and dial up BT, only to be confronted with a page informing me there’s a problem with accessing the ‘net, and redirecting me to another page. Which link I dutifully click, taking me to a page that informs me BT Yahoo have had a problem collecting payment for my package and have therefore downgraded me to Pay As You Go. Which is very strange, cos I always pay quarterly in advance through my phone bill.
Anyway, I’m being redirected to yet another page, promising me the option to re-register for my package.
So once more I click the link… lo and behold, here comes a message saying I’m using the wrong browser and should upgrade to at least IE4!
Bloody cheek. Not only do they lie to me about my account status, they’re now telling me I’ve got to use some crappy Microsucks product instead of Firefox (and the latest stable version of Firefox at that)!!!
Obviously a phone call to BT’s in order.
Following morning (i.e., earlier today) I prepare to spend a coupla hours on the phone negotiating the ubiquitous automated answering system. Finally I get to speak to someone in BT accounts.
Before actually mentioning the problem I’ve encountered I talk them through my account, getting them to list the various items I’ve got on my quarterly bill; further getting them to confirm that I’m actually paying quarterly in advance for BT Surftime and BT Yahoo Internet Services. Yet further getting them to confirm that my account has always been paid in a timely manner, and that there are no outstanding amounts waiting for payment.
I then clarify for the very pleasant gal on the other end of the phone why I’m calling and, after a few seconds embarrassed silence from her end, there’s the open admission that clearly there’s been a mistake, and they offer to connect me to BT Yahoo straight away so that it can be sorted.
Preparing for another lengthy wait I’m pleasantly surprised to find myself, almost immediately, talking to someone whom I suspect was probably talking to me from India or somewhere.
Anyway, describing the problem (and having got this other person to admit there’s obviously been a screw-up), I’m then informed that what’s happened is that BT Yahoo have discontinued the Surftime package. “So how does that justify downgrading me to PAYG from a service I’ve already paid for in advance?” I ask, and “why wasn’t I at least notified?”.
(I forgot to point out that had this explanation been offered on the first error page I’d encountered on the web I’d have been in a far better mood than that generated by it being implied that I’d lost my service cos I owed them money… bloody cheek!)
Cleverly avoiding my questions, this remote telephonist offers to get the responsible department to re-activate some sort of service for me, and that they’ll phone me back.
“So do you mean I’ve got to sit here for the next couple of hours waiting for a phone call?” I ask, rather irately (silly me.. I’d been expecting that they could get the problem – i.e., their screw-up – sorted straight away, or at least within a few hours, without needing further input from me).
I’m told that the department in question will probably call me within the next two to three days.
“What?!” I yelp. “So what about the internet access that I’m not getting that I’ve already paid for in advance?”
By this time I’d just about had it with BT Yahoo. Which is what I told them. In no uncertain terms. Adding the rider that for the past coupla months I’ve been mulling over going broadband (true, absolutely true) and that BT would have been my preferred provider. Tough! I’ve just this minute signed up with my other provider, and BT Yahoo can get stuffed.
They’ve clearly got a lot to learn about customer relations.
-- fotdmike
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