Dont use BT internet and heres why...

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old.Mrobbo

Guest
I got an E-mail off BT:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Customer

As part of our customer service program, we regularly review the
network and level of service received by all of our customers.

After reviewing our records recently, it appears that your account has
been online for extended periods of time without being used or it has
been online for 16 hours in a 24 hour period.

We remind you that this is not permitted under the terms and conditions
of the BTopenworld for BT Surf Packages service (please refer to
paragraph 10.3). http://www.btopenworld.com/helpnb/terms/
The reason for this condition is that such usage reduces the
availability of access to the service for all of our customers.

We wish to advise that should this practice continue, we may need to
suspend or terminate your account without further notice.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I replied thus:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Could you tell me when you introduced this measure as I do not recall it
being present when I originally signed upi to BT surftime & weekends?

The reason I did sign up to this package is because of the unlimited access
to the internet in off peak hours for a flat rate fee, if this agreement
has changed then it should be advertised as such and nowhere in the
advertisements is it stipulated that usage is in anyway limited, hence the
flat rate for unlimited access which I signed up to.

I do not spend over 16 hours a day online every day and in fact do it very
seldomly when I wish to upload or download large files and as such I think
it unfair that subscribers are unable to do this occasionally. Alos this
extended usage is almost always during the early hours of the morning when I
am sure internet usage is pretty low. I am after all paying a change [which
has recently increased] for this service and had other alternatives when
choosing BT internet as my ISP. I hoped when I subscribed to BTs excellent
service and customer care and am saddened at this threatening message from
yourselves. You have clearly looked at your records and sent this message to
all the BT surftime subscribers who are heavy users of the internet warning
them to cut down their connection times in order to stop other users from
suffering connection problems. I would suggest that a more customer concious
company would perhaps invest in a better service for all their memebers
instead of threatening the customers who you would be least sorry to lose. I
was unhappy as it was with the enfoced 2 hour cut off period which seemed to
be against the unlimited internt usage claims in your advertisments and now
you are further culling that so called freedom of use.

I also think it negligence on the part of yourselves to punish the people
who use your service the most as it is us who are more likely to pay for
other services and are more likely to upgrade to broadband. I must say that
my family and I will await the outcome of this situation before deciding on
which broadband service to use in the future and indeed which phone provider
to go with.

Yours


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Then things escelatated:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your email regarding the unattended use of your BTopenworld account.

Regrettably, your account has been set to cease due to unattended usage. Once this has been set in motion we are unable to prevent it from happening. Your email account will also be suspended and your emails lost. We provided advance warning that your account would be ceased to allow sufficient time for you to arrange alternate services.

If you wish to appeal against this decision you can email abuse@btinternet.com or write to:
BTopenworld Customer Services
P.O. BOX 163
Exeter
Devon
EX1 1BX

If you would like a copy of your data, in order to dispute your usage, you can write to:
Data Subject Access Manager
Phoenix House
100 Great Northern Road
Derby
DE1 1NJ

Including the following:

- A cheque for £10 made payable to "BT plc" (please note that cheques will not be receipted)
- Your primary email address for your BTopenworld account
- Your helpdesk phrase (usually a mothers maiden name)
- Any relevant reference numbers relating to this issue
- A cover letter outlining the exact information you require


If we can assist you further, let us know.

Your reference number is: 2171426

Yours sincerely

Simon
Technical Support
BTopenworld narrowband support

BTopenworld Billing: internet.billing@btinternet.com

BTopenworld Technical Support: support@btinternet.com

Should you prefer to speak to the BTopenworld Team directly you can contact us on:

BTopenworld Billing: 0870 241 4567

BTopenworld Technical Support: 0906 302 3456*

* Calls to the Technical Support Helpdesk are charged at 50 pence per minute from a BT line



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This is a warning to all those who are subscribed to BTinternet or are thinking of subscribing. DON'T DO ITThey treat you like shit and then cut you off without adequate warning for spurious reasons.

This is a public service announcement.

Thank You

MRobbo [ex-BTinternet soon to be Blue Yonder user]
 
F

FuZor

Guest
I know M8, its getting pretty damn common these days :(

Only the really big ISPS like AOL let you really stay on as long as you want :) IE: they let you get away with it, cos they can!

Smaller ISPs have dedicated packages for that amount of time on-line. But they cost about £30.00 a month :(


Dial Up can suck eggs if you are not careful........................
 
S

Summo

Guest
Harsh stuff, though most ISPs disconnect you after two hours anyway. There are many reasons not to use BT Internet and there's one more.

Don't sweat it, fella. There are plenty more ISPs you can use your SurTime with. I used Tiscali and was happy. Demon come highly recommended...
 
C

caLLous

Guest
I was warned about the same thing back in August last year :(
 
O

old.Jas

Guest
Originally posted by SomeGuy
Demon come highly recommended...
Click to expand...
I've said this before, and I'll say it again - Demon are the only ISP to use with surftime.

You tightfists still on dial up should get your asses in gear and get broadband though
 
F

FuZor

Guest
Originally posted by Jas

You tightfists still on dial up should get your asses in gear and get broadband though
Click to expand...

Can't, not available in my area..... along with the 60% of the population :(
 
O

old.mrmen

Guest
When signing up to any ISP, always read the terms of conditions thoroughly. You have no reason to complain unless you have met the TOC. Remember, these TOC's are liable to change on a monthly basis and therefore you are signing up to something new each time you renew your subscription each month.

BT are far more leniant than most ISPs out there (regarding time spent online). I can understand them chucking you off the service as you are not meeting their TOC. If all people used their dialup the way you did, then the service would simply not work. The only way to get an unlimited/unmetered ISP, is to signup on a business ISP where you have a ratio of 1-1 for each port. Sadly these cost like £100 a month. Thats why dialup sucks so much.

I hope you do find an ISP that suits your needs soon.

On another note, I e-mailed BT to ask them to cancel my subscription with them a month ago. They have just e-mailed me today notifying me of payment due for this month (even though I have not used their service since asking to cancel). Typical BT.
 
F

FuZor

Guest
Originally posted by mrmen
. The only way to get an unlimited/unmetered ISP, is to signup on a business ISP where you have a ratio of 1-1 for each port. Sadly these cost like £100 a month. Thats why dialup sucks so much.
Click to expand...


Kinda, with AOL you can get away with it. Mainly cos they don't give a shit, as their network is big enough to handle it :)

I havent heard of one case where an AOL user was kicked off for overuse :D
 
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old.mrmen

Guest
Originally posted by Quicksolv

Kinda, with AOL you can get away with it. Mainly cos they don't give a shit, as their network is big enough to handle it :)

I havent heard of one case where an AOL user was kicked off for overuse :D
Click to expand...

When I used AOL's trial, I couldn't stand them. They are only good for downloading. If you wanna use them for anything else, then I would not recommend using them.
 
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FuZor

Guest
Originally posted by mrmen


When I used AOL's trial, I couldn't stand them. They are only good for downloading. If you wanna use them for anything else, then I would not recommend using them.
Click to expand...

That is sooooooo true. But some of us AOL users get ace pings and fast connections :)

Think its really down to location and the fact a BT line is a must. Otherwise your calls get routed through the US of A :( giving ridiculous pings of 2000!!!


I currently ping 120 to 140 ish :)
 
F

FuZor

Guest
Originally posted by Ono
Is that BTOW ADSL or modem?
Click to expand...

I think its modem..... as you can't be kicked off for overuse on ADSL................... ;)

could be wrong though, have to wait and see :)
 
O

Ono

Guest
Originally posted by Quicksolv


I think its modem..... as you can't be kicked off for overuse on ADSL................... ;)

could be wrong though, have to wait and see :)
Click to expand...



PHEW.


I leave mine on all day and go shopping most times. ;)
 
F

Furr

Guest
anyone on bt remember when they constricted people's adsl who used to internet to much , they cut to upload and download speed to something really stupid because they had subscribed to many people or something , they denied they did only to admit it two weeks later
 
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FuZor

Guest
Originally posted by FuROf knight
anyone on bt remember when they constricted people's adsl who used to internet to much , they cut to upload and download speed to something really stupid because they had subscribed to many people or something , they denied they did only to admit it two weeks later
Click to expand...

BT GOD THEY SUCK... :rolleyes:
 
S

SoWat

Guest
anyone on bt remember when they constricted people's adsl who used to internet to much , they cut to upload and download speed to something really stupid because they had subscribed to many people or something , they denied they did only to admit it two weeks later
Click to expand...

BTOpenworld (broadband section) tried to throttle the throughput on certain ports, generally the ones used by peer2peer applications (morpheus/Direct Connect, etc).

The process of throttling consumed too many cpu cycles, and the routers croaked, dropping packets like drug dealers during a raid, which in turn affected all the non-p2p users too).

You're right about BTO not admitting it until 2 weeks later, but they had no choice, as the evidence was there for all to see (plus they were starring in Watchdog that evening).
 
R

raw.

Guest
Im recently back on modem after being an adsl customer (total shit) im soon to be cable though :D

Ive got 2 dialup accounts now one on Freeserve and one with AOL, the Freeserve one is great for gaming, web browsing & forums as well as irc idling, and AOL comes in very handy for over night downloads because they have no 2 hour disconnect, the spam email is a pain in the arse but i dont use the email addy anyway, but overall aols speed for downloading on modem is very impressive, 4 - 5 kb a sec, so i cant really complain.

BT themselves are a bunch of morons, my phoneline sucks pretty bad, wont dial in usualy above 33, after several attempts im lucky to get 37.2 but BT are adament theres nothing wrong with the line, and are convinced its my poor knowledge of PCs & installed my modem incorrectly... hmm i wonder if they would like to see my CV.

Fucking muppets the lot of them :D
 
M

mookie

Guest
i've been on blueyonder surfunlimited now for 2 years (2 years exactly, got me cd 14th feb 2000 he hee )
it was a little shoddy for the first month or so, but has only gotten better since..
i pay like, 20 quid a month to blueyonder, i get unlimited dialup access. no cutoffs, and no complaining from them if i use it for more than 20mins a day. Altogether its probably saved me about 400 quid a month on dial up costs. i like blueyonder. :)
download speeds are the best u could get from a modem, pings to the blueyonder gaming servers are <150, all is good.
 
O

old.Mrobbo

Guest
This is what I consider will be my last e-mail from those crooks at BT internet

Your account is due to be terminated on the 15th of Febtuary. If you wish to appeal against this decision you can email abuse@btinternet.com. If your account remains active beyond this, the decision may have been reversed, in which case the abuse team will be able to inform you of this decision
Click to expand...


I've sent them one back giving them hell but what else can I do apart from send an e-mail to watchdog and flood some UK forums [which i have done :upyours: ]

My response:


I wish to appeal against this decision as a gross and unwarranted breach of
the agreed contract and a shocking disregard for customer care ethics.


I spoke recently to a colleague who recieved the same first threatening e-mail sent to me by yourselves. He replied aplogetically and was given a warning not to breach the rules again. However because I did not apologise and was less than impressed by your attitude I received an e-mail telling me my account was to be terminated. What must I gather from this I wonder?

Incidently I am preparing a letter to be sent to BBC Watchdog about this disgraceful conduct on your behalf and am also preparing to flood the forums with the e-mail exchange we have had to ensure that others don't repeat my mistake of trusting BT internet to treat their customers with due civility.

I await your response
Click to expand...

A fair reply to a threatening e-mail I think :mad:
 
E

Embattle

Guest
AOL don't care because it would cost them more to search/deal with such users than it actually costs to let those users continue with long connections.

BT weren't the only one, at first quite a few of them were going to limit the total amount you could dl/ul in a 24 hour period.

It's not a threatening email at all, it's just a standard email that gets sent to abusers. BTW never get agressive unless you're willing to accept the consequences.
 
S

Summo

Guest
It's up to you, mate but I personally wouldn't bother. How many emails do you think BT get threatening to contact Watchdog? Its not the most frightening corporate threat. Saying you'll spam their forums which they probably never read anyway, isn't going to make them sympathetic to your cause.

As mentioned previously your terms & conditions are subject to change and I'm sure a mammoth company like BT wouldn't let such a large project as this go unnoticed by their legal department. You claim a breach of the T&C yet you provide no evidence. I was a BT person reading that I'd smell a bluff and ignore it.

You say yourself that an apology did the trick for your friend. Why not try that? Bite the bullet, swallow your pride and all that, though I suspect your friend's circumstances are probably different.

Best advice I can give is fuck 'em. Good riddance to a poor ISP. Sign up with Demon.

Even if you weren't having trouble with BT I'd suggest you drop them and use Demon, anyway.

All imo, of course.
 
E

Embattle

Guest
Yeah heard about it some time a go, although it's great advertising :)
 
O

old.Kez

Guest
Amusingly enough, I got that "overuse" email a couple of weeks ago and binned it, I'm well aware of my abuse of their dialup, undoubtedly more-so than they are. They're welcome to cancel my account, I'll just change provider - possibly the best reason for dialup :eek:
 
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suicide121

Guest
If I got a e-mailback like that I would be complaining straight away, you just gave them an honest e-mail back, asked them a few questions, and told them about their service, they have no right to kick you off the service straight away like that, obviously because of one e-mail reply back they didn't like, BT have ruined UK's internet cause they have let no competition in for years, battys
 
E

Embattle

Guest
Originally posted by Suicide121
they have no right to kick you off the service straight away like that
Click to expand...

Actually they do and can.
 
S

Sar

Guest
Originally posted by Kez
Amusingly enough, I got that "overuse" email a couple of weeks ago and binned it, I'm well aware of my abuse of their dialup, undoubtedly more-so than they are. They're welcome to cancel my account, I'll just change provider - possibly the best reason for dialup :eek:
Click to expand...

Conversely though there wouldn't be reason to get one of those on a broadband connex.

/smooches cable :D
 
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