Before we moved into our rented cottage last December, BT promised to connect a phone line and broadband by the end of the month, provided I sign a two-year contract. Two weeks before moving day a BT engineer called us to say he was at the property to assess what was required, and all looked fine.
On an appointed day, an engineer called to connect us, only to discover there was no line to connect. There is already an existing connection point in the house, but the line was taken over by the offices of the trust which owns the house and land where we live. These fully-connected offices are just five yards from our front door.
After weeks of to-ing and fro-ing BT said that I must pay more than £20,000 to lay phone lines from our property to the exchange. I reminded it of the agreement, but it ignored me.
I then approached Sky which promised to connect us within a fortnight without this huge charge. I signed up, paid my dues, then was told BT needed me to pay more than £20,000 to lay a cable.
I would never have moved to a house which could not have a phone or internet connection. My partner and I run businesses which rely on the internet. DB, Betws Bledrws, Ceredigion
BT has a universal service obligation to provide telephone lines where feasible, but householders can be held liable for any infrastructure costs over £3,400, although these are rarely levied, according to Ofcom.
Bizarrely, BT suddenly realises there’s been a mistake. A very large mistake. “An automatic system generated an incorrect charge to provide the service via BT and then Sky,” says a spokesperson. “Openreach asked both providers to confirm this was correct, but the order was cancelled, instead, each time.” It declines to elaborate further on this system. Nor, when pressed, will it answer why BT either couldn’t or wouldn’t acknowledge the mistake until the media was involved.
Instead, it left you for six months without communications. Now you’ve been promised a phone line at no additional cost from any provider you choose, and you should be connected by the end of the month.
Sky says that it has no record of Openreach advising that the charge was generated in error – otherwise it would have kept the order open.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
