Demoralised and dehumanised by your monster
corporate utility monolith? Try posting a cartoon and they will be right on to
you.
A cartoon, even an amateur doodle will – it seems – get
you attention from a megalodon company that otherwise treats its customers like
a necessary irritation.
A few weeks ago – I posted an old cartoon about crap
BT customer care. It was in response to news earlier this year that British Telecom
– provider (or NOT) of public broadband for the government - were in more corporate
mess because of being crap (I’m paraphrasing). Lo and behold my ex telephone
suppliers wrote to me. And I’d not heard from them since I sued them for
customer harassment; half a decade ago.
Following an initial problem caused by BT
engineering in 2009, I entered into a formal customer dispute with BT in 2012.
For 12 months, instead of responding fully to my concerns, BT sent multiple
threatening letters and a conveyor belt of debt collectors. The debt collectors
changed every time I wrote to the latest
one explaining why I was ‘in dispute’ with BT! It was a horrible, stressful
year. Eventually I’d feel slightly sick every time an envelope dropped through
the letterbox.
They failed to engage, in particular, over a single engineering
fee of £99 that we did not agree on. Fortunately I am now with another provider
and though I’ve had to call them out twice in three years, I’ve never been
charged.
I thought BT would run out of debt collecting firms
but they did not. So, in the end I sued them for customer harassment. It didn’t
go great. For example – the dweeb judge was bemused that I – a black single parent
on a very low income living in a tiny ex-council house - did not experience the
same sparkly, wonderful, marvellous service that he – a white male judge presumably
living somewhere more up-market- always got from BT. Ya don’t say.
NB If you wish to try this – do not do your online claim application while you are a. upset and b. on a time limit on a library computer.
Despite my claim being accepted as viable – in court, the judge decided the
whole application was invalid because, while I had cited the relevant
legislation in my statement, it had not, as I thought, been included in the
original online form.
There was, however, no further communication from BT following my
issuing of the case in autumn 2012 so the delightfully vague terms in their
letter “a while ago” and “in the past” actually mean half a decade.
But then I posted one of my old satirical doodles, featuring
BT a few weeks ago in my cartoon collection and the BT monster stirred. I only hope their current crop of disgruntled customers with no
broadband despite very expensive government contracts, are getting as much
dedicated time and attention as I am.
Yes – after a gap of half a decade I received that
letter last month from managing director of Customer Care, Libby Barr. For the
record, the little shyster responsible for my year of hell was actually –
Warren Buckley. By sheer coincidence, BT just
happened, it seems, to have dug up that old file after 5 years and “sold” my
debt to a shiny, fresh new debt firm. And I’ll tell Lowell debt collectors, if
they do get in touch, the same as I told the others. If I ever get a response
to my actual question this may get sorted. But well done BT for finding a debt collector they
haven’t already worn out.
Ultimately you have to hand it to BT. Rather than
discuss a disputed engineering bill with a very long standing customer (about
25 years); a reliable, regularly paying customer - they cut me off even though
I was a single parent living alone with an asthmatic child. Then, they sent
multiple threatening letters. Then they pursued me with debt company after debt
company after debt company after debt company etc. Instead of taking a last
chance to open dialogue, they responded to my online small claims case against
them with a rainforest of legal paperwork – that you’d have been better
weighing than reading. Then – half a decade later – after I put out an amateur
cartoon on a modestly read blog – they stir into action like a fat, arthritic, drooling hyena.
So if you
can’t get their attention – do a doodle and may I suggest we heartily celebrate the BT
company advertising slogan -
“IT’S GOOD TO TALK”
*
UPDATE Sept 26th 1017
I waited to see if the new debt collecting firm engaged by BT would get tired of sending monthly duplicate letters. They did not, so a couple of weeks ago I sent them a cease and desist or I’ll sue you letter and have received now a full written apology (19th Sept) and confirmation that I will not be hearing from them again. To be fair – they also say they bought the ‘debt’ in good faith from BT. Dealing with BT ‘in good faith’ seems to be not a great idea…
I waited to see if the new debt collecting firm engaged by BT would get tired of sending monthly duplicate letters. They did not, so a couple of weeks ago I sent them a cease and desist or I’ll sue you letter and have received now a full written apology (19th Sept) and confirmation that I will not be hearing from them again. To be fair – they also say they bought the ‘debt’ in good faith from BT. Dealing with BT ‘in good faith’ seems to be not a great idea…