Telephone line

[druiaghtagh]

Can i get compensation from BT as my line was out of order for 8 days ?

[j2buttonsw]

If you complain enough they may consider giving you free telephone for a month rather than cash compensation. But really complain and lay it on thick: the squeakiest wheel etc etc

[gazzawazza]

Possibly... BT themselves brought in a scheme to do just this about 12 years ago.

If you report a problem with a phoneline they will then give you a date by which time the problem is to be resolved.

If, however, the problem isn't solved then they will reimburse you.

I know because in 1993 my mam and dad moved into a bungalow. The bungalow wasn't connected and when they asked BT for a phoneline they sent out a surveyor, who decided that the lines weren't high enough and this required a new telegraph pole to be sited in front of their house.

Eventually the pole was erected 56 days after the promised connection date and mam and dad received a cheque for about �420! (Approximately �7.50 in those days although I don't know how much they pay now).

So, the question is, did BT give you a date to remedy the problem and did they achieve it???!!!

[KARL]

It is definitely worth complaining because there is (at least was) a clause in their code of practice or customer service charter to cover this. However, it is crucial that they be aweare of the fault and they are likely to start counting only from the time they became aware of a problem (probably must be a complaint, rather than they twigging on their own) minus the "buffer" they give themselves. They will compensate per day of outage at a fixed rate. My experience is that they prefer to credit you against charges on your next bill.