The real reasons why I'm leaving BT Internet

1. The service has been ropey on and off since Christmas Time 1999.
I'd been with BTi since the summer, and had quite enjoyed my time. Then the problems started. I was given three free months time with BT Internet. In case you hadn't guess this time runs out 12 May 2000 at midnight.

2. The system has never quite recovered. There is always, and probably will always be something wrong with it. I put up with dodgy IP addresses, the catastrophic break at the beginning of March, the news dying for 5 days(OK, it was in and out of intensive care more often than not for 5 days), and the 0800 dial-up breaking on Friday night.

3. One of the support guys took it upon himself to say I was off-topic. When someone stuck up for me saying I was only responding to some excuse we'd been given from support the guy said " I am more than familiar with Diane's history and indeed do follow the Ng's, I on this occasion deemed it to be off-topic. ". I made a written complaint about this and received a reply. I don't think the reply was worth the cost of the stamp.

4. Canceling my account was fun. Billing are a bit overwhelmed for some reason (support keep passing them the buck, and I guess loads of people are canceling accounts). I got the automated reply. I asked in support and someone from support offered to assist. Post your details in here and I'll sort it out. Yeah right. Post my security password in a newsgroup? NAH... SO anyway, the guy contacted me by email, and I sent him the info, asking him what would be the last date for me to use my account. He canceled it straight away. Whoops. Late Sunday night I was on the phone to billing reactivating my account until the end of my billing period. OK so the guy from support emailed an apology.
I just got the opinion that they want me out. It's kind of tempting to stay, but I think I've had just about enough of them for a while anyway.

5. I've had enough. I know all ISPs are going through a very strange time with the introduction of all this 0800 all you can eat Internet fest! But when you can't get a sensible answer out of support, when the first time you see one rush to help someone they trip over in the process.

6. There are plenty more ISPs in the sea.

7. Update: 10 May - my homepages have disappeared.

You can tell I'm hurting. Its not nice leaving an ISP where you've made lots of friends, especially when you feel pushed. What would it have hurt the support bloke who upset me emailing me with an apology? I don't want a pound of flesh, not even half an ounce ... Just an apology and it looks like that was just that little bit too much to ask for.

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Oh it really gets better from here on in. Rang billing. Well I rang the customer complaints review service who transfered me through to billing for free (she offered to put me through to the help desk for free too) And they had no record of the ring back number I'd been assigned on Sunday night. So I once again asked to speak to a manager, I mentioned I'd written some letters - but was nice about it...
No one has contacted me yet.
The letters get posted at 9 AM tomorrow morning. Not a threat. It's a promise.
Posted.
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What I've written and to whom ... I've written a lovely reply to the person who replied to my written complaint asking her to reinvestigate, and sent a copy to Sir Peter Bonfield along with a general letter of complaint about the quality of BT Internet.

Aw well, some you win, some you lose, and some you have fun on the way out.

;-)

Update
I've received a letter back from Sir Peter Bonfield's office. One of their people will be getting in touch with me shortly.
And last Friday (the day of my account's official closure) I rang complaints review service and got my account put back on .... and a tenner to be credited to my phone bill for the loss of a day's use of my account! I only asked for an extra day to make up for some of the inconvenience.

*************Am I the only person to be paid to leave?*************