We have had a BTinternet email account for years and the line that connects to the internet is a BT business line. On the 13th August the email just stpped delivering any emails and it’s  now the 17th and we still don’t have access to them.

On Sunday the 16th August 2015 I tried to access the email and go a screen to reset my password – I was asked for my email address and my date of birth and then my child’s first name – I duly filled this in. I have four children so started with the first one.., then the second,…..then the third. You only get three tries and frankly I don’t remember ever putting this information in in the first pleace so why would I be asked this now?

I found a helpline 0800 800 150 and duly called it. This was about 2pm on Sunday. It was answered pretty quickly which was a surprise and after telling the nice lady that my email didn’t work and I needed to reset the password she tried a few things before telling me that her’s was a business helpline and that my line wasn’t. I told her that the broadband was business broadband, something we set up to get a single IP so we could login to the server. She tried again – nothing.

After about 15 minutes she decided that I was through to the wrong department and she would put me through to another – I hung around for 5 minutes, phone ringing before it was picked up again, by her. She tried again, I went round in circles and it was picked up again………… by her.  After about half an hour I gave in. She todl me that someone would be in Monday and to try agan then.

On Monday I called again at 11.45 – I went through the rigmarole of calling and being told  that BT in VERY busy at the moment. After 13 minutes it was answered. The man told me that he was business and I needed residential so he put me though to a lady in India. It was now over 17 minutes:

17.45: Lady: Nigel, When did you change to business broadband: Me: 2008, Lady: Do you have an email telling you to upgrade your email to a premium account? Me: It was 7 years ago, no. Please hold the line. Me: You won’t lose me will you? Lady: No

22:45 – still waiting.

25:00 – So she came back and told me that because I didn’t respond to three emails in 2012 the account had been put in the suspnsion queue and I could no longer use it. The only email I could find was what looked like psam from Nov 2014 – see below:

After much argument she told me there was nothing I could do – they had tried to contact me and as I had not responded the email addrss was gone:

33:00 I would like to complain – Lady: you can complain but there is nothing that can be done now: I waited in the phone for another 5 minutes and she did indeed come back having registered my complaint.

40:00 Lady: If your complaint meets certain criteria we will call you – Me: what are the criteria? , Lady: I don’t know. Me: When did BT try and call me? Lady: I am not from the call back team so I do not know.

I found this from 2013 – ignored obviously as clearly I either thought it was spam or a bill:

 

The upshot is that my free email adress that I have been using for about 10 years, maybe longer is now gone and there is nothing I can do about it! I spent 45 minutes on the phone today and 20 minutes plus yesterday and there was clearly nothing that I could do and the lady simply couldn’t have cared less – It was my fault.

So – if you have one of these emails – look at  it – check it isn’t spam – frankly, I do not have the time to check every spam email as I get 100’s and no one ever called us to tell us this.

They don’t tell you that your account has been suspended either they just let you continually keep trying the password reset and can only tell you what has happened after over an hour on the phone. Its shit and typical of an organisation who couldn’t give a fuck.

Nigel Carr© 2015