How long should it take to switch mobile provider and transfer your number?

[LondonManc]

Home | Ofcom - simples

[DallasDad]

Not Mobile but Landline
I switched last December to Plusnet for Phone and Broadband and I settled my final bill with BT in January or so I thought
Three months later a bill for phone rental and other features arrives.

I phone the hell desk in India, said I have an email from you confirming the transfer date and a final bill payment receipt so owed them nothing
Oh yes I do she (Sandra) said and I should call Plusnet to sort it out!

Apparently Plusnet had not told open reach something who had not told BT something else and I was a ghost in their system for ever to be haunted by new quarterly Bills and threatening letters unless I paid up.

After umpteen pointless phone calls and a fair few hours on hold I tried a different route and called cancellations.
Spoke to a real Human in Scotland.
She identified the problem in their BT system and corrected it or so I thought.
Another three months later a new bill plus a late payment charge for the last bill and threats of Debt collectors damage to my Credit rating etc. arrived.
I decided no more trying to reason with the BT drones
I lodged a formal complaint via Email which is hidden away if you work past all the pointless chat window options
The offcom code I think requires them to respond/resolve within 7 days.

Yesterday I was called, told it was all sorted and a cheque for the excess £90 they have charged will be in the post.
Result you may think, I am not so sure!
They don't actually owe me anything so where they get the idea I am owed £90 from worries me.

Perhaps that error will be adjusted on my next quarters bill...

It is automata taken to extremes no one seems to have a clue and no one seems empowered to actually responsibly resolve anything.

[SueEllen]

I have never seen such terrible service. Not only do they not have the ability to tell me "this has been escalated please wait 2-3 days" but when I asked for a PAC code they told me they cannot do this until the current problem is resolved.

Then I asked how to make a complaint and they wouldn't tell me (I asked twice). They practically boasted about the fact that lots of other people are having the same problems!

If they refused to tell you how to make a complaint you should have phoned OFCOM's helpline to ask them.

OFCOM won't be very much help but they would have logged there was yet another issue with BT mobile and told you who to complain to.

To be fair I'm more militant with mobile and internet companies since a Three customer service op threatened my credit file a few years ago.