Sunday 22 October 2000

Internet users face #5m bill over BT error By Mary Fagan, Deputy City Editor

BRITISH Telecom (BT) is struggling to claw back #5 million from its customers after a computer fault gave them free access to the internet for six months. Up to a million users of internet services managed by BT on behalf of other firms have unwittingly been getting free calls. Now the customers, possibly including those whose internet access is provided by W H Smith and Tesco, are being hit with big backdated bills.

The problem emerges at a difficult time for the company. BT has been forced into denials of boardroom rows and splits between Sir Peter Bonfield, the chief executive, and Sir Iain Vallance, the chairman. Robert Brace, the finance director, resigned earlier this month, and there is speculation that more board members will go.

A BT spokesman yesterday blamed the problem on a "computer glitch". Calls to some numbers that begin with the 0845 code and are usually used for internet access were read by BT's computers as free 0800 numbers. The spokesman said: "Obviously we are entitled to claim those call charges although we will not be charging any extra. Basically customers have been enjoying interest free credit."

The company said that it could not disclose the scale of the problem but admitted that it affected "tens of thousands of customers" using 0845 codes, followed by the number six or seven.

The spokesman said: "We have had to correct the way numbers were entered into the system and then trawl back through the bills. It is a lengthy process but I must stress that no customer has had to pay for anything they did not use. If a customer gets a higher bill than expected then we can reach some agreement in terms of paying in instalments. After all it was our fault."

BT was unable to specify which of the branded internet service providers that it manages carry the codes. BT said that even where customers are not charged for access they still pay for the calls to the internet at two pence a minute and would have to pay for any backlog.

One City analyst estimated that, on average, customers affected by the glitch have run up unpaid bills of #50. For every 100,000 users that would cost BT #5 million. One customer said that it was appalling. The customer said: "I did not realise until I got a bill for #90 and when I rang up I was told it had happened to all 0845 calls. How can a billing system fail for six months? How can BT be so accident prone?"

BT has also been criticised by rivals, who allege that the company is acting anti-competitively and is hampering the rollout of high-speed internet services and interactive video to the home over traditional copper wires.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 21, 2000

Answers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et? ac=000122257519214&rtmo=3mBYux3M&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/10/22/nbt22.h tml

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 21, 2000.