15 Aug 2024
Nine weeks ago, St Albans hairdresser Michael Symcox thought he’d take advantage of a special deal being offered by BT to switch his shop to their new digital service. But he unwittingly started a chain of events which has left him close to breaking point.
For Michael, who has been a hairdresser for 41 years, has been left without a landline service for all that time, with the result being that many of his customers thought he’d gone out of business.
His shop, Michael James in Verulam Road, is tucked away in a basement, but has builty a strong clientele of loyal patrons in the five and a half years since it opened.
Michael explained his dilemma: “I wanted to save money and combine my phone and internet, but although the internet works BT cannot patch my phone across.
“I just want to cry.
“I’ve spent more than 20 hours on my mobile trying to resolve the situation, and sent more than 100 emails and texts.
“During my longest call to BT, which lasted one hour and 57 minutes, I spoke to 15 different people and none of them could help me.”
It transpired that when the business had a BT digital landline installed there were problems with porting the existing phone number over to the new line, something engineers have been working to resolve.
Ironically, on the day the St Albans Times visited his premises, BT’s collection team had contacted him for failure to pay his bill – for a service they have never provided.
“People have been stopping me in the street and saying they thought I’d closed down, as when they phone up they get a message saying ‘incorrect number’.
“I’m losing money and it’s putting a huge strain on my mental health.”
Fifteen years ago Michael suffered a breakdown which cost him his business and his marriage, and having built it back up from scratch again, he has been diagnosed with bipolar 2 and borderline personality disorder, and this situation is not helping his wellbeing.
He has taken to social media to ask clients to contact him using alternative means: “We have a temporary phone number whilst BT try and sort out the mess that they have made. Either call or WhatsApp me on 07956552261.”
After the St Albans Times contacted BT’s press office, Michael received a priority call from a member of the team promising to resolve the situation.
We have also received the following statement from a BT spokesperson: “We’re sincerely sorry for the experience Michael James Hairdressing has had in moving from an analogue phone line to a digital one, which fell below our usual standards. Our team is working to address the issue and we will offer a goodwill gesture for the inconvenience caused.”
