ARE YOU TIRED OF BAD SERVICE?
We are developing a brand new series for Channel 4 and want to hear from people who are sick of waiting in never-ending call queues and then never get a reasonable answer when they are finally put through! In short we want to hear from people who are tired of receiving bad service! At the moment we are gathering research and stories with a view to approaching companies and suggesting they implement a better way of doing things!

So we want to hear from people who have issues with particular companies/services – whether it is through their own personal experience or even perhaps their granny has been sent an extortionate bill which has frightened her half to death or your teenage son is being charged ridiculous amounts for surfing on his phone. Any customer-related horror stories are welcome! So, if you get frustrated with inefficiency, sloppy customer service or just downright rudeness and don’t feel like a valued customer - then please get in contact with us or pass this on to someone who you think would be interested. Please contact: lucy.chapman@whizzkid.tv or telephone: 0207 440 2581 - even if just to find out more info.

Thanks for that I am sick of BT and their treatment of customers and huge callout charges even if your own equipment isn't at fault.
Their attitude is if we check and everything is OK our side at that minute it must be you.

That covers just about everyone in the UK then!

Simply because most companies in the UK suck when it comes to customer service and there is prob not one person out there who has not experienced it!

You also find the bigger the company the worse it gets, nothing will change so as we brits usually do we just put up and shut up!

Very true the amount of times you actually get good service is diminshing year by year. Companies are getting more aggressive all the time and feel they are doing you a favour by selling to you.

I recently helped a friend sort out the affairs of a deceased relative. Most of the companies we had to contact were reasonably good and the number of those using clueless indian call centres seems to be going down. Except of course for BT, try 150 and what do you get, confusing menus, endless waits and a bad connection to an Indian who can't do the job because he doesn't speak much english!

A word of warning, if anyone finds themself in this position, if you try to change the name of the bill-payer, BT now regard this as a new contract with a minimum term of one year. So be careful if you are thinking of selling the property. Come back GPO, all is forgiven!

You got your phone number wrong. It's actually 020 74402581

Shouldn't that be 020 7440 2581?

BT are trying to claw back as much money as they can from the customer ( in my opinion) because so many of their customers now make their calls thru another provider.
If I didn't have to use a BT line I'd be off in a flash.

I still like 0207 and then a seven digit no.

I always think of London as having seven digit phone numbers.

You try dialling a 7 digit number in London, it won't connect it's missing a digit.

However dial the 8 digit number and it connects.

That's because the code for London is 020, and local numbers are 8 digits long.

It's never been 0207, so how can you still like something that's never been?

I thought it was time for an update on this factual series we're making for Channel 4 as it has changed somewhat since being in development when LucyChapman first posted in November last year.

Here's the new official blurb - let me know if you've got any questions, comments or ideas.

Fed up with poor customer service? Find your complaints hitting brick wall after brick wall? Want to do something about it?

Whizz Kid Television are producing a new Channel Four series that gives you, the consumer, the chance to help improve the very companies that are letting you down. If you are passionate about the importance of customer services and would be willing to tell companies where they’re going wrong and how they might do better, then this is your ideal opportunity.

We are looking for confident customers with dynamic ideas and creative enthusiasm to make Britain’s businesses sit up and listen.

If you’d like to find out more please call Elizabeth on 0207 3950 355 or email to elizabeth.woodward@whizzkid.tv.

I no longer use BT, I cancelled my landline as their customer service was so awful.Every company now does everything for their benefit regardless of how it inconveniences or irritates the customer.
In today's business world the customer is always wrong....always.The attitude of every call centre and customer information centre is treat the customer like dirt.They think they're doing you a favour even talking to you.

I also ditched BT, they gone to the dogs when it comes to customer service!

I try and keep my houshold bills to a min these days, gas, electric, Water, rent, council tax, credit cards and mobile all have UK call centre's etc...

I tend to look at a company in detail now before taking a service, I scan the forums and i try and find things out in great detail! I also look at things like what number do they use i.e 0844 or 0871 etc...

The consumer these days have very little protection against these companies, i read all the time about peoples credit reports getting damaged due to an administration error on the side of the company which they find almost impossible to get corrected as you always end up going through third party call centre's who have no idea what to do.

A lot of companies also no longer have any UK based call centre's even as a backup should the third party company be unable to solve your problem.

Sounds like you are very aware of customer service issues and your consumer rights! If you have any ideas on how you'd like to improve customer service in general please get in contact - this is your chance to have a say about what companies are doing wrong, and more importantly - do something about it!

You have to be these days, even more so when every time you take a new service you get locked in to a contract which can last anything up to 2 years these days.

Nothing worse than getting locked in to a contract and ending up with nothing but problems, paying anything up to 10p a minute to speak to someone in broken English who does not have a clue about how the product they are there to represent actually works let alone on how to remedy your problem.

I could go on and on moaning but life's to short.

Thats exactly what its like in coventry! the area code is:
024, and then the number is.... 76XXXXXX

which I REALLY don't see the point of! to me 76 is part of the area code. because all numbers in the area start 76.
why do we have to dial the 76 if your in the 76 area?

most people (including myself) when asked will say their area code is "02476"

All the numbers in my village start 0178722 - but the STD code is 01787, not 0178722.

Yes, but your number is 22xxxx and anyone in the 01787 area can call you by just dialling 22xxxx.

Yes, but I can't drop to 22 and just dial the last 4 digits.