Forum Topic

Different ISPs do not provide exactly the same service, terms, and conditions. There are a few important steps, the first being to decide on a domain name that is available. My ISP provides an easy DIY facility to do this, follow the links for domains from http://www.ukfsn.org and you can search any or all the databases for a suitable name. Similar facilities are provided by some other well known companies such as 123-reg (UK?) and GoDaddy (USA), search Google for domain registration companies. Different endings are allocated by different registration authorities, such as .com (USA), and .uk (Oxford, England). The price is partly determined by the ending. Unfortunately some "useful" or "interesting" names have been grabbed by people just interested in making money by selling them on at a profit.The service provider will forward your registration request and usually supply email and website services, together with routing to suit your requirements. Emails can be (re)directed towards an optional list of sites in whichever priority order you choose. Once you have decided on a name and service provider you should be able to route incoming emails to another email address. If you already have a fixed numerical IP address it is possible to route incoming emails, etc, direct to your own computer, but there can be much greater risks of access problems and power failures than if they are handled by your ISP in a secure data centre.The internet uses binary numerical IPv4 or IPv6 addresses for routing which are difficult for us to remember, so the Domain Name Service (DNS) system provides a comprehensive index linking names that we can remember to the binary numbers together with information about the fastest route currently available. There is some information on my website, together with further references to more information, otherwise please ask.

Chris Bell ● 4985d

Just wanted to add an insiders perspective.I worked for BT for 16 years (17 actually as i was a temp for 1 year)and left this time last year.All of my career there was spent either:1) working on a helpdesk2) training Helpdesk people3) managing Helpdesk people 4) Building Software for Helpdesk peopleI have my own gripes with them as i am about to take them to court as i cannot get them to pay me for some freelance work i did for them last year, so please don't imagine that i am a total partisan.The people at the very top of BT and the people at the very bottom who deal with the public have a great deal in common.For the most part they genuinely really want to do ANYTHING that they can to make your life easier. ( without the company losing money obviously) The people in between these 2 groups are where the problem often lies and a lot of career building goes on that gets in the way of the other 2 groups achieving their joint goal.Here is something practical that may help:In BT people are encouraged to take 'Ownership' and they are targeted on this and penalised if they don't.This means that if it is 'within their power' they are meant to work with the customer and be involved in the issue until the end.For helpdesk people ( and this depends on where they are within the structure) this will usually only cover getting all the relevant information from the customer and passing them to the relevant team who can help.That said - they are not meant to just transfer you, they are supposed to:1) get the right number2)Speak to the person who answers and confirm that they can help and pass on all the info about your issue.(NOTE: BT uses numerous different databases and this is why you often have to repeat yourself.Most likely - the people you have dealt with ARE capturing your issue but when you are passed to another team - they may not have access to what was written)3) Stay on the line in case they are needed further.Now as training as really been sacrificed in many areas of BT over the years not everyone will have been told that they should be doing this so... ASK THEM TO!If the person on the phone says that they can't do this - ask to speak to a supervisor. This should NEVER be a problem with people who are manning the phones.( It will be different for engineers who turn up at your house.)If the supervisor gives you grief ask them if they can take 'OWNERSHIP' of your issue and get you through to the right person. The other thing that BT people are encouraged to do and are targeted to do is to find: 'What they CAN do'.Sometimes customers do ask for things that cannot be done: No the CEO cannot come round and troubleshoot your connectivity issues, but i know a man who can.Again if you are not getting satisfaction ask what the person on line CAN do for you. This will also be a powerful thing to do when speaking to supervisors.Finally, India.In know a guy who is very high up in the Indian part of the organisation. I have worked for him and he is brilliant. i have no doubt that he is doing what he can out there to try to create a great service for BT customers.The big problem that they have now is turnover as there is no end of competition for staff based in India.It is also getting expensive and many teams are being disbanded and the jobs are being brought back here.Please don't vent your anger at the people on the phones, yes i have worked with some lazy good for nothing utter cretins but the vast majority of BT helpdesk staff really want to help.Please do trying Asking for the things i have mentioned above it should help, particularly when you get to supervisor level.: )

Jamie Carless ● 4948d

People internally do still say for instance; 'this issue needs to be flagged up' but that might be something that not everyone would be familiar with.I think you mentioned the word 'Escalate'in another reply Sara, now that is a very good one that everyone worldwide will know!If you say 'i am not happy with this and i would like it escalated' then really the person you are speaking to is duty bound to comply.It might be useful to also to ask what the escalation process is for the team that you are speaking to e.g:* who will it be escalated to* when can you expect a response* can you have contact details for that person in case they don't respond.I would also say that it is very useful to write down names of everyone you speak to on a helpdesk, the time that you spoke and what was said.If you have dates, times and names written down that you can refer to it's very useful if you need or wish to make a formal complaint.Oh and on that subject if you wish to make a complaint be explicit.helpdesks leave it to the discretion of the agent to decide if an issue is actually a complaint.Complaints are always dealt with quicker than faults.The only way to guarantee that your issue is loggedas a complaint is to say something like:I am dissatisfied ( this word is important in complaint logging)  and i want you to record this as a complaint. If you said 'i don't think this is very good'. That may mean that your call is logged as an enquiry rather than a complaint.: ) Hope this helps folks!

Jamie Carless ● 4947d

Jamie, I wonder if you can help me.  I've had an awful experience or several with BT (I now call them Bloody Terrible.com)  All joking aside, I have wasted precious hours of my time having to cal them due to their incompetence, going round and round the automated system (I had to make 7 attempts at calling them tonight to get through and out of the cycle of automation) and they still don't put the problem right.I"m told "I'm sorry you feel that way and we're sorry, we've now put that right but you'll have to call us when your next bill is due so we can refund you" which, of course, fills me with horror at the thought of having to call them again.I tried to escalate my compliant this time and was put on to a Supervisor but all he said was "I'm sorry you feel that way" and "you'll have to write or fax to make a complaint" as there is no email facility or, wait for it, phone line to the complaints dept.  Is this correct?  I am sick and tired of BT, big time, and I reckon I'm average in that sentiment.  I think it's time someone did something, as my vast experience of BT (as it is now) is shockingly negative and painful.  What started as an ok evening has descended into stress, anger and frustration - all because of BT and nothing more.  That amounts to awful customer service. Apologies for the rant.  I would really like to take this further.  Any suggestions you might have, apart from the ones above, which I've taken on board, would be really useful and appreciated.  Cheerio and thanks.

Angela White ● 4922d