BT cuts firm’s internet at busiest time of year

A business owner is furious after BT cut off his company’s broadband just two weeks before Christmas .

Ben Lord, who owns die-cast model firm Speedbird Promotions in Ixworth, said the telecoms giant had cost him thousands in lost trade and put him under immense stress after it cut his internet service for five days.

He says it was cut after BT wrongly charged him £15 in payment processing fees, even though he pays his bills at the post office. After BT rescinded the fee on December 10, it took until 4pm on December 15 to reconnect the service. Ben said the mistake could have sunk a less robust business and was considering legal action to reclaim lost earnings.

“I am furious. This is the busiest time of the year for us and most companies,” he said.

“It’s only because we run the business carefully that we have managed to survive this.

“It is disgraceful – I cannot describe how stressful it has been. The business has been absolutely strangled by this.”

A spokesman for BT said it would be writing to Mr Lord.He said: “We have been in contact with the customer to fully discuss this account as there have been a number of previous communications with regards to payments on bills, not just restricted to the payment processing fee.”