MANY workers have shifted to flexible and remote working since the pandemic outbreak so today’s BT Mail outage will have caused chaos for many.
BT broadband caters for millions of customers and its email users reported problems accessing their email accounts today (October 14).
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Outage issues were reported in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Nottingham.
Issues include not being able to login to services or not being able to send or receive emails.
Other broadband and phone services weren’t affected.
A Twitter user said they were unable to login and are just being told to re-enter their username and password.
Another said: “I am now unable to access my online account or use as system is saying my username and password is incorrect.”
BT has admitted there are email issues and it is working on a fix.
A note on its website said: “We’re aware of a problem that may be preventing some customers from logging into their BT Mail account.
“We’re really sorry about this, but are working to get it fixed as quickly as possible.”
The provider said in a statement: “Some customers are experiencing problems trying to use their BT email, and we’re working quickly to resolve this.
“BT phone, broadband and mobile services are not affected. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
We explain how to check the status of BT’s service in your area.
We also take a look at whether you are entitled to compensation for a drop in service.
How do I check the status of BT broadband?
You can trouble shoot issues with your BT broadband on this help page.
The company also has an app where you can check if there’s been a service outage in your area.
BT has a service checker on its website so you can see how services are performing in your local area.
You need to enter your phone number to check your line.
If you want to call, BT’s helpline is: 0800 800150.
It’s worth checking on social media to see if BT has communicated about widespread service loss or if other customers are having similar issues to you.
Am I entitled to compensation?
If you’re suffering issues with your internet, call or mobile services then you may be entitled to compensation.
Internet firms usually pay out £8 for each day that broadband and phone service is not repaired after two full days of no service.
This is usually automatic but the regulator Ofcom has said firms don’t have to pay compensation at the moment due the coronavirus outbreak.
If you’re a mobile customer and you suffer from a lack of service then depending on the circumstance you may be entitled to a refund or account credit.
If you’re without service for a sustained period of time then you may have the right to leave without incurring a fee.
BT is signed up to the Automatic Compensation Scheme alongside other broadband providers.
This makes it easier for customers to get money back when there’s an outage.
If your service goes down then it’s worth asking for compensation, even if it doesn’t fall into one of these categories.
Has BT had a service outage before?
BT has had crashes before, affecting hundreds of customers.
On August 12 2020 for example, almost 900 people reported problems on outage site Down Detector.
BT tweeted to say severe weather caused an outage at its Edinburgh exchange.
On July 23, thousands of BT, Plusnet and TalkTalk customers complained of outages.
The companies said this was due to a fire at an exchange – the point where your home broadband connects to the network in your area.
On July 21, Sky customers suffered an outage leaving hundreds of users struggling to access the internet.
Virgin Media also went down on July 6, affecting customers.
TalkTalk, BT and Post Office internet also suffered an outage on May 29, leaving thousands of customers unable to work from home.
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