BT Business Broadband support and fault fixes

Who fixes what

BT provides and fixes the broadband service. When you buy through Forever Communications, an Authorised Supplier for BT, the service, the fault process and the fix targets are BT's, under BT's terms. We help you choose the right level of cover before you need it, and help you make sense of the process when something goes wrong.

How to report a fault to BT

BT's main route is its online fault tool. BT says reporting a fault online makes fixing faster, because it does not need you to tell it anything it already knows about your services. In outline:

1. Log in to BT's fault reporting page with your My Account details.
2. Check for known issues. BT runs a quick check of your services and shows any problems it has found, with steps to take if action is needed from you.
3. Report the fault against the affected service if nothing is shown, and answer BT's questions.
4. Remote fix or engineer. BT tells you whether it can fix the fault remotely. If an engineer is needed, you can book the earliest available appointment or pick a time that suits you.
5. Keep the fault reference. You will need it to track the fault and for any compensation claim.

You can track the fault online afterwards. We do not publish BT's phone numbers on this site; BT's help pages list the current contact options, including chat.

Before reporting, a few quick checks save time: restart the BT hub, test with a device plugged in by cable, and if you use your own router, reconnect the BT hub. BT says an engineer visit may be charged if the fault turns out to be with your own equipment.

Standard Care and Prompt Care

Every BT Business Broadband plan comes with a care level that sets BT's target time to fix a fault:

The difference can be a whole working day, more if a fault is reported late in the week. For a business that cannot trade without its connection, that is the main reason to choose Pro or add Prompt Care. Our page on BT Prompt Care explains it in more detail.

BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme

BT runs a Customer Service Compensation Scheme for its small and medium business customers. For BT Business Broadband it covers:

• Repairs that miss the target fix time for your care level
• Delays to the start of service, where BT fails to provide service by the agreed date
• Delays to switching, where BT is at fault

For a missed repair target, BT's standard compensation is one week's rental credit for each day, or part day, past the target, with claims capped at 12 days. The same basis applies to a delayed start of service, counted from the agreed date. If your broadband is part of a bundle, BT calculates the credit on the monthly price of the whole bundle. Compensation applies when you report a total loss of internet access, and exclusions apply.

BT's conditions for a claim: you must already have reported the problem, wait 24 hours so there is at least a day's delay, and claim within 90 days, with your account number and fault reference. Full terms are in BT's broadband terms and conditions.

Hybrid Backup comes with BT's own Always Connected Guarantee, which offers compensation if backup fails to activate within 30 minutes of you reporting a fixed line fault, limited to one claim during your contract term.

Help beyond the line: Enhanced IT Support

Enhanced and Pro include BT's Enhanced IT Support, an IT helpdesk service for the business, which BT says can help with things such as operating system upgrades and removing malware. It is BT's service, separate from fault repair on the line, and useful for a small business without its own IT team.

BT's main helpdesk does not support third-party routers. If you run your own network equipment, keep your IT provider's details to hand alongside BT's.

When the problem is speed, not a fault

Slow broadband is not always a fault. Before you report one, run a wired speed test at a quiet time and compare it with the minimum guaranteed speed BT gave you before your service started. See running a BT Business Broadband speed test.

If speeds stay at or below that minimum, BT's minimum speed guarantee sets out what happens: BT says that if, 10 days after your service starts, your speed is regularly at or below the minimum and BT cannot fix it within 30 days, you can end the service without paying charges other than for service already received, as long as you return any BT hub. If the slowness is Wi-Fi rather than the line, see business Wi-Fi.

Reducing the impact of the next fault

No connection is fault-free, so the best support decision is often made before anything goes wrong:

• Add backup. Hybrid Backup switches to 4G automatically if the line fails, and BT says static IP and IP voice keep working on it.
• Shorten the fix target. Prompt Care can be added to Essential and Enhanced, or comes with Pro and Ultra.
• Keep a record. Note your account number, BT's minimum guaranteed speed and where the BT hub is kept if you use your own router.
• Think about calls. If your phones run over the broadband, a fault affects both. See broadband for VoIP and BT Cloud Voice.
• Know when broadband is not enough. If even a short outage is very costly, a leased line with its own service levels may suit better.

How we help

We do not fix BT's network, and we do not make response promises of our own. What we do is help you choose cover that fits how much downtime would cost you, explain BT's process and targets clearly, and help with the changes that follow, such as adding Prompt Care or Hybrid Backup, or moving to a plan with faster fixes.

Contact us to review your cover, or to talk about adding backup or Prompt Care.