BT threatened to turn off a vulnerable 91-year-old dementia sufferer's broadband despite him relying on it for life-saving medical care alarms, the Daily Mail can reveal.
asserted
Mail → threaten → alarms
Alan, who lives in South Wales, lives independently thanks to a range of devices and alert systems put in place by his daughter Anne Hanscomb, 57, who resides 100 miles away in Wiltshire.
asserted
who → live → Wiltshire
These include a telecare alarm connected to his landline, cameras around the home and an alarm on the front door.
asserted
These → include → door
Ms Hanscomb followed all BT's safety procedures designed to protect vulnerable people during the digital switchover, which is a nationwide initiative to replace increasingly unreliable copper landlines with internet-reliant services.
asserted
which → follow → services
She informed them he is classed as a vulnerable person, that she has power of attorney, and provided her details for any contact needed over her father's account with BT.
asserted
she → inform → BT
But last week she received an email from the company threatening to completely cut off her father's service in days.
asserted
she → receive → days
The email claimed BT had attempted to contact Ms Hanscomb and her father 'several times through emails, letters and phone calls' but had not heard anything back, and that as a result 'your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next five days'.
asserted
service → claim → days
But Ms Hanscomb told the Daily Mail she had received no contact before the email, and BT has now been forced to admit it did not actually get in touch with the family prior to issuing it automatically.
asserted
it → tell → it
Alan, 91, has dementia and relies on a telecare alarm and other devices to maintain his independence (Pictured with daughter Anne Hanscomb)
asserted
Alan → have → Hanscomb
Ms Hanscomb received an automated email last week threatening to cut off her father's BT services
'
asserted
Hanscomb → receive → services
I think to use the threat of a service disconnection as a pressure tactic is completely unethical,' Ms Hanscomb said.
asserted
Hanscomb → think → tactic
'I have worked so hard to keep my dad safe and independent at home, caring for him is my priority.
asserted
caring → work → him
'BT know that he is vulnerable, they know I have power of attorney, I’ve spoken to them before, he’s got a lifeline button.
asserted
he → know → button
'Sending that letter to my dad is unacceptable pressure.
asserted
Sending → send → dad
Don’t they have a duty of care under Ofcom to protect vulnerable customers?'
asserted
they → have → customers
Ms Hanscomb immediately contacted BT who have now cancelled plans to turn off Alan's broadband service.
asserted
who → contact → service
The operator was made aware that her father was vulnerable and had a telecare alarm that was linked to his landline.
The alarms are designed to be linked to a phone so that they can phone for help in the case of an emergency.
asserted
they → make → emergency
BT is understood to have paused his transfer to a digital landline until his telecare alarm had been upgraded to be compatible with it.
asserted
alarm → understand → it
The firm is said to have tried to contact the family by sending a letter, but Ms Hanscomb said this was never received.
asserted
this → say → letter
She also said she had not been contacted in any other way.
asserted
she → say → way
BT has now apologised for telling the family that his broadband would be stopped 'without contacting them previously'.
asserted
broadband → apologise → them
But Ms Hanscomb raised concerns about the tactics used by the firm and the language of the auto-generated email.
asserted
Hanscomb → raise → email
It's not the first time telecoms have been criticised for how they have treated vulnerable customers.
asserted
they → criticise → customers
In December, Virgin Media was fined £23.8million over failures to adhere to Ofcom's consumer protection rules after it did not adequately identify and record telecare users, and also disconnected telecare users who had not engaged with the switchover process.
asserted
who → fin → process
Ofcom ruled Virgin had done this 'despite being aware of the risks posed' and this 'put thousands of vulnerable customers at a direct risk of harm'.
asserted
this → rule → harm
Two people are known to have died after telecare alarms failed to function properly following households being switched from analogue to digital landline services.
asserted
households → know → services
The government has stressed no causality has been definitively established between their subsequent deaths and the 'serious incidents' of the alarms not working, and it has not been confirmed which telecoms firms were involved.
asserted
firms → stress → deaths
It also says these deaths occurred prior to additional safeguards being introduced.
asserted
safeguards → say → ?
The change from traditional copper wires to internet-based services is necessary due to ageing infrastructure increasingly failing, resulting in blackouts and service outages, telecoms firms say.
asserted
firms → base → blackouts
The industry had to pause its rollout and delay it by two years after a series of incidents which saw vulnerable customers unable to call emergency services when required.
asserted
customers → have → services
This was because unlike analogue phones, internet-based services do not stay functioning for any period of time in the case of a blackout or internet outage.
asserted
services → base → blackout
Many medical devices including wearable alarms were also left not working after households were switched over.
asserted
households → include → alarms
After government intervention, more safeguards including back up handsets and greater support for vulnerable people were introduced, but there have still been some reports of problems.
asserted
safeguards → include → problems
A BT spokesperson said: 'We're very sorry that Mr Barrow received communication about his broadband being paused without being contacted previously.
asserted
broadband → say → communication
We have reached out to him and his daughter to apologise and reassured them that his broadband service will remain connected.
asserted
service → reach → them
'We have arranged an appointment to provide a digital landline service at the end of October and will be monitoring this to ensure the transition goes smoothly.
asserted
transition → arrange → this
The Aporia
