Three years since you wrote this post it appears that BT have done little to fix the multiple issues with Openzone – and I just wanted to concur with your report because it really does need to be underlined by us – the sucker public – who unfortunately give money to these fools for something that only slightly approximates a legitimate service.

Whilst hotels and cafes around the world are more and more likely to offer free wifi service – there are still plenty of people who prefer to capitalize on the situation and sting you for the privilege of being online. In airports this is particularly greedy because the cost of providing the service is small compared to the revenue these places make from business passengers already. IE they can certainly afford to offer it free.

I have got an Openzone account and I use the service quite often. I, like you need to get online in airports etc and so begrudgingly pay the price – hating BT whilst I do it.

Here’s how they are shaping up in the world of service providing:

Once you get an account they bill you for chunks of time (1 hour, 24 hours etc) as you previously mentioned in your article. If you just use a bit of that time then jump on your plane you can’t just pick it up again elsewhere once you are beyond the time slot you booked. They do explain that they going to do this to you at the time – but they also report back to you on your account page how much time you have paid for and didn’t use. Like they’re basically saying “tough luck, you paid for all this time – but it’s expired – sorry”. Therefore you have to pay again – even though you can see what you actually used / didn’t use on the “meter”. Incidentally, you also have to strangely sign in twice to get your account info. Why?

Getting back to the billing / usage system, the odd thing is that, if they have the facility to meter your usage, why not charge you by the minute? Then I could use what I felt like using and not lose hours of paid time just because I had to catch a plane. Also, if I were to keep my account topped up and come and go as I pleased, I would have no credit card data entry nonsense each time I logged on.

And this is the thing that really made me laugh. This is so typical for BT! They have invented something called “BT One click” or something like that.

This means that you can just click to add to your account without going through the credit card thing each time. Good idea…. make it easier to hand them more of our money! – Except it isn’t.

Instead of just using PayPal or something straightforward and universal, they have invented a half arsed pay system of their own. And does it work? Who knows! Since they don’t allow you online enough to open the account in the first place!

Yes – they really are that stupid. If you are in an airport and want to get online – and you are tired of filling in your credit card data, just try clicking on “one click”. It takes you to a page that explains how you set up the account the next time you are online!!! Can you believe it?! The people at BT Openzone basically rob you, waste your time AND then insult you too. Oh but they do answer their support phoneline quite quickly – and they are very nice on the phone – so that’s one good thing I guess. Just as well since you need to phone them all time as you wonder what the heck is going on…..

You know, all you want is your mails etc right?… But then, as you lift your laptop screen you see the words pop up “BT Openzone” – from that moment on, you know you’re in for a long haul flight to misery world.

PS – I posted this rant when I got home – I couldn’t be bothered to get online at the airport.

I have just had to deal with the parrots in Delhi but this was just with Broadband which used to be almost 6mb (5 houses from the exchange box) but has now deteriorated to between 1.2mb and 3.5mb max.

After multiple shouting matches and being told the max my line can take is 6mb/4mb/3mb all in the space of 3days and over 11 hours on the phone to them, I have now managed to get to the callcentre in Dublin who tell me the acceptable threshold for broadband is 2.1mb and that an engineer will just charge me for visiting. Why am I paying for 8mb when all I can get is 2mb.

At least I have managed to get to customer services in the UK now… I had to insist to my Delhi “customer services agent” that I will only speak to someone in the UK and he transferred me.

Through that transaction I have obtained the HIGH-Level Complaints telephone number at the Chairman’s office. Give them a ring and lay your complaint.
I am waiting on a call-back. If enough of us phone there maybe they will improve their service.

The No is 0207-356 5000 – Good Luck

i just needed the internet for about 3hrs so i had a choice 90 minutes or 24 hrs mmmmmmmm what a decision when 2x 90minutes = £11.98 or 24 hours is £9.98 what a scam i thought. so i bought 24hrs after filling in the form finding out BT open zone has triggered a fraudulant transaction with my bank. Spend an hour on the phone asking my bank to rectify the problem. Eventually after all was sorted i went back to sign up filling out the form once again. i was loged in for about an hour then back to buy more time. What i thought i payed for 24 hrs. so i went through the whole rigmoral of filling in forms for internet access
Ok i was online again. guess they charged me for 90 minutes. Once again everything shut down and kept redirecting me to the buy more airtime page. YES i bought again. now this time instead of wasting more time to complain(which i will do in person) i managed to do the things online i was supposed to(and write this)Oh my word if i had known the problems i would get i would have rather driven about and found an unsecure wireless to piggy back. STOP THESE INTERNET RIP OFFS NOW…

It’s now September 2010, and BT Openzone is still a big heap of suck. I get Openzone as a freebie on my mobile phone tarriff. I can honestly say that it’s only worked once out of about 20 times I’ve tried it. I’ve given up now – I’d prefer to just stare into space than watch a browser doing nothing.

Anyone have a good word about Openzone?