Bulldog has introduced what it describes as "a major package of measures" to help cope with complaints about its internet and phone service.

The broadband ISP - owned by UK telco Cable & Wireless (C&W) - has been under fire for its poor customer service with punters up in arms at being left without phone and broadband.

The frustration is compounded because of the difficulty contacting customer service.

Now, though, Bulldog says that it's responded to the "demands of its growing customer base" by opening two new call centres last week. It plans to and double the number of customer service staff by the end of the month.

It is also working with BT "to improve the provisioning process which causes delays and errors in connections driving most complaints".

The local loop unbundling (LLU) operator also announced it had launched "a new online provisioning tracking system giving customers complete visibility and tracking of their order" as well as "new billing and customer order provisioning systems".

The result of all these measures is that punters will see a "marked improvement [in customer service] by the end of the month," a spokeswoman told The Register.

Which is just as well, for if Bulldog fails to remedy the situation swiftly it could lead to a formal investigation by telecoms regulator.

For like The Register, Ofcom has been receiving complaints about Bulldog from unhappy punters.

Complaints like this one: "My supposedly 8 meg Bulldog line was activated two weeks ago. Since then I have been unable to receive incoming calls and my DSL line keeps losing sync. After numerous calls to Bulldog support after one week my telephone was repaired, however my DSL line is unusable. Trying to contact Bulldog is a nightmare. They say they will call you back but don't, leaving you in the same place as you started - ie no service."

A spokesman for parent company C&W shrugged off the problems that have dogged its retail ISP: "Although vocal, the number of customer complaints remain a small proportion of Bulldog's customer base. Bulldog undertakes regular customer satisfaction [surveys] and satisfaction rates are rising steadily.

"Bulldog's priority is to lead in both innovation and customer service and its management is striving towards that amid huge interest in its products. Where there are instances where service levels have fallen below the standards our customers expect, we offer our apologies," he said. ®

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