Free Broadband & BT Vision to all BT staff

BT will roll out free BT Broadband Option 3 to all staff by the end of September. Staff can then sign up for BT Vision for £1. The offer open to all 81,000 BT employees. Employees can give away a package to a family member or friend.

Why they are charging a £1 i don't know but it should increase the 6000 or so subscribers to BT Vision.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,958
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    dieselger wrote: »
    BT will roll out free BT Broadband Option 3 to all staff by the end of September. Staff can then sign up for BT Vision for £1. The offer open to all 81,000 BT employees. Employees can give away a package to a family member or friend.

    Why they are charging a £1 i don't know but it should increase the 6000 or so subscribers to BT Vision.


    Source for this please?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 46
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    BT Staff
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3
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    Can confirm this is true from another BT employee
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,768
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    Perhaps they will charge their own staff support phonecalls ?

    'Dogfooding' like this may help to shakedown the system faster - but shouldn't this be done before boxes are released onto the unsuspecting public?
  • Cajun_MoonCajun_Moon Posts: 199
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    Cool perk, and a valuable one too.

    Re. the earlier comment about charges for support calls. Thankfully I have an O2 contract which includes 0845/0870 as part of my free minutes. Saved me an absolute fortune over the past couple of years. Thankfully Ofcom are sorting this craziness out.
  • timboytimboy Posts: 30,094
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    BT are offering this to staff instead of the free shares that normally get allocated each year.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 117
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    the £1 charge is to keep the taxman happy:) ....i dont ring the support any more just reboot box myself without having to call them to be told to do it,but usually it is quite reliable apart from rebooting itself iff i'm too quick with the remote:cry:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,958
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    timboy wrote: »
    BT are offering this to staff instead of the free shares that normally get allocated each year.

    If this is so it's a poor move by BT. It's extremely retrograde and not worth that much considering that they offered Broadband to Staff Tax and VAT free anyway under a salary sacrifice scheme. It's actually worth less than the shares issued last year (£245) that are now worth £339.
  • Crease2000Crease2000 Posts: 535
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    I doubt it will last long?

    When I worked for BT I had free dial up access after 6pm (this is years ago now). The monthly fee of about 15 quid was waived. Plus I had a freephone number for technical support. Then they stopped that? I had 2g/bits of website allocation, then they chopped that down to 50 meg. And then when BB was introduced, they stopped everything being free for staff. LOL :)

    I've still got my BT shares though. And my o2 ones ;)
  • timboytimboy Posts: 30,094
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    If this is so it's a poor move by BT. It's extremely retrograde and not worth that much considering that they offered Broadband to Staff Tax and VAT free anyway under a salary sacrifice scheme. It's actually worth less than the shares issued last year (£245) that are now worth £339.


    Tell me about it. :(

    I get the option 3 broadband for about £15 a month through salary direct so I will be £180 better off but I would rather have the shares.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 307
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    As a new Openreach Apprentice it sounds good to me!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,958
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    moffatt wrote: »
    As a new Openreach Apprentice it sounds good to me!

    Maybe at the moment, but the shares unlike the BT Broadband would earn good dividends and build up a good nest egg. I left BT in February after a lifetime and my opinion is very much that this is a very retrograde step.

    I'd like to know about the 'Employees can give away a package to a family member or friend' deal.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 311
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    well i reckon they should give a free 'v' box to anyone who wants one , seeing as the thing doesn't even work properly!
  • timboytimboy Posts: 30,094
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    moffatt wrote: »
    As a new Openreach Apprentice it sounds good to me!

    No-one in my office is happy with it regardless of the positive spin they are placing on it going on about how BT is a broadband centric company and how it wants all its staff to have broadband.

    Most staff in my office already had broadband through salary direct anyway.

    This is just a way for them to stop handing out free shares each year.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 63
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    Do BT employees also get the on demand stuff free too?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 339
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    I have to say, even though I like the concept, (when it works) that if the reports about BT rolling this out to a wider audience in June are true they must be mad !

    There are just too many issues with the box and the service.

    When it works it's excellent, but I have lost count of the issues and reboots.

    Maybe BT is hoping to use it's next round of employee "offers" to widen it's net of beta testers !:D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 155
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    the reboots are a problem which will hopefully be fixed in the next patch. Other than that, I don't think there are any hideous gremlins around. Some minor-ish bugs but nothing that detracts too much.
  • timboytimboy Posts: 30,094
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    gordon2608 wrote: »
    Do BT employees also get the on demand stuff free too?

    No, just a free box and install.

    Apart from that we pay the same price as normal customers.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 398
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    I am BT staff but I have been off for the last two weeks, so this is is all news to me. I have BB option 3 through Salary direct and I have already got BT Vision ..... which, in affect I paid for. I wonder if this means I will get another box for another room? Its a shame we are not being given access to the on demand stuff ...... but it's better than nothing ....... Although I will miss the shares!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 772
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    From what I have heard if you pay through salary direct as from 1st May you will have the BB paid for after a £1 "joining fee" (tax fiddle)
    If you do not have vision you can then have this, or if you already have vision or don't want BB you can "wish it" across to a friend or relative providing they agree to the paperless bill system and as long as you work for BT (oh plus another £1 joining fee)
    This is all instead of the free shares normally given.
  • Crease2000Crease2000 Posts: 535
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    I wonder if the £1 fee is also a ploy so that BT can state that they have more subscribers to BT Vision?

    What I mean is, that if the recent figure of 5000 subscribers is true, then the potential uptake of BT staff could increase this to around 80,000 (if all staff took up the offer, which I'm sure they wouldn't)?

    Without the £1 fee, BT would not be able to claim their own staff as subscribers?

    I'm probably completely wrong :(
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 37
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    I think its a good move by BT. Increasing the amount of people to 80 odd thousand because most staff will take it cant be a bad thing. Plus most of the general public are numb nuts and throw a hissy fit when the slightest little thing goes wrong. Work all the bugs out on us staff first of all. The shares were crap anyway. You can still buy them at a discount and if they go up benifit that way and if the go down your getting free broadband so stop crying. It was in the small print of the pay offer to stop the shares. Once they have worked all the bugs out the installation fee will go and it will be self install with wireless connection from home hub to V box but at the moment it requires ethernet connection.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,958
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    Sorry Joey, The BT share scheme has always been appalling, They never took it seriously, and I know Until February I saw it from the start, smoke and mirrors, anyway it's off board topic and this is the last I'll say on the share aspect of this deal. If anyone wants to continue discussing the issue feel free to PM me.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 57
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    Crease2000 wrote: »
    I wonder if the £1 fee is also a ploy so that BT can state that they have more subscribers to BT Vision?

    What I mean is, that if the recent figure of 5000 subscribers is true, then the potential uptake of BT staff could increase this to around 80,000 (if all staff took up the offer, which I'm sure they wouldn't)?

    Without the £1 fee, BT would not be able to claim their own staff as subscribers?

    I'm probably completely wrong :(

    You are indeed, completely wrong :)

    The £1 charge is to get around a potential benefit in kind problem with the tax man. By charging a one-off nominal amount for the broadband connection the BT Vision service it saves employer and employee a nasty tax bill.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
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    Crease2000 wrote: »
    I doubt it will last long?

    When I worked for BT I had free dial up access after 6pm (this is years ago now). The monthly fee of about 15 quid was waived. Plus I had a freephone number for technical support. Then they stopped that? I had 2g/bits of website allocation, then they chopped that down to 50 meg. And then when BB was introduced, they stopped everything being free for staff. LOL :)

    I've still got my BT shares though. And my o2 ones ;)

    How come you still have o2 shares then?
    BT are well jipping us on this one, I'd of much rather had my free shares. Than a Broadband service that is throttled beyond belief at evenings.
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