BT Price Increases Jan4th 2014
warrior51
Posts: 551 Forum Member
✭✭
BBC News reporting more price rises to BT services Jan 2014. BT insist none of these increases are due to their BT Sport Services.....:rolleyes:
0
warrior51
Posts: 551
Comments
The increases of around 6% are way above the August inflation rate of 2.7%
BT customers wishing to leave will find it a legal minefield and clause 54 of the T&Cs states:
"Except in the circumstances detailed in paragraph 51, if we let you know about a change to the price or the terms and conditions of a service which is to your material disadvantage, you will not have to pay a charge if you decide to end that service early, unless the Tariff Guide says otherwise. However, once we have told you about such a change, using one of the methods detailed in paragraph 50, you must let us know within 10 days that you want to end that service by giving us the written notice set out in paragraph 21. Only the services that are directly affected by the changes we make can be ended without paying an early termination charge for that service and this agreement will continue to apply to any other services that are not affected by those changes."
So, you may be able to cancel the line rental but, if like me, your broadband contract is until September 2014.
I think that as having BT broadband appears to be dependent on having a BT line that the two are linked and it should, therefore, be possible to cancel both without penalty
Basically 1571 etc will be chargeable and line rental going up to £15.99 :mad:
But someone else has also said that the small print states that if you have Line Rental Saver, this is not going up (yet anyway), and that 1571 and Caller ID will continue to be free with Line Rental Saver.
But I will await the BT email/letter for confirmation of that.
A small bit of info about it here. I don't use 1571 but find Caller ID useful and am annoyed that they're imposing a charge (unless you commit to a 12 month term) for it.:mad:
That's good to hear as I pay line rental in advance
It looks from the link that you will still have to pre-register
"Register to get BT privacy with Caller Display free for 12 months from the date it launches* (a new 12-month line rental contract applies)"
and
"Pre-register before 6th December 2013. Provision on or after 6th December 2013. Pre-registration available only to existing BT Privacy with Caller display customers - excludes customers with other varieties of Caller Display such as Caller Display as part of a Calling Features Pack. Provides BT Privacy with Caller Display free for 12 months from date of provision. A new 12 month Line Rental contract applies.
They are also implying on one hand that this is a new service, which it isn't, by stating "..from the day it launches" but then saying it's only available to 'existing BT Privacy with Caller display customers'
At least it appears that you do not need to take the Line Rental Saver if you don't want to
I am off to PlusNet where my fibre unlimited BB will be £7.00 PCM cheaper than your pre increase prices, and the line rental is about a pound cheaper too
I'm also being migrated from O2 to Sky on my broadband service and am less than thrilled at that prospect too.:(:rolleyes:
I've looked at Plusnet and it seems tempting but they're a BT company as well aren't they?
Did you know that plusnet is part of BT so they have you either way
Yeah they are. I was also one of they O2 Broadband customers but left before they changed to sky.
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/home-phone#overview
The annual line rental saver is increased separately, later in the year. So you'll be able to renew at whatever the current price is (but more than last February's price).
http://epidm.edgesuite.net/BTEM/1013/782207742_BT_Pegasus/Cell_1_Voice_Consenters_Q3_13_Alt.html
Read the small print carefully
"But someone else has also said that the small print states that if you have Line Rental Saver, this is not going up (yet anyway), and that 1571 and Caller ID will continue to be free with Line Rental Saver"
I don't see this in the BT letter small print - but I may have missed it!!! If it isn't there is there any way to avoid the new 1571 charge?
But the same member who posted that also said:
"But I will await the BT email/letter for confirmation of that."
Now we know that Caller ID and 1571 will NOT continue to be free with Line Rental Saver
As far as 1571 is concerned there seems no way to avoid the £1.75/month charge and it (like Caller Display) is OPT-IN
My line rental saver also finishes in February. I'm not sure whether to apply for the free caller ID for a year until I know what my line rental saver will be from February.
You have until 6th December to apply, so perhaps I might know by then.
http://www.bt.com/static/wa/account/pricechanges/phone.html?s_cid=con_FURL_callprices&s_cid=con_email_131001_1509_BBRET-Notification_prices
It's the Unlimited Anytime Calls which cost £7 per month.
However, you go onto a 12-month contract with the new Caller ID setup, just as you are on a 12 month contract with Line Rental Saver. So I would have thought that LRS would include Caller Display (at least when you renew LRS). But the wording on the website suggests not:
http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/edw/freecallerdisplay/?s_cid=con_FURL_freecallerdisplay
BT, can I introduce you to clarity. Clarity, this is BT.
I'm toying with getting an answering machine ..... cost-effective in the long run, and much more flexible.
20-25p for getting an engaged number, that's got to be the best money spinner the cartel have had in years :eek:
If you are able to use an IA service like 18185, then at least it would only cost 5p a time.
Just for those that may comment - why not just leave a message - there are occasions when it's not appropriate to leave a message and the need to contact the person is urgent, you couldn't be certain when they would retrieve a message, and even a call-back may not be appropriate. Oh, and some people don't like talking to machines!
In landline itself it will be almost £50 a year cheaper than BT on their cheapest call package & also includes friday nights from 6pm.
I have never, ever requested this service.
I rang and spoke to BT. They said it had been free before 4/1/14 but was now charged for.
They said I should consult the letter when I joined BT. I replied that I had joined BT 24 years ago - did the agent really think I had a letter from 24 years ago and in any case I strongly doubted that it mentioned Caller Display.
I then said that they could not legally charge me for a service I had never requested. I said that if I was not refunded then I would regard the matter as fraud and I would call the police.
The agent immediately agreed to refund the charge and cancel the service.
I still regard the matter as shocking. How many people are now paying for this without realising it?