BT's latest money maker
poppasmurf
Posts: 1,782 Forum Member
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Just had my latest BT bill, and it contains BT's latest money making scam.
They've changed the date of my bill, so this month they expect me to pay for one and a half month's rental, and then next month it will go back to normal.
I rang up, and after three goes got to speak to someone in the UK instead of India, and was told I should have had a letter in my bill about it. I pointed out that I was 'paper only' and she said I should have had an email, which I hadn't.
So this month, BT want £17 instead of the usual £11.
What a nice little way of getting an extra few quid out of customers.
Come on Virgin, and get cable in this area!
They've changed the date of my bill, so this month they expect me to pay for one and a half month's rental, and then next month it will go back to normal.
I rang up, and after three goes got to speak to someone in the UK instead of India, and was told I should have had a letter in my bill about it. I pointed out that I was 'paper only' and she said I should have had an email, which I hadn't.
So this month, BT want £17 instead of the usual £11.
What a nice little way of getting an extra few quid out of customers.
Come on Virgin, and get cable in this area!
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Comments
The VAT goes up again at the end of december. so if you've got a bill now for 6 weeks instead of a month then when the one that would have been for half of december and half of jan came in that would have been charging you at the higher vat for the lot.
Just to confirm, due to an internal change within BT our customers are moving on to a new billing platform and the extra rental on your bill is to align you to the new cycle. I can understand your concern but would like to advise that this amount is not an additional charge by any means and you would have paid this amount over the course of your contract as it is rental for the line. Once on the new platform, all future bills will include rental three months in advance as it has always been.
All the best,
Robbie
Sorry, but that is utter claptrap!
I pay monthly, so for my next payment the charge is almost 50% more than it would have been. That's money I'll never get back. It's just like giving this company an interest free loan, just because they are moving to a new billing platform (as they put it).
BT has the worst customer relations of any company I use, and considering I've been a customer since 1964, I can't wait until I never have dealings with it again.
I don't use it for calls as they're too expensive. I don't use it for broadband as it's too expensive, and as soon as mobile broadband is half decent, my landline will go as well.
Plus, I really do object to talking to people in India, who I can barely understand. I had to ring 150 four times before I got someone in the UK to speak to.
If BT wants to pay Indian wages, then they should have Indian telephones charges, which are a fraction of what British ones are.
If, this month, your bill is for 10 extra days (i.e. a month + 10 days), next month it'll arrive 10 days later (so, in effect, you'll gain the money back) and will be for a month again.
If they have scammed you it will be well hidden and impossible for you to explain where they got you. You might want to check your discounts to see if you got discounted for the extra period that they charged.
Late edit:
I forgot to say that I am also in a BT only area, only about 4 miles from yourself. If you pay over £90 a quater for you phoneline, calls and broadband there are alternatives out there.
My home phone bills are constant (or were until this BT incident) at about £11.50 per month. I stopped using BT for calls ages ago due to their very high costs. Nowadays I only use them for free 0845 and 0870 calls, which are handy to get the free Caller Display.
I pay Virgin National £12 a month for 8 meg broadband, which included free evening and weekend calls via Virgin, and that is my total landline outlay.
I never make chargeable landline calls - I use Virgin Mobile 300/300 which gives me 300 minutes and 300 texts to any landline or UK mobile for £10 per month, although if I have to call abroad I use 18185.
I do forsee the time in a year or two when the landline and broadband will become surplus to requirements. May that time come quickly.
Looks like they might have found an employee with common sense and an understanding of logic and numeracy. Maybe they should let him manage the pension fund which is a few billion pounds short.