I received a letter yesterday, telling me in a somewhat threatening manner, that I have to renew my BT Broadband contract by 25/09, or they will start charging me £6.75 per month for BT Sports. I don't take kindly to blackmail and will, therefore, call BT to cancel the sports channels, which I receive as a broadband customer - I didn't ask for them - but will not renew my contract. Yes, I will keep BT as my ISP, but will not be forced into signing up for another couple of years/18 months, just to get two free channels. I only watch the tennis on them and, not to be able to do so, isn't the end of the world, I will watch online.
It seems extremely unfair that BT is still getting the same amount of money from me each month, yet I won't be getting the sports channels.
Obviously, it doesn't want it's customers to have the luxury of being able to change their provider.
Tough.

I fail to see what exactly has got you so annoyed! BT Sport was only ever "free for 12 months" - and you have reached the end of that period.

You don 't like the rewewal deal. That's just fine - no one is twisting your arm to take it! However as you say you plan to keep BT Broadband it would remain free anyway.

Its not free anyway if you want HD,we have had to pay £3 a month for it, we have Sky and BT phone and infinity.

it only remain free if she signs up for another long contract, it seems like the Op wants the freedom now to change providers if she wants to.
I just wonder what the wording is on the letter and if there is anything on there saying how to cancel the sports package if you do not want another contract.
This is not just a BT thing i doubt, but many companies word letters to make it look like that you have little choice but to renew.

If I was in the OP shoes, I would do the same thing as well, since I I doubt I would even use the BT sport anyway, that is how they stick people in such long contracts, time it was stopped.

6 months should be the minimum these days.

It's 12 months, not 18 months or two years.

It's a 12 month contract. However it is totally optional to commit (or not) to this time period.

I really don't understand your problem to be honest, they're quite rightly just letting you know that your contract is coming to an end and that if you wish to carry on getting a BT Sports for free then sign a new contract.


You have the luxury of changing to a different provider at any time you wish after your contract period ends.
As your contract is coming to an end they don't want you to leave which is why they've now given you an incentive to stay in that keeping BT Sports for free by signing a new contract.

No doubt, but it is the way they word things that is the problem.
I wonder if it says in the small print that you can cancel the sport package and still continue using BT broadband as a ongoing service with out going into another contract.

I know how these companies work and what they try and do to peoples mind to get them to sign up again for contracts.
Bt would still be using the auto renewable contract if they was allowed, so they have to find a way to try and get into peoples minds.

It is being presented to people who ALREADY have BT Sport. They HAVE do one of three things, commit to get another 12 months "free", pay or cancel the service.

I think many more people would be annoyed if their Sports just stopped without warning!

I had a phone call back in July about this, trying to convince me to extend my contract just to ensure I get the sports free and in HD.....stupid as it is I don't even watch the channels I have setup it up on a Sky account in my name at my parents address. They get access to some sport along with their subscription. I didn't realise I would need to be in contract to continue receiving the channels free.....when mine is up in December I shan't be renewing them.

It is not the fact you need to sign up for a contract to continue getting sports, but it is the way they word things. Being with Bt for a few years in the past, I seen how they word their letters.

And this unique to BT ?, all company's try and keep customers and try to entice new ones, ever tried to cancel part of Sky to be put thru to a department who's aim to to convince you not to cancel, notice lots of company's encourage you to sign up on line, but you have to call to leave ?
As far as BT Sport , it's very clear, want to keep it and not pay, commit to another 12 months of broadband, want to keep it but not commit to an extension of your broadband contract it's £6 to £7 ( can't be bothered looking it up) don't want BT Sport , cancel the Sport , want to move to another provider , move, if your out of any early termination period there won't be anything BT Sport related extra to pay,
The only argument could be if you don't want Sport, but do want BT Broadband why no discount, but the same can be said of Sky TV, if you want Sky Sports you have to gave a TV pack, they don't sell it as a stand alone thing

There seems to be a lot of false information on here, you won't be forced to renew your contract and BT sport is not subject to new contract either, my contract is out and rolls on month to month with BT sport which remains free with my on going out of contract sub.

Totally at opposition to what the other posters have said but I would tend to go along with your view. I'm not with BT but to offer BT sports as part of your package and then ask for a new contract to be signed when you are on a monthly rolling contract seems silly/greedy ... but thats BT for you.

If you are right ML11 then I'd advise the OP to haggle or threaten to leave for Sky.

You can't now sign onto BT sport unless you are in contract - even if that costs you the same. Its a way of getting people tied down. They have now extended the same logic, or lack of it, to the people whose last contract ended, or didn't have to have one to get BT sport when they signed up.

As i have zero faith in BT doing anything new, without undoing whats already in place by mistake, I just haven't bothered. getting btsport.

Are you sure? I would check you bill carefully in the future.

This is taken from the BT Sports page.

For a second successive season, new and re-contracting customers of BT Broadband will receive BT Sport as part of their broadband package, meaning sports fans will be able to watch the channel’s great offering of live sport free of charge.

This is all plain wrong!

After the initial 12 months of "free" BT Sport they WILL give you the choice of:

1) 12 months more BT Sport free by extending the broadband contract for 12 months
2) Continue with no commitment broadband (unless also within the first 18 months) but pay (£6.50?) for Sport
3) As 2 but cancel Sport

You still get it free if you are still in part of your 18 month contract, I don't have to renew it until October, when my contract runs out, maybe ML11 is still in part of his 18 month contract, and maybe thinks they only have a 12 month contract.

Taken from BT Help pages. http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/d...rt/c/6401,6611

"BT Sport will still be free with BT Broadband for the coming season. BT TV customers don't need to recontract to continue to enjoy BT Sport for free."

Stew

Actually reading the link again it does look like the 12 months recommit for BT Sport may be to continue to get it for free on your Sky box.

BT Sport on Sky customers with BT Broadband or Infinity, who are out of contract, will be moved to the Loyalty Discount paying £6.75 per month. If you recontract your BT Broadband or Infinity, you'll continue to get BT Sport on Sky for free.

Odd what people will complain about.

"Balckmail"

Hardly. You pay x for broadband and get the sport free for a year. If you still want sport free you have to commit to another year OR pay extra to have the sport and the freedom to cancel at anytime.

I think a more apposite question should be I don't watch sport on TV and have zero interest in it.

I'm a BT broadband customer. Where is my discount for not watching a channel that obviously costs them a fortune to provide.

Ouch, nearly got sucked into contract without any mention of it, I am currently on the phone to them to cancel this down as part of the 14 day cooling off period.

Just agreed to cancel, phew!

1. I never said I was annoyed.
2. I never said I don't like the renewal deal.
3. No one can ever twist my arm to do anything I do not wish to do anyway.
4. I am fully aware BT Sport will remain free, when I renew my contract.
If I was unhappy with the renewal deal, I would not even consider signing another, would I? I am not displeased, just feel it is being used as leverage to persuade me to sign, which I do not intend to do.
My point is, as you wold have realised had you read the post, that BT is attempting to coerce me into taking out a new contract, by AUTOMATICALLY debiting the monthly fee for the channels unless I do. Existing customers always get the raw end of the deal, compared with new customers, but this applies with any business. As you fail to understand, I will only continue to get the channels gratis, if I renew my contract. I do intend to remain with BT, but am not going to sign a contract, as I want to keep my options open. I will not, consequently, receive the channels free. As I rarely watch them, I have no regrets about losing them.
Just another example of threatening behaviour, by big corporations and, so long as we allow ourselves to be intimidated by it, it will continue.

They're not very good. My bill this month also included a charge for BT Sport. I think this is because they activated it on Sky and I can't get it.

Anyway I wanted to recontract even though I wasn't out of contract AFAIK, because we've just got FTTC available so I wanted that anyway.

I asked if I could use the HH4 that I have and was told OK for Infinity 1 40mbps (20GB or Unlimited), but not Infinity 2 (80mbps). So as part of a deal I opted to take the HH5 (£7 delivery).

The fibre install is £30 but I have received a discount on fibre, anytime and TV for 6 months with a free STB. I pay Line Rental Saver which I am about to renew.

I got an extension to Caller Display free (12 months). I don't think they understood I can't get BT via Sky but as long as I don't get charged for it I don't mind.

Just a bit disappointed at the moment in the STB and the HH5, still ahead of my Infinity installation (Monday) so have posted another thread.

I use the word "blackmail" advisedly, as the letter was telling me that, UNLESS I RENEWED MY CONTRACT they would start charging me AUTOMATICALLY for BT Sports. Receiving the channels is neither a deal maker or breaker for me, I only watch the tennis, and can get that online.
As per terms of the letter, I called BT to inform them I would not be renewing, and to ask them to remove the sports channels from my package, as I don't watch them enough for it to be worth my while paying for them. The lady fell into her spiel about the "brilliant deals" available to me. After 20 minutes, she had not told me anything solid about any deal, or even hinted at a price. I asked what my package comprised, and was told I paid for 1571 - I thought it was free - so asked her to remove it, which she said she would. The anytime calls I was also given free but, apparently, I am paying for them. I told her I use my mobile, not the calls. Later in the conversation she told me she had removed the calls, and I told her I had not asked her to do that. She said that, because I told her I didn't use them, I wouldn't want them! Anyway, she gave me a price for unlimited BT Infinity, but would not give me a separate price for the phone side, for which mum pays. After some haggling, I asked her to remove the sports channels, as mum and I share the BT bill - broadband is mine, phone calls, hers - and I didn't want her to be charged for channels she doesn't watch. She went into not being able to understand why I wouldn't renew my contract, again and again, by which time I was becoming quite frustrated and asked her to confirm the following : has she removed the 1571 charge? No. You told me you had, said I. When did I tell you that? she replied. Okay. I then asked her if she was sure she had removed the anytime calls. No. Again, she was telling me a different story. Now I was sure I wasn't going to renew, and asked her to remove the calls. She told me she couldn't do that, until I renewed my contract. She also said she couldn't remove 1571 or the sports channels. I asked for the name of a manager, several times, and she refused. Under the freedom of information act, this behaviour is illegal. I called another number to make an official complaint which, I was assured, would be dealt with internally (yeah, right!) , and he apologised for the experience I had had. He asked me to allow him to see what deal he could offer me. For £9 more than the lady had quoted me, he came up with a limited BT Infinity package which, as I have always been on unlimited, was not suitable. He told me he has removed the sports channels but, as I have to give 30 days notice, I will continue to receive it until 24/10 and, consequently, billed. Nowhere was I told I had to give 30 days notice, not even in the small print on the letter, only that I had to phone by 25/09 to avoid being charged. Appalling customer service and insulting staff; I shall be spending tonight researching all the current broadband deals and phone packages. I shall definitely, unless they come up with a suitable resolution, be changing my ISP and phone provider. BT believes it's reputation carries it, as many customers still recall when it was the only phone company; it needs to be cognisant of the fact that the phone/broadband market is an extremely competitive one. Fortunately, if we are not happy with one provider, we have the luxury of being able to go with another so, in the scheme of things, it is not a life changing experience, more of an annoyance.
What a way to spend my day off!