So what are new BT line customers meant to do?

Reds-on-Sea

Hiya,

I am in the position that I'm sure many, if not all of you have been in at some point. I have recently bought a property which had a disconnected phone line.

After speaking to Sky about my internet access, as I was getting Sky HD installed too, I found out they couldn't do the offer that I was hoping for. No biggie, I decided to go with TalkTalk (who I was with at my last flat) for phone and (free internet)

Anyways.

So... TalkTalk obviously require an (active) BT line to be able to give me phone & internet right? So I had to get reconnected and lo & behold, I have to sign up for a 12 month contract. No other options.

Does this mean that NO new customer that wants to sign up for a different provider can do so without having to pay a cancellation fee worth 12 months line rental (approx £160)?? This seems so unfair. I don't want BT internet, at however much it costs per month, I want TalkTalks free 8meg service, but HAVE to connect to BT to get a phone line.

I was under the impression that TalkTalk took over my line rental, and paid BT on my behalf, therefore removing the "cancellation fee" (as it would still be paid every month). This is obviously not the case as I've just received my bill with a cancellation charge of £162 on it I phoned them up for a chat, but got through to some excrutiatingly irritating young girl who wouldn't let me finish any sentence without butting right in with "it was all in your Terms & Conditions" aarrrgghhhhhhh!!!:mad: lol.

What can I do, I tried to phone TalkTalk but their lines shut @ 5pm...will have to wait till tomorrow...

What does everyone else do? Do you all just "go with BT" for the first year or what?

Oh, and for some reason, they have to hold onto my £50 deposit until 21st November.......

Heinz

Reds-on-Sea wrote: »

So... TalkTalk obviously require an (active) BT line to be able to give me phone & internet right?

No.

Any of the 'line providers' now in the market can employ Openreach to connect or reconnect a line. Talk Talk (amongst others) won't do that and expect you, their customer, to pay BT to do so and are, at best, 'economical with the truth' about the charges you will incur if (when) you breach your contract with BT (you've found that out the hard way by the sound of it).

Incisor

Reds-on-Sea wrote: »

What does everyone else do? Do you all just "go with BT" for the first year or what?

I'm avoiding Talktalk. It's because they won't get a line started that everyone has been getting BT to do it and then transferring out immediately. Quite understandably, BT have not been happy about this and have put all new line starts on a 1 year contract with penalties. So everyone suffers because of Talktalk, even the non-customers.

Ypaymore

Reds-on-Sea wrote: »

I decided to go with TalkTalk (who I was with at my last flat)

Talk Talk seem to have failed to tell you that as a moving customer they can provide service at your new address without involving BT. They have a special home moving team.

Its now only new customers that they cant be bothered to provide a line for.

deklan99

TalkTalk use another CPW outfit Onetel to arrange line installations for their own home movers so they don't lose the custom to other providers. As above they don't/won't use them for new customers. Far cheaper for TalkTalk to let other providers foot the bill then take over the line for a minimal fee.

Reds-on-Sea

Thanks Deklan, I wish I'd known that when I signed up. Thing is, I made it perfectly clear, when I originally phoned up BT, that my sole intention was to transfer to TalkTalk straight away, and was very honest about it, the guy on the phone was all very friendly "that's fine, yes you can do that no problem etc etc" At no time did he mention that I'd have to pay £162 cancellation fee, he said, "yes, TalkTalk will take over the line and you won't have to do anything" ( So I came away happy, thinking that everything was dandy.

I feel like I was mis-sold this product now, and like I'm paying 2 providers for a year of rental of a line that I'm only using once.

I mentioned this to the girl on the phone, and she basically implied that regardless of what was said on the phone, I should have read my Terms & Conditions....

Is there any way I can get out of paying this?

thanks

Reds-on-Sea

Ypaymore wrote: »

Talk Talk seem to have failed to tell you that as a moving customer they can provide service at your new address without involving BT. They have a special home moving team.

Its now only new customers that they cant be bothered to provide a line for.

that's a shame. I wish I'd known that. They'd quoted 8 weeks or something ridiculous to transfer internet over, so I cancelled, hoping to sign up with Sky internet at the new place. The only service they could offer (after testing a working BT phone line) was the £17pm jobby which was way too dear. So I went back to TalkTalk as their offer was the best for me.

Reds-on-Sea

I just spoke to TalkTalk, and they reckon I should have kept my line rental with BT and just have my talk plan with TalkTalk.

Has anyone else done this? If it's really this simple, why did I spend 30mins+ on the phone yesterday arguing with annoying BT girl?

currently waiting for ringback from BT, will keep you updated.

billsavings

Reds-on-Sea wrote: »

I just spoke to TalkTalk, and they reckon I should have kept my line rental with BT and just have my talk plan with TalkTalk.

Thats all very well but did TT tell you that if you do that you dont qualify for the not so free TT broadband/call package.

If your just interested in getting cheaper calls see:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=1598074&postcount=4

Presumably the Guy at BT you originally spoke to, thought you only wanted to move your calls to TT,which would not incur a charge so he didnt mention it.

Reds-on-Sea

No Bill, TT didn't tell me that, they didn't really tell me anything tbh....

After 40 mins on hold to BT and being passed through 4 depts, they pretty much said what you just said there. The transfer date was June 13th, Bill dated July 2nd, it didn't arrive till at least the 8th...they said, "well if you'd phoned within 15 days, then we could've done something about it....
yes, well, just coincidental that you didn't even send the letter out till after that time then isn't it?

argh, I'll speak to TT again, but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pay.

Reds-on-Sea

turns out you can't get free internet with TT unless you have your line rental with them anyways, though I could pay £10pm for 1-2meg, then it's more economical to just pay the line rental and get upto 8meg free.

this has eased the blow somewhat, as I just didn't want to get BT internet.

well, they've already got my £50 deposit, they must have known I'd do a runner.