Changes to BT 1280

BritBrat

Because it is only BT that have to allow the use of any provider.

Very confusing, but as I see it Openreach are not BT and not a telephony provider they are a hardware provider for any telephone provider and as such have to do what the provider wants even if the end customer does not know or want the change.

And if the customer asks for a change to a CPS they act on that request then the power changes from BT to the CPS provider.

Dizzley

I successfully registered for this offer today - BT Unlimited Evening and Weekend plan
at http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=23734

The free printer offer came up during the signup process.

As stated, if you sign up for 12 months at £10.50 pm then you get the unlimited offer, plus as Martin says, you can use whatever override prefixes you want on top as BT have to honour this.

The offer seems a good balance of cost and flexibility. I just signed up for 18185 as well and will get unlimited anytime calls (current offer) for just the 5p connection charge then 0p per minute. Of course – I will be using BT for my UK evening and weekend calls. What a winning combination!

All thanks to this site!

atlantis187

What model is the HP printer they are offering???

System

Surely Heinz's post #81 must be right? Ofcom's guide http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumeradvice/landline/residential/service/344818/
specifically says that you have the right to override CPS.

The only relevant product I can see on the Openreach site is "Wholesale access analogue" (WAA!) http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/products/wlr/pstn/pstn.do
WAA however includes 'line rental'. Obviously, if you are paying line rental to Sky (etc), then, as Heinz says, you can't expect 1280 (or anything else) to route calls via BT, because you have no contract with BT. (AFAIK, BT doesn't offer a 'calls only' deal, for customers who are paying 'line rental' to another Telco. I don't know whether that is for regulatory or commercial reasons.)

BT appears to be saying that Openreach has now sold Sky etc some new product (WXYZ?) where the customer goes on paying 'line rental' to BT, but all calls are controlled by Sky etc. If so, we should start protesting to Ofcom (though alas Ofcom probably won't do anything about it, as usual). Meanwhile individual customers can, in my opinion, refuse to pay Sky etc for calls Sky has hijacked even though they used 1280, or demand compensation from BT for its failure to ensure that 1280 works.

The BT FAQ also claims that even if Openreach is allowing Sky (etc) to hijack all your calls, you can bring them back to BT by signing up for the 'calling plan' of your choice:
http://btsupport.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/btsupport.cfg/php/enduser/cci/bt_adp.php?p_sid=AZBLFsbj&cat_lvl1=1895&p_cv=1.1895&p_cats=1895&p_faqid=11537
But that makes no sense, because you must already be on at least the 'evening and weekend' plan, either with the 12 month contract, or on what BT wrongly calls 'no contract'. They mean no long-term contract, of course.

Is that possibly what it's all about? Has BT done a deal with Openreach that lets Sky etc hijack all calls of BT customers who haven't signed up for a long-term contract with BT? If so, that is a scam that even the usually useless Ofcom must stop.

Or is BT trying, with the further offer of the free printer, to get people who have/had CPS of Sky etc (which has now morphed to Openreach product WXYZ?) to request its cancellation? If so, it will all go wrong for people who signed up with Sky etc for Sky (etc) broadband, bundled with (over-ridable) CPS of Sky (etc).

tehone

Heinz wrote: »

Just a thought on this. If you have left your line rental with BT, your contract is with BT to route your calls as you, the customer, wants.

You, the customer, has authorised BT to program its exchange to route your outgoing calls via your chosen CPS calls provider (e.g. Sky or Talk Talk) except when you, the customer, decide that is inappropriate and use a prefix to make that known.

How can the CPS calls provider decide whether or not to ignore the prefix you have dialled?

Apart from with some CPS providers they have a condition that you must route all your calls though them, so they would in theory be 'helping' you by not allowing you to route your calls via another provider.

Chris2000

wakeupalarm wrote: »

Just to clarify Chris, are you with BT line rental and have Talktalk CPS on the free weekend plan (old talk1) and do not have any broadband with Talktalk?

If so then I have the same set up so will be really anoyed if they have changed over.

Yes I have line rental with BT and Talk UK Weekend (previously Talk 1) via CPS. My broadband is with a separate provider using ADSL Max not LLU.

TalkTalk do have their LLU equipment in my exchange, if that makes any difference.

Since a few weeks ago calls made using 1280 have been billed by TalkTalk and not BT, just as the letter from BT says they might. I am therefore cancelling the TalkTalk CPS and taking my calls back to BT.

deanos

Looks like im off back to BT then if CPW are blocking calls, otherwise caller display is gonna cost me each month, just comparing call charges between the 2 and they are very similar so might as well move

EDIT:Just made the switch with unlimited anytime offer

Bufflowbill

deanos wrote: »

Just made the switch with unlimited anytime offer

Do you regularly make lots of daytime geographical calls then?

deanos

i dont but the wife does !

The unlimited offer also gives 25% off mobile calls and 200 texts so we will save quite a bit, plus friends and family is another 10% off mobile calls onj top of other discounts.

Its alot easier without faffing about with prefixes which the wife forgets most of the time.

BritBrat

I did have another thought on this and if Openreach now can pass control over CPS calls then BT could also do the same and stop you using another provider.

As I said before very confusing.

But it will all come clear soon and we here will know what the possition is.

I just rang Ofcom and they are not aware of any changes to the use of CPS.