BT Basic

airds

Fed up with BT bills like my recent BT bill £54.56 for just £13.33 worth of calls.... with the line rental paid in advance of course.

(I've got to use BT as my carrier as my very good ISP requires it and there is a limited choice in my part of the country)

So I investigated their low user scheme - now known as BT Basic (not a lot of folk know about that - due to their lack of advertising) and available for customers on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Guaranteed Pension Credit which I'd qualify for - EXCEPT that 'my customer care assistant' had great pleasure in advising as ISDN (sic) ie ADSL is enabled on my line, therefore I'm not eligible. Oh, and if you have a mobile - and not necessary with BT/O2, you are disqualified too. Now just what business is that of BT?

Of course, they are already getting the lions share of any of your subscription paid to ISP's - so BT are getting two bites of the cherry on the one line. Doesn't everybody regard the internet a utility and with mobile services, more essential that a landline phone nowadays? But to combat free 'Voice over Internet Protocol' calls with Skype, etc and to keep up their profits they jack up the rental and reduce the cost of calls ie all their cheap off peak and weekend free calls deals and plans.

The BT rep. also informed me 'that the only reason they are running the BT Basic scheme is for 'old Granny's who don't use the phone much and the regulator forced them'

So if you have elderly relations, etc get them signed up for BT Basic, the details are here:- http://www.btplc.com/inclusion/phoneservices/services/btbasic/cost.htm 'Remember' the mobile restriction !

It's only £13.50 for three months (inc. VAT) including a £4.50 allowance for the quarter's calls. But note, over that it's 10p/min & 3p/call when you exceed that, but with my sums, the 3 months existing 'normal' rental of £30, less the £13.50 Basic charges gives you ~£16/17 quid to play with. (ie approx 30 5min. calls, on top of the £4.50 allowance)

Also note any of their 'Friends & Family' schemes or similar, can't be used either.

Hopefully of help.

gt94sss2

airds wrote: »

So I investigated their low user scheme - now known as BT Basic (not a lot of folk know about that - due to their lack of advertising) and available for customers on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Guaranteed Pension Credit which I'd qualify for - EXCEPT that 'my customer care assistant' had great pleasure in advising as ISDN (sic) ie ADSL is enabled on my line, therefore I'm not eligible. Oh, and if you have a mobile - and not necessary with BT/O2, you are disqualified too. Now just what business is that of BT?

Lines with ADSL qualify for BT Basic but not the old Light User Scheme.

Lines with ISDN do not qualify for either BT Basic or the Light User Scheme.

If you have a mobile phone, you don't qualify for the scheme as it is heavily subsidised by all other BT customers and its designed by BT/Ofcom for those people who would otherwise have no telephone connection at all..

Regards
Sunil

bristolleedsfan

I agree with O/P sentiments.:T

I had great pleasure in telling BT today that as I was going over to Virgin fibre optic cable with no need for a phone line unless they put me back on the old light user scheme ( which they couldnt) they could stuff their line rental. :j

airds

gt94sss2

Can you confirm ADSL is not a restriction? The website says as ISDN, and I realise there is a difference to ADSL - but that how I was definately advised. But of course, maybe the call centres need 're-educated'.


45 mins later

---

After a long struggle with VT phone menus, etc, etc eventually got to the BT Basic helpdesk (0800 800 864) - and they can't confirm if having ADSL (broadband) on the line is or not a restriction to the eligibility of the customer for the scheme. They will advise Friday 11th Sep.

The terms of the scheme online at http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/Public/current/Cust_Opts_Res_boo/2-FrameworkImpl55289.htm document just mentions ISDN

See Part18 BT Basic, subpart 3: Eligibility

The following conditions exclude customers from being eligible for BT Basic service:
..
..
- the line has ISDN or is a business line;
- etc

Suppose it is all going to depend what their definition of ISDN is .....

Heinz

airds wrote: »

They will advise Friday 11th Sep.

Or perhaps not (Friday will be 12th).

gt94sss2

airds wrote: »

gt94sss2

Can you confirm ADSL is not a restriction? The website says as ISDN, and I realise there is a difference to ADSL - but that how I was definately advised. But of course, maybe the call centres need 're-educated'.

ADSL and ISN are totally different products and technologies.

When BT Basic was first dreamed up, they planned to bar it from ADSL customers (just like on the old Light User Scheme) but changed their mind (around April this year I think) just before BT Basic was made publically available.

If ADSL was restricted, it would need to be specially mentioned - as it is on the old Light User Scheme where it says:

- ADSL, ISDN or business lines

Regards
Sunil

topherxp

bristolleedsfan wrote: »

I agree with O/P sentiments.:T

I had great pleasure in telling BT today that as I was going over to Virgin fibre optic cable with no need for a phone line unless they put me back on the old light user scheme ( which they couldnt) they could stuff their line rental. :j

So you had great pleasure in telling BT to stuff their line rental just because they wouldn't bring back the light user scheme for you.

Thats a bit like saying 'the beetles can stuff their music unless they bring back John Lennon'

airds

Heinz wrote: »

Or perhaps not (Friday will be 12th).

Whatever the date they didn't get back :-(

airds

Subpart 1:BT Basic
Subpart 2:Service Description

"BT Basic is a social telephony scheme for customers who are in receipt of
certain state benefits and who meet the criteria set out in Eligibility A
customer has to make an application for the service which will be verified by
the Department for Work & Pensions. If an application is refused for any
reason a customer will not be able to re-apply for BT Basic for a minimum
period of six months . BT Basic is only available to new BT customers."



It's going from bad to worse .....

Now according to http://www.btplc.com/inclusion/phoneservices/services/btbasic/eligible.htm,
stating:- "If we haven't sent you a letter telling you that we are transferring you to BT Basic,
you must fill in an application form and send it back to us."

Transferring from what? Can't be an existing BT service, as they are new ie not already BT customers,
and so, just how are BT going to have the address details to send out these letters?

del1001

According to an article published on Guardian Online BT need 600,000 customers on BT Basic before they can scrap the Light User Scheme -

"BT hopes that Basic will eventually replace its existing 'social telephony' tariff, the Light User scheme, as well as In Contact Plus, where calls are made using a pre-paid card. There are more than a million customers on the Light User scheme and 63,000 on In Contact Plus, but Ofcom will only allow BT to withdraw the two services once BT Basic has gained 600,000 customers."

I'm on the LUS, so I'm watching this with some interest, haven't received a letter yet informing me of any changes..

jennyjelly

It seems to me that this change is only good if you are on benefits.

My elderly mum, who receives a state pension but no other benefits, will see her light user discount disappear but will not receive any other discount to make up for it, so her bills will rise by approx £16 a quarter.

I've looked at U-Switch but there doesn't seem to be much available that is any better for her - she doesn't make international calls, or want satellite tv or broadband, she just wants to carry on as she was.

Thanks BT for taking people like her into account. Not.