BT Verbal agreements

thespareroom

Hi can anyone tell me how valid a verbal agreement is with BT.
Story is that for past two years had just line rental with BT AT 10.50,HAVE CALL CHARGES WITH TALK TALK ,which seeing as i dont use phone much(only for internet) i only get a bill of about a pound a month for calls made.
BT ring me up say come back to us,u just pay for calls made and can have free evening and weekend calls.So after telling them my circumstances i say why not just so i can get back to keeping everything with one company.Three days later get letter welcoming me back to BT u will now be charged 10.50 line rental and 4.95 for unlimited anytime plan.So i call them tell them to cancel as that not what i wanted ,was told id made a verbal ageement on phone and that id have to write in and state my case.Later on that day i rung back speaking to someone differant..told them what had happened and why would i agree tp pay more a month to come back to bt when i was under impression id have to pay no more than just the calls i make on top of line rental.After being on phone for an hour,past round 4 differant departments,speaking to four diff people who constantly had to go check with supervisors,they seemed to see my point and cancelled it to just line rental and calls made with free weekend and evenings costing me an extra one pound 50.Havin thought about it for a day ,i know a verbal agreement was reached,but im just totally peeved with BT and would like to cancel everything with them and get my line rental with tiscali who provide my broadband.So....im i stuck???
Cheers in advance

Quentin

A verbal contract is equally binding as if it were in writing.

bellrooster

Sorry to butt in on this thread, I was going to start one of my own, but it's a similar question as the orginal poster.

I'm asking on behalf of my Dad, he's been with BT for a number of years and is paying around £50 a month - I pointed out to my Dad that we were paying similar amounts to BT so moved to Tiscali and are finding it much cheaper.

He phoned BT this morning and they say that they will only let him leave and give him a MAC code so he can sign up with a different company if they pay £150 as he's in a 'verbal contract' until June? I was unaware that you went into a contract for a certain amount of time with BT.

anyone know anything about this?

bellrooster

Actually, I went into a contract with BT for 12 months, but was told that was to cover the cost of the home hub that they sent, and once that had expired we were no longer obliged to stay with them, my Dads been with BT for a lot longer than me! so it can't be because of the home hub

Quentin

You say they offered to give him a MAC.

Does he want to get out of a broadband contract? If so, that will be independent of his line rental, and the £150 may be to get out of just his broadband contract.

bellrooster

Well he wants to get out of broadband and telephone, but if he can get out of broadband now and then the rest of it at a later date than that might lower the cost.

Quentin

Isn't it the broadband that is subject to a minimum contract?

topherxp

The contracts come under DSR (Distance Selling Regulations) which is used when any goods or services are ordered over the phone with any company in the UK.

Mrs_T_13

Hi there,

Apologies if this has been covered - I have a manic toddler running around behind me and have very limited time to search.

Nutshell: We moved house beginning September. BT gave us a line and a new telephone number. No paperwork, despite being told that everything said on the phone during the call would be backed up by paperwork.

3 weeks later we transferred to a Tiscali package which gave us Broadband, telephone, etc. for much less.

Got a letter from BT trying to charge us £139 to cancel the contract. I phoned them, (call centre goodness knows where, with a very bad line - India?) explained I had received no written confirmation and had not signed anything. Was told the charge would be removed and a new bill issued.

Since then I have received a reminder bill for the same amount - phoned again and told my case had been passed to the 'offline team' and I would be hearing from them shortly. Asked the person I was speaking to to confirm that my previous call had been logged and that I was getting a new bill. This was duly confirmed.

Today I have received a letter threatening to take me to the Debt Recovery unit. Having tried unsuccessfully to sort it out on the phone I will now be writing to the Complaints department and the people at the Debt Recovery Unit.

My question - I was told a correction would be made and that I would receive a new bill, is this binding? Do I still have to pay charges, even though I never received any written confirmation of my original call and it's contents?

Many thanks in advance and apologies again if this is covered elsewhere.

Mrs T.

bellrooster

Mrs T

I read something about something similar happening to someone on another forum, and they disputed it stating that BT couldn't provide a recording of the conversation or a transcript confirming that he had entered into a verbal agreement/contract with BT. BT didn't give in straight away, but after a couple of weeks of letters going back and forth the chap got the debt written off.

Hope that helps!

Mrs_T_13

Thanks Bellrooster. Will bear that in mind when writing to BT. Ironic that I have to write to sort the problem out because BT's phone system is so ineffective/infuriating!

Ho hum.

Mrs T