BT Low User Scheme & Internet

deklan99

airds wrote: »

"BT Basic will be available around the Summer of 2008" from the BT site at http://www.btbasic.bt.com/

As it's now June, anybody got any definate news or confirmed eligiblity requirements?

Eligibilty for BT basic - http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/public/current/Cust_Opts_Res_boo/FrameworkImpl55289.htm#FrameworkImpl55289
Section 55 part 18 subpart 3.

del1001

deklan99 wrote: »

Eligibilty for BT basic - http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/public/current/Cust_Opts_Res_boo/FrameworkImpl55289.htm#FrameworkImpl55289
Section 55 part 18 subpart 3.

Interesting, I cannot see any mention of adsl, does this mean you can have Basic with broadband?

Subpart 3:Eligibility

Customers of BT Basic must be in receipt of at least one of the following state benefits:
- Income Support; or
- Income Based Job Seekers Allowance; or
- Guaranteed Pension Credit.
BT will periodically verify with the Department for Work & Pensions a customer's continuing receipt of these benefits and may withdraw BT Basic or transfer the customer from BT Basic to Unlimited Weekend Plan when they are not eligible. If BT does this it will give the customer 30 days notice.
The following conditions exclude customers from being eligible for BT Basic service:
- where the customer or anyone else in the customer's household has fixed telephony service from another supplier (at the same or different premises) either directly or indirectly; or
- where the customer or anyone else in the customer's household has a contract mobile phone (one where bills are issued and payments are made in arrears), or a mobile phone with high "pay as you go" usage where high usage is defined as more than £10.00 per month on average (chronically sick and disabled customers will be exempt from the mobile phone exclusions); or
- where households have more than one line at the same or different address (for example a holiday home), except when, in addition to his/her own line, the customer is paying for a line at the home of a family member (chronically sick and disabled customers who have a 2nd line within the property which is used / registered for their carer, will be exempt from the additional line exclusion); or
- the line is with Incoming Calls Barred (i.e. Outgoing Calls Only); or
- the line is used exclusively in connection with a burglar alarm or other monitoring device (this does not apply to ‘lifeline’ alarm monitoring systems); or
- the line is provided on Temporary Service terms; or
- the line is a Shared Service Line; or
- the line is a BT Res. Official Line; or
- the line is with Residential BT Rented Cardphones; or
- the line is a Payphone line; or
- the line has ISDN or is a business line; or
- the customers has any other optional tariff such as Calling Plans, BT Working Together, BT Together Local Calls Option ; or
- the customer has BT's Friends & Family scheme; or - the customers has a PBX; or
- the customer has BT Bill Direct; or
- the line is for PSTN Split line voice service.

jaffab

Made the mistake this christmas of saying to my parents, that I would connect them up to the internet as their xmas present. Sorry to say, I went through the same stupid process (sign them up with ISP, get the "its blocked" report back, having to phone Bt, being told about them being low user, therefore cannot get ADSL connection).

Frankly, its a bit of a joke. What about if you had somebody who didnt use the phone, but you wanted to put in a device to say webcam their situation, so you could check in on them from time to time to make sure they are ok (ok, maybe thats too much like a OAP zoo, but the principle remains).

Anyway, now had to call parents and say either its them going up to the next package, or not having broadband. they are going to think this one through.

normanmark

jaffab wrote: »

Frankly, its a bit of a joke. What about if you had somebody who didnt use the phone, but you wanted to put in a device to say webcam their situation, so you could check in on them from time to time to make sure they are ok (ok, maybe thats too much like a OAP zoo, but the principle remains).

LUS was there for people who couldn't afford a main telephone line/contract based service and needed some form of contact point for an emergency. If you wanted broadband then the assumption was that if you can afford broadband, then you can can afford the line rental for a standard service.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

I'm in same situation, on LUS and thinking of going BB.

I've just moved house, so tied to BT for 12 months, at the moment I pay £6 p/m BT

and £12.22 p/m Tesco Dial Up, total £18.22,

if I sign up with Plusnet Option 1, it will cost me £9.75 p/m plus BT £10.27 p/m,

total £20.02,

make very few BT calls, as I tend to text, and any calls can be made at weekend

when free, so for the price of less then a pint a month, I could have BB, it's just

getting myself moving.

djohn2002uk

But check with BT first. Although they own Plunet I'm pretty sure they will beat that price for BT Broadband Option 1. I've read on here some people getting it for £7.90ish.

reactor_3

Tell BT if they don't allow you will cancel your BT line and get a pay as you go mobile. That means if they make no calls they save £4 a month.
They will be able to make 27 minutes (worst case) and 65 minutes (best case) of calls a month for £4. (Based on Virgin Mobile, others will be similar). So those calls would effectively be free.
Making those call on low use would cost them £6-£8 or more. Plus they will have the benefit of a mobile phone
to make calls from anywhere.
Put that to BT and see what they say.
They will get nowt is you do it, that might change thier mind!!

Also if they can get a Virgin cable connection they can have broadband for £9.
Further more with the internet they will make less calls anyway I would imagine you can do so much online.
I am thinking of cancelling my light user scheme and getting a PAYG, I make few out going calls I would save
quite a bit. Low user calls are very expensive if you make few calls.
Only thing is I have to change number but that should be easy enough.
I have been meaning to do it for a while. The handsets are very cheap, about £8 is the cheapest I have seen.

I need to check the details though, mobile phones are very confusing, there may be hidden cost,
perhaps someone can tell me if my info is misleading?