Need an Idiots Guide to BT!

Cherrytree

Could anyone please help explain to me how getting a BT landline works with then having your call package with someone else.

This may seem like a very daft question to many.
But I am moving from a KC (Council run telephone service) only area into a BT area, and I don't have a clue how its supposed to all work. With KC you only ever had one choice of who provided you with your phone line and internet connection (them).
(Allegedly its apparently debundled now although I've heard its prohibitavely expensive for other providers to come into the KC area as they are charged alot for there line rental.)

Hence only having access to KC, I need an Idiots Guide to BT please.:o

Do you have to pay BT to connect your phone line back up if disconnected, then choose another company for your service, or can your choosen service provider connect it back up for you?

If you pay another service provider, do you still need to pay BT the line rental or is it included with the other service provider.

Lots of questions, and I don't even know if they are relevant I'm that clueless.:embarasse :embarasse

Many thanks for any help in advance.

[Deleted User]

Right - here we go.

If you're moving into an area that doesn't have cable (Virgin Media), then a BT line is your only option.

It's worth noting at this point that a "BT line" doesn't HAVE to be supplied by BT - but 99% of the time it is.

When you sign up with BT, they'll do one or more of the following:

*Charge you a connection charge (between £65 and £130)
*Tie you into a minimum contract for your line rental (usually 12 months, but can be 18 months if you take a special offer on the connection charge from them)

Now you've signed up with BT for a landline, you're half way there.

Think of the BT line as a conveyer belt. It's what brings your calls to and from you and your friends.

HOWEVER - who provides those calls is another matter. By default, it'll be BT themselves. So if you make a call, you'll get charged for it by BT.

You don't have to take your calls from BT though. Companies like TalkTalk, Tiscali, Orange (the list goes on) can "take over" the calls on your line, so you'll be paying them for the calls instead of BT... usually at a discount.

Let's say you sign up with TalkTalk for your calls. So you're now paying BT for your line itself, and the money for any calls is going to TalkTalk.

There's one notable exception to the above - The Post Office. If you DONT sign up to BT in the first place, you can ask the Post Office to connect your landline (remember I said earlier that 1% of landlines aren't actually provided by BT?) and then you pay the post office for everything - line rental and calls. You'll still have to pay them that nasty connection charge, but the ice thing about this is that you're not tied into a minimum term contract for your landline rental. This means you're free to go to another company FOR EVERYTHING INCLUDING LINE RENTAL at any point. Orange, TalkTalk, Tiscali and others all offer packages that include your line rental, broadband, homephone, all in one for a much cheaper rate than you'd get by individually doing them elsewhere.

Hope that helps

Cherrytree

Your a star, thank you:beer: Its now starting to make sense at long last:D