Playing devil's advocate with BT

storrie

I know BT are currently offering "free" new line installation at the moment but while thinking about it an idea sprung into my head and in wondered whether it was feasable or not. And please nobody bother with a moralistic BT deserve their money because i don't think anyone truly believes that.

In order to reconnect a previous phone line with one of BT's rivals there needs to have been a previous line installed in the property and to check this you need both the postcode and the old phone line

Now if i order a new line from BT and ensure it's installed within 14 days what's to stop me cancelling my BT phone contract under the distance selling regs?

I understand they'll cancel the line at the exchange but what's to stop me at this point going to one of their rivals with my post code and previous phone number and getting a much more desirable offer for line installation?

iniltous

If you approach BT for a line do distance selling reg's apply ? after all you called them, what if the leadtime for the line is longer than 14 days ? and if you cancel there wouldnt be a record of a working line ( even if you had a proposed tele number ) so a new provider would probably charge a full install fee anyway, I dont think SP's actually tell you the number you are going to get, and even when they do it comes with a ' the number is not guaranteed to be the one you get' clause

littleboo

Because the distance selling reg wont apply as it's a service.

storrie

thanks littleboo that's exactly the sort of response i was looking for, i didn't realise it was classed differently