Why can't BT lower their prices

I_luv_cats

I can't understand why BT charge so much more than Tiscali / Talk Talk.

As Tiscali is taken over by Talk Talk it would be a good opportunity for them to gain more customers or are the prices going to rise as there will be less competition!!!!

I can't argue that BT is more reliable or customer service is any better as I have had problems with them and outsourced call centres too!!

alared

For donkey`s years BT had a monopoly and ripped off the public as much as possible with high prices.
This is probably the reason that it just ambles along and is still living in the past and doesn`t really compete.
To try to gain more revenue,instead of fighting back and competing,it spends it`s time trying to throw pensioners off the low user tariff by doing away with it.
Thank goodness for the likes of TalkTalk,who are doing an excellent job by giving the public what they want

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cheap calls and broadband.

WhoKilledBambi?

When the telecoms market was opened up BT were forced by Ofcom to charge premium prices to allow the new players in the market a foothold.
Recently Ofcom relaxed these constraints on BT to allow them to compete on a level playing ground - http://www.samknows.com/broadband/news/ofcom-to-allow-bt-bundles-527.html

also

" The main effect of deregulation would be to allow BT Retail to offer bundles comprising, voice, broadband, mobile or TV, just as other providers do. BT Retail already markets all these products but with the removal of price controls, there is scope for deals ........."

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/3909-ofcom-consults-on-changes-to-rules-for-telephone-market.html

Nothing to do with BT being a monopoly or inertia.

As for low user tariffs that's to do with the USO that BT and Kingston Communications suffer from - "Under the Universal Service Obligation (the ‘USO’), BT and Kingston Communications (‘Kingston’) in the Hull area, are required to provide social telephony products."

No other service providers are required to cater for low income groups and AFAIK no other providers do, not even TalkTalk - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/addcharges/summary/

welshmoneylover

Might also have something to do with the fact that BT are facing a huge black hole in their pension fund.
Someone has to pay for it, us muggins I expect!

arunadasi

I_luv_cats wrote: »

I can't understand why BT charge so much more than Tiscali / Talk Talk.

As Tiscali is taken over by Talk Talk it would be a good opportunity for them to gain more customers or are the prices going to rise as there will be less competition!!!!

I can't argue that BT is more reliable or customer service is any better as I have had problems with them and outsourced call centres too!!

I am well and truly !!!!ed off with BT. I returned to them from Tiscali, mainly because I wanted tro access an old email account I used to have with them.
But when I got there I found that several YEARS of mails had mysteriously been deleted - there's a gap between 2004 and 2008, just the period I wanted to access!

And then they signed me up for telephone alone, even though I had asked for a bundle with broadband. And then, after two weeks, sent me a bill for almost £40 - even though I had made no more calls than usual, and just one foreign call.
And then when I kicked up a fuss and said I wanted to leave, they cancelled my account instead of waiting for the new providor to switch. And because they had cancelled the line the new provider couldn't do the switch and it would have taken weeks to get a new line. So I was forced to open a new account with BT - and they gave me a new number!

Well, I did manage to get my old number back but I spent a whole week without telephone, and would have spent a week woithout internet as well but a neighbour in the same building gave me their router code and so I was able to connect.

A huge hassle for nothing.

All I can say is - never again. But now I am tied into a year's contract. As soon as I can I'm leaving.

00

1carminestocky

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Might also have something to do with the fact that BT are facing a huge black hole in their pension fund.
Someone has to pay for it, us muggins I expect!

They certainly are - £8 billion and counting! :eek:

clickclash

WhoKilledBambi? wrote: »

When the telecoms market was opened up BT were forced by Ofcom to charge premium prices to allow the new players in the market a foothold.
Recently Ofcom relaxed these constraints on BT to allow them to compete on a level playing ground - http://www.samknows.com/broadband/news/ofcom-to-allow-bt-bundles-527.html

also

" The main effect of deregulation would be to allow BT Retail to offer bundles comprising, voice, mobile broadband, mobile or TV, just as other providers do. BT Retail already markets all these products but with the removal of price controls, there is scope for deals ........."

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/3909-ofcom-consults-on-changes-to-rules-for-telephone-market.html

Nothing to do with BT being a monopoly or inertia.

As for low user tariffs that's to do with the USO that BT and Kingston Communications suffer from - "Under the Universal Service Obligation (the ‘USO’), BT and Kingston Communications (‘Kingston’) in the Hull area, are required to provide social telephony products."

No other service providers are required to cater for low income groups and AFAIK no other providers do, not even TalkTalk - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/addcharges/summary/

This is main reason, BT have way way more obligations to worry about then other service providers, yes, and the baby boomers are retiring putting incredible strain on long term budgets, not just for BT.

droopsnoot

arunadasi wrote: »

But when I got there I found that several YEARS of mails had mysteriously been deleted - there's a gap between 2004 and 2008, just the period I wanted to access!

I must say I'd always assumed that as soon as you cancel a contract with an ISP to move to someone else, their server admins would remove any trace of your old account once the period you'd paid for had run out. I am surprised that even some of your emails have survived on the BT servers.

asperger

BT now dont really care anymore because these companies who take over your lines still use BT exchanges and BT Staff to fix the lines so BT still get paid what ever happens.

GeoThermal

arunadasi wrote: »

I am well and truly !!!!ed off with BT. I returned to them from Tiscali, mainly because I wanted tro access an old email account I used to have with them.
But when I got there I found that several YEARS of mails had mysteriously been deleted - there's a gap between 2004 and 2008, just the period I wanted to access!

I'm surprised you expected them to be there.

asbokid

droopsnoot wrote: »

I must say I'd always assumed that as soon as you cancel a contract with an ISP to move to someone else, their server admins would remove any trace of your old account once the period you'd paid for had run out. I am surprised that even some of your emails have survived on the BT servers.

Maybe GCHQ has retained the missing years (2004-2008) of his emails? He could file a Subject Access Request to find out. Worth a try.