How to screw over BT?

MoDolph

Hi all

First of all let me apologise for the long post/rant but I simply have to get this off my chest.

I've just moved into a new build flat that I will be renting for 12 months. I have an existing contract with 6 months remaining (took advantage of the connection special offer last year). The flat already has the sockets fitted so I expected to just ring BT and switch the account to the new address. Well of course they tell me they want to charge me £122.50 to connect this line.

After reading the previous posts on this site its clear that I will have to either "shut up and pay" or manage without the phone/internet. Now I wouldn’t mind paying this charge if it was a house that I had bought but knowing I will probably be moving in a year leaving the line behind for the next tenants makes me sick! I have already contacted the landlord who says it’s not his problem and BT doesn’t care.

Now being the internet addict that I am it looks as if I'll be stumping up the charge but, feeling spiteful, I want to make sure that BT/the landlord are the losers from all of this so I have a few questions?

How can I make sure that BT get as little of my cash as possible? Ideally I want to pay the charge and that’s it, there will be no phone plugged in to the socket only the router. Can I pay line rental to a different company and still get to choose my own internet provider?

Secondly, I know the line remains the property of BT but what would happen if at the end of this year I was to "accidently" cut through some of the cabling rendering the socket inoperable? Would I get into trouble? Would the next tenants/landlord/BT have to pay to get it fixed?

Basically any other ideas you have to screw over BT/my landlord would be welcome. One idea I had is to ring the freephone number each day and just waste time asking questions (childish I know), the costs to them have to mount up if I do it each day for a year right?

Lastly before all you BT fanboys/employees start getting defensive jumping to the defense of BT; frankly I don’t care what you think. This charge is ridiculous and nothing you say will make me change my opinion. I know the line has to be paid for somehow and I don’t mind that but why not charge the builders when the work was completed so that the cost would be passed on to ALL future tenants and not just me? Why not include the cost of line connection in the monthly line rental like mobile phone companies (last time I checked O2 didn’t want £120 up front to fund a new transmitter). Again sorry for the long post but I eagerly await you help.

Heinz

Don't understand the 'shut up and pay' statement.

BT have a free connection offer on at the moment. 18 month contract and 10 chargeable OR inclusive calls per month conditions though.

Phone 0800 800 150 and ask for the Customer Options Team. Most of them know about the free installation offer.

MoDolph

I have asked about this offer but as I have 6 months of my current contract left they cannot give it to me, would my partner be able to take up the offer and I just pay the rest of my contract?

Heinz

Sounds a good plan.

MoDolph

Thanks for the help. I'll get on it tonight. Its still bad that they would rather have a new customer then look after an old one. At least when I ring them tonight I get to tell them where they can shove their service

I dont know if anybody can remember what the terms were for cancelling the same offer from last year, will it "only" cost me the £7.50 per month remaining or will it be the full line rental?

supermonkey

the charge is unreasonable, but i dont think theres any need to be spiteful.

why dont u break ur contract and then take the new 18 month one with free connection? Would this be cheaper?

And if you have time to kill keep phoning them up every day, this could be better sent on over time, or ebaying etc which would pay for the connection in the first place

lythaby

If your only going to have a router plugged in, have you thought about mobile broadband?

iirc quidco had a good cashback for o2 or(it pains me to say) three.

KimYeovil

What a lot of self-contradictory nonsense from the OP.

MoDolph

supermonkey wrote: »

the charge is unreasonable, but i dont think theres any need to be spiteful.

Your right that its unreasonable but maybe I was being a bit too spiteful and dare I say a bit immature. But then again, you try spending some time on the phone with BT and see how you feel. They have managed to go from having a loyal customer who would have given them a lifetime of custom to someone who will now avoid giving them any cash for the rest of his life. Somehow I dont think trying to fleece me out of another £125 was such a good idea.

lythaby wrote: »

If your only going to have a router plugged in, have you thought about mobile broadband?

I have considered it but I know of no unlimited packages and I use the connection for online gaming which I dont think mobile broadband would work too well with. Also I dont know how to share the connection with the other computers in the house or if its even possible with a dongle.

KimYeovil wrote: »

What a lot of self-contradictory nonsense from the OP.

Could you explain a little more? Where was I being self-contradictory?


In the end I have decided to cancel my contract with BT and switch to virgin national. The overall cost will be the same (about £40 /month) for line rental, unlimited broadband and free weekend calls but at least they only wanted a £30 connection charge which seems much fairer. It was never the cost that bothered me it was the principle of the matter. Why should I be the sucker that pays for everybody elses BT line for the rest of the life of the house when I will be gone in 12 months, not to mention the fact I had to pay the same charge last year! The thing that really gets to me is that the lines are already fitted inside the house, why did BT not charge the builders who had them installed? I've never had to pay to have the gas or electricity to be switched on.

This connection charge should only apply to people who have purchased the home or even better just apply this charge to every new customer the first time they join BT regardless of whether there is a line already in place, if the customer moves house but stays with BT, no charge. If they leave BT and later come back charge them again. This would actually encourage loyalty instead of driving people away.

I had hoped that this thread could be a light hearted discussion of how to get our own back on BT but I dont think there is much chance of that.