BT Connection Charges (merged threads)

ACDeag

sobnan wrote: »

Hi can some one please enlighten me on my little problem.
I moved house in September, it didn't have a phone line and we got one installed with BT and of course paid what ever it was £110 I think. Anyway, BT changed their terms and conditions, which didn't suit us so we got out of the contract about 6 months later. We got out of the contract in March. Now we are looking to have a land line again (haven't had one since March). Post Office home phone say they are going to charge me to have a line put in.I have told them I already have a line and I paid for it only 6 months ago.But they say the number has gone to another address since and maybe it isn't connected to the exchange.
I have a phone line installed already and it has a tone as well.Basically I don't have a choice. Either
a) I pay for a land line again
b)Or I go back to BT
Can someone tell me if this is right? Do I have to pay again?
Thank you
So Confused

I think only BT offer a free re-connection and this is if the line is still active, dial 17070 to test. Can you get Cable?

FannyHill

I thought if you had a landline and got the dialtone they connected you for free.

Only thing is if you put in the phone no in the no checker and it's not recognised by the company your joining I suppose if you have to get a new no perhaps then it's the full £110 or £125 or whatever the connection fee is.

If someone rings your old no and they get that three tones low medium and high does that mean the no doesn't exist anymore ?

ACDeag

FannyHill wrote: »

I thought if you had a landline and got the dialtone they connected you for free.

Only thing is if you put in the phone no in the no checker and it's not recognised by the company your joining I suppose if you have to get a new no perhaps then it's the full £110 or £125 or whatever the connection fee is.

Should be, but I think only BT do this for free.

dustinjames

getting broadband and new phone line is so long winded..they need to change the whole process and procedure and technology.
i mean 2 to 4 weeks, if not longer? it should all be instant, like online banking, all electronic managed from company offices.
sky have given me date in 4 weeks time. for an engineer to come out. bt gave me a similar date, then changed it to 2 weeks.
im so tired and fed up of not having a broadband connection for my computers at home.

sobnan

Hi I'm just thinking if I sort of rejoin Bt and get them to give me a number. THen I have 14 days to cancel, I could then change my mind and go to the Home Phone.
Sneaky huh! I know but I have already paid once to get the line and now I cant move companies so technically I dont have a choice do I. So much for consumer power!

Mr_Oink

The 'problem' (apart from the tardy way BT operate) is this darn thing called 'competition' with 'BT' having to treat everyone with 'equivalence'. So there appointment books are open to a small army of telco's, each pushing the appointments back, and back, and back. The Line is with Openreach, the hardware is with BT Wholesale and stuck in the middle is the Communications Provider (sometimes the same company!) . Never will the left hand know what the right hand is doing - and I doubt it care$$$

Honestly - if you took some bad, bad drugs and had disturbing trips you still could *not* dream up how BT works internally. It's fair comment to say it is often a massively *bad* consumer experience.

The 'connection' charge does not necessarily mean popping round to wire your socket back up (which is intact). Despite having 'soft dial tone' on the line (a feature added to stop engineers stealing lines -aka- 'swapping out'/'pair stealing') they will probably try and stretch out a connection fee if they can do so without you asking too many questions. The next stage is usually a form of blackmail 'If you sign an 18 month contract we will connect for free' type thing. It was once worse with, what I call the 'wholesale mis selling' of 'feature line compacts' about four years ago on a similar deal.

If you have soft dialtone (dialing 17070 results in a pause, then a continuous NU steady tone - or gives a number that fails to take incoming calls when dialed) it only requires a 'button press' in software to make that line live. There is no visit either to your premises or the exchange necessary. You could argue the toss and stand your ground.

<rant>
BT amaze me. Their sheer desire to rape customers for all the small change in their pockets rather than celebrate a returning customer with a 'free' connection - must be more likely to result in a customer bad mouthing and avoiding BT for life, rather than for a potential customer saying 'Sure, have £130 - would you like fries with that?'

But then BT is a company who 'celebrated' when they had unbundled a million lines to *other* operators (mostly TalkTalk at that time). Personally if I lost a million customers in a handful of months I'd not be cracking open the champers.....
</rant>

dustinjames

'Sure, have £130 - would you like fries with that?'

cox377

Hello guys,

Just looking over this thread, am I correct in thinking that all the offers have currently finished for new line installation?

coXen

Heinz

cox377 wrote: »

Just looking over this thread, am I correct in thinking that all the offers have currently finished for new line installation?

No, BT's £29.99 offer has been extended to 30 September 2010.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/31323821#Comment_31323821

Mr_Oink

But is that a good deal?

18 month minimum term - Minimum call commitment applies – you must make at least 10 chargeable or inclusive calls per month.
cheapest 'package' Unlimited Weekend Plan (£11.54 per month)
£207.72
+£29.99
=£237.71
non direct debit fee at 4.50 per quarter (x6) £27.00
TOTAL: £264.71

£14.71 a month just for the line - with no broadband - and an 18 month tie in.

Compare that to a mobile operator like O2 offering 100 free mins, free 02 to 02, unlimited texts, unlimited web for £15 a month PAYG without tie in. IMHO These Telco's need to start getting their act together and offer quality and value, not take hostages because their service and prices ain't so sexy!