MSE News: BT cuts 'free' evening calls by one hour

Micky

BT:

I am afraid that we cannot provide you any evidence you require.

This one could run and run ....

ACDeag

This is what BT have replied to me saying:

I am very sorry to hear that you are not happy about the evening period being moved from 6am - 6pm to 7am-7pm and I can understand your concern. I am afraid that, as part of the terms and conditions, BT are within right to make changes to the packages and regular changes do happen. You would not be able to be removed from your contract on the grounds of the changes and I am very sorry if this has inconvenienced you. You will still get the cheaper evening calls for a daily 12 hour period and from our statistics the most calls are made after 7pm. A daytime call with us is still over 1p a minute cheaper than an evening call with Virgin. You can avoid the change in the evening call period on all of your UK landline and 0870 & 0845 calls with the Unlimited Anytime Plan at www.bt.com/choices

Just been called back by BT who after looking at their own terms (para 48 in particular) now agree I have a right to cancel and have put it through.

ezman

I've just called and they cancelled my contract which is all fine and dandy, i just revert back to what i was on before.
Then after everything they tell me there is a cancellation charge of £60 odd quid which they can't refund until I get my next bill. His english wasn't too great but he said he would write on the notes that I was entitled to have these charges removed but I can see another battle looming!

Makeandsave

I wonder how mnay customers have left BT because of this? Do you think BT might give in and go back to 6-6?

ACDeag

Makeandsave wrote: »

I wonder how mnay customers have left BT because of this? Do you think BT might give in and go back to 6-6?

Not many if BT made it as difficult as they did with me.

ACDeag

digp wrote: »

Is a customer on the Anytime package disadvantaged by this?

No you aren't

atlantis187

ACDeag wrote: »

This is what BT have replied to me saying:

I am very sorry to hear that you are not happy about the evening period being moved from 6am - 6pm to 7am-7pm and I can understand your concern. I am afraid that, as part of the terms and conditions, BT are within right to make changes to the packages and regular changes do happen. You would not be able to be removed from your contract on the grounds of the changes and I am very sorry if this has inconvenienced you. You will still get the cheaper evening calls for a daily 12 hour period and from our statistics the most calls are made after 7pm. A daytime call with us is still over 1p a minute cheaper than an evening call with Virgin. You can avoid the change in the evening call period on all of your UK landline and 0870 & 0845 calls with the Unlimited Anytime Plan at www.bt.com/choices

Just been called back by BT who after looking at their own terms (para 48 in particular) now agree I have a right to cancel and have put it through.

Can u send me a link for this para 48 because am also thinking of ringing and trying to cancel

MrGumby

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

Incorrect. Although their terms and conditions make mention that you can cancel, this has nothing to do with their terms and everything to do with contract law.

Should the supplier seek to make a change to a contract you agreed which materially disadvantages you, you may cancel that contract without penalty.

You are not "asking to cancel". You are informing them of a cancellation. The supplier cannot say no.

You're right, of course, in theory, but if they won't accept that someone has been materially disadvantaged, and so persist with a penalty charge, how many are likely to fight, let alone fight and win? Note ezman's comment "he would write on the notes that I was entitled to have these charges removed but I can see another battle looming!"

Go for the easy life, if possible - cancel during month 12 of the annual contract and switch to another provider.

Justino_2

BT still may be the cheapest option for me for the timebeing if I use 18185 or similar for the calls I make before 7pm simply since the BT package includes caller id and text messages which I use for missed call notification, and these can cost more on others. My contract runs out in June so I can keep an eye on what the others do until then.

captainhook

After spending half an hour on the phone to 150, speaking to 4 different people across 2 different continents, I have aparantly managed to make a BT operator concede that I will not have to pay charges when I move to a new provider before my contract ends.

I have a reference number, which apparantly says that I am intitled to leave without penalty. Will believe that when it happens.

I had to argue for a long time, read out clause 48 of the terms and conditions TWICE, and spell out exactly what that meant in pidgeon English before the operator and her "coach" finally agreed to my demands (I think just to get me off the line!)

I tried to move onto the weekend package, but the operator insisted that I should stay on the current plan, as I "most definatly have this note written on my account details".

I will be moving to O2 as soon as their home phone package becomes available (line rental & all), having been a mobile/ broadband customer for over 2 years. I've been through a number of companies on the way, and O2 knock the spots off the competition with supurb customer service in UK only call centres. I'd happily pay more for decent customer service, and will not continue to pay a company who thinks it can change the goalposts to customer's detriment mid contract.

BT need to wake up and smell the coffee. Customers are not stupid, and have access to a weath of information at their fingertips.
I would imagine many will simply switch away when their contracts end. (Although I can't imagine many will wish to argue the finer points of "material disadvantage" for over half an hour with a bullish foreign call centre!)