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

Colin_London

We are on Evenings & Weekends rolling contract because we are both at work during the day. On the odd occassions that we make calls during daytime hours (or, for that matter, when calling a mobile or abroad) we have started using the Tesco Home Phone VoIP PAYG service which attracts no monthly fee, and has call charges much cheaper than BTs.

Call quality is actually better than BT - clear as a bell.
We even have a DECT / VoIP phone and you can choose the Tesco service just by dialling #1 after the required number.

This change just means that we will land up using the Tesco service more. BT are cutting their own throats with such a cynical and sneaky move in changing the definition of 'evening' from what it has been for decades.

Colin_London

Or, as we are O2 broadband customers, we could well go for this when it launches and ditch BT altogether......

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article6988764.ece

Bogof_Babe

It must be bugging them that they can't reinvent what a weekend is!

tomthered

Cheers Jem16, as it was mentioned as national calls I was thinking of national rate. ah well we live in hope. Just to let everyone know I got an email today and there is letter confirming their changes:(

brewerdave

I too, got the email this morning - very clever the way the change to daytime hours is hidden down the email (and even more clever the way the increased call charges are hidden even further down) after some old tosh bout how good the existing service is..
Nobody has commented on my query re Ofcom - do they have no input on "managing" the level of increase that BT apply? (Ofwat certainly have input into water price increases for instance)
del1001 - wasn't expecting the BT rep to comment on the changes themselves , just to confirm that it was happening as a number of people hadn't seen letters/emails at that time.and there is still nothing obvious on the website.

gsc

got the email last night, and emailed them this morning (via their website) asking to terminate the rolling 12 month contract..... let's see what the response is.

isualive

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayCategory.do?categoryId=CON-HOME-PHN-R1

The new calling plans are so pricey! I also had my email last night

southantrim3

Here's an interesting article from the Guardian today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jan/29/bt-free-evening-calls-change

Mark_In_Hampshire

Now, if I weren't so cynical, I'd suggest that the purpose of burying an extremely important change at the bottom of a communication was to try to entrap people into continuing to make calls between 6pm and 7pm without realising the change, pulling in some extra income for up to 3 months until people got their bills.

However as I just wrote in another thread, it's up to people to read what's sent to them and BT have indeed communicated the change nonetheless - as confirmed above, both by post and by email - exactly what they're required to do.

And as I also wrote, if you don't agree with this change, you don't have to accept it. You can offer BT the opportunity to continue to supply free calls based on the original times, or cancel the contract at no penalty. I'll bet the leaflet didn't make that clear.

Bogof_Babe

isualive wrote: »

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayCategory.do?categoryId=CON-HOME-PHN-R1

The new calling plans are so pricey! I also had my email last night

There's no mention of weekday evening calls at all on that plan, just weekends .