blooming, bl**dy BT.

sandraroffey

help and advice please.

just dont know what to do now. for many years i have had my landline on incoming calls only. reasons simple, just cant afford anything else. it meant that my bill, PER|QUARTER. was something like £13. line rental only plus VAT.

this week i have been sent a bill by BT for just under £63!!!!!!!!!

there is no way on this earth that i can pay that. i phoned to see why the bill was as that much and they told me that they dont do 'incoming calls only' any more.

and this bill was for the plan they had set up for me. without my say so?????????????

first i had heard of it 'but letters went out madam'. not to me they didnt!!!!!!!!

i immediately told them to take the landline away. 'there will be a disconnection charge madam'.

wish i had known about all this - i would have had the landline taken away last year when all this started. apparently.

the problem now is i have a bill that i dont have a hope in hell of paying. plus the disconnection charge. which is why i had incoming calls only, in the first place.

hope the BT rep is on here today.

Buzby

Hang on!

When you say 'incoming calls only' this was often used as a euphamism for 'Supportline' or 'Low User' Schemes. They've done away with this and replaced it with BT Basic, that has a good many hurdles to get on (primarily, you have to be on certain benefits and be prepared to allow BT access to your files so they can check that you are).

Some users have found BT's approach of a few circulars, stating the end of the old scheme and the transfer to a considerably higher-cost alternative was scandalous, especially since there was an additional 'gotcha' in that if you opted for Free evening and Weekend calls, you were locked in for 18 months, and 12 months if you only went for Free Weekend calls (the default).

By doing nothing, this was the option they put you on, but if you never got the letters, it remains THEIR problem.

You need to WRITE to BT and explain you have not been given notice of the change, and you neither agreed to the 12 month lock-in. Reverse this, and give them 30 days notice of your intention to leave. I cannot offer an alternative idea (unless you CAN join the BT Basic scheme). Do also remember you may lose the telephone number you've been using for years - which may be important to you. There ARE cheaper suppliers out there, but not as cheap as what you had bene paying previously.

sandraroffey

thanks for the response. will write to them today, unless the BT rep on here picks it up which they havent thus far.

how can they put me on a plan with my say so???????

i use my mobile for texting mostly. am very deaf and the landline was for if people needed to get hold of me and couldnt on the mobile. cant even hear the landline ring!!!!!!!!!!!!

have also been telling them for over two years that my name has changed and would they change it on the bill, and they've done nothing about that either.

doesnt take away the problem of the bill that i just cant pay though.

had to laugh- within 15 minutes of me telling them take it away, i was getting a recorded message phone call from BT, telling me that i hadnt paid the bill. and the line was off within 10 hours or so.

Jemma-T

sandraroffey wrote: »

thanks for the response. will write to them today, unless the BT rep on here picks it up which they havent thus far.

how can they put me on a plan with my say so???????

i use my mobile for texting mostly. am very deaf and the landline was for if people needed to get hold of me and couldnt on the mobile. cant even hear the landline ring!!!!!!!!!!!!

have also been telling them for over two years that my name has changed and would they change it on the bill, and they've done nothing about that either.

doesnt take away the problem of the bill that i just cant pay though.

had to laugh- within 15 minutes of me telling them take it away, i was getting a recorded message phone call from BT, telling me that i hadnt paid the bill. and the line was off within 10 hours or so.

sandraroffey wrote: »

help and advice please.

just dont know what to do now. for many years i have had my landline on incoming calls only. reasons simple, just cant afford anything else. it meant that my bill, PER|QUARTER. was something like £13. line rental only plus VAT.

this week i have been sent a bill by BT for just under £63!!!!!!!!!

there is no way on this earth that i can pay that. i phoned to see why the bill was as that much and they told me that they dont do 'incoming calls only' any more.

and this bill was for the plan they had set up for me. without my say so?????????????

first i had heard of it 'but letters went out madam'. not to me they didnt!!!!!!!!

i immediately told them to take the landline away. 'there will be a disconnection charge madam'.

wish i had known about all this - i would have had the landline taken away last year when all this started. apparently.

the problem now is i have a bill that i dont have a hope in hell of paying. plus the disconnection charge. which is why i had incoming calls only, in the first place.

hope the BT rep is on here today.

BT aren't a charity and the removal of these 'low user' schemes has been well talked about for months. You are on the Internet too obviously so you have no excuse for looking after your business.

If you are in receipt of certain benefits you may be eligible for BTBasic http://www.btplc.com/inclusion/phoneservices/services/btbasic/

Otherwise, disconnect your phone or pay the bill for the service. Being deaf isn't a good excuse for anything else in life (as you know) so mentioning here won't help you either.

sandraroffey

thanks for all the help. i was looking for what to do next, not sympathy.

i will be writing to BT today. i did NOT know about this. yes i am on the internet now, but this is not at my home so it isnt a continual thing and i only look at what i want to look at. this is not my computer so i cant sit on it all day, i dont trawl thourgh everything, so clearly i missed something here.

had i received letters from them, then it would have alerted me to a problem. isnt that what they are suposed to send letters for????

however. thanks again.

BT_company_representative

Hi Sandraroffey,

I would like to take a look at you account to see what exactly has happened. If you could please drop me an email with your BT account detail, along with your Forum username? Once I have received those details, I will be able to investigate this for you and reply to you directly.

Thanks

Paddy

sandraroffey

sorry for the delayin replying bt rep. have been in bed with a nasty virus!!!!

how do i find your email address??? is it at BT or is there one directly to you???

BT_company_representative

Hello sandraroffey,

You can find our email address on our profile.

Thanks

Fionnuala

Ypaymore

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hello sandraroffey,

You can find our email address on our profile.

Thanks

Fionnuala

Which is here : http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.html?u=687371

sandraroffey

update here on THE MAN called Rodney from BT. what a little sweetie this chap is

i contacted him and filled him in again with whats been happening with this change of calling plan etc. and the darling darling chap has arranged for the bill to be cancelled.

slept well last night, i can tell you.

thank you BT from the bottom of my heart. and Rodney - i love you!!!!!!!!!!xxxxxxx