Furious- BT, been paying too much for years!

Nicki_Sue

A real rant!
I have had being paying for BT broadband option3 for well as long as I can remember. I routinely, every 4-6months, ring all my bill senders etc to make sure I am on the best package for my needs and basically try and squeeze a few pennies off the bill by switching or downgrading. BT is one of the ones I do religiously.
Today (after 6.5hrs to BT over two days - very long boring story but including some awful suatomer services and rudeness on their part!) I decided enough was enough and started shopping around with a view to moving everything (<some of this was possibly due to my ill-temper with them!). One new providor asked me to ring BT back and check what my usage actually was so they could advise me on the best package. I did and was told I've not gone about 12gb a month in the last 6 months, and we've definiteky used it more in that period. Then the helpful BT girl said "Really theres no need to be on unlimited, you can downgrade to option 2, possibly option1 to be honest as save a tenner a month".

So WHY when I've specifically asked every quarter etc "Can you check my usage and make sure I'm not paying anymore than I need to" have I been told I'm best staying on the unlimited :mad::mad::mad:.
Thats £10 a month I could have been saving. I feel have like trying to get some of it back (haha <I know this is unlikely at best) and half stupid as if I've done something wrong/stupid to allow myself to be duped.

I am SOOOO mad! I'm guessing there is nothing I can do to recoup etc?

UK2010

I don't phone places up to see if I'm getting the cheapest deal I know myself by seeing exactly what they do.

You're as much to blame for not knowing yourself.

Nicki_Sue

Thanks for that
Sadly I'm obviously not as experienced with all the ins and outs of usages and amounts and limits and what not as I'd like to be.
I don't actually think that I can recoup any £, and seeing as it tooks 6.5hr on the phone to fix an imaginary problem they had the other night, I don't think I'd have the energy to pursue it if I could - but hey-ho, it is a board for vents!

OnTheUp_2-2

Ohhh look what a suprise to see you here UK2010.. knocking yet another MSE poster...

UK2010

OnTheUp wrote: »

Ohhh look what a suprise to see you here UK2010.. knocking yet another MSE poster...

It's an opinion, that is how I know I pay the cheapest option for any services. The consumer should be taking responsibility for their own money and not always relying on others. Not doing this can cause people to pay more. Sometimes the truth isn't what people want to hear but it remains the truth. Maybe now the op will save some money.

If everyone came on here and told them to blame the company and never check it themselves the op would be throwing money down the drain for the rest of her life.

As I've said in another post you're the one going off track. Perhaps this time you could stick on topic even if you don't like some peoples points of view.

rl290

UK2010, it appears in this case that the OP DID try to keep herself informed by phoning BT regularly and asking whether she was on the best tariff for her needs. While it is true that you can keep track of usage yourself, many people are not computer savvy and have to rely on their provider to give this info. It is a real shame that BT didn't step up to the mark on this one.

R

LeeSouthEast

I commend the actions of the OP. It's more than most people do, and if you're not technically minded, you're unlikely to know a gigabyte from a giraffe bite.

Thinking practically though, you won't get money back from BT. Use it to your advantage though and don't take a company's word for it that you're "on the best for your needs". Get the raw data (whatever it may be) and do the comparisons of the offerings yourself. You'll be surprised!!

jacktyler

if you have a monthly usage limit and want to know how much you actually use per month, there are several free programmes that can measure this and give you an average monthly figure. this is one (i haven't used it, so can't vouch for it, but saw it recommended on a technical forum):

NetStatLive

you need to have it running all the time (it can run in the background, automatically on start-up and minimized to the system tray), otherwise it will not be accurate.

Nicki_Sue

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

I commend the actions of the OP. It's more than most people do, and if you're not technically minded, you're unlikely to know a gigabyte from a giraffe bite.

Thinking practically though, you won't get money back from BT. Use it to your advantage though and don't take a company's word for it that you're "on the best for your needs". Get the raw data (whatever it may be) and do the comparisons of the offerings yourself. You'll be surprised!!

Thanks LSE and others for your comments - I'm fairly savvy online etc but internet usage seems to have passed me by.
I have used this to my advantage - have left BT, having found a more competitive deal to suit my usage needs (and budget!) and will stay on top of usage in future.

I've done very well in the past by checking all accounts, be it insurances, utilities, etc - and have downgraded or switched (often getting cashback) which in effect has reduced what I've paid over the year. It's definitely worth doing.
And as for BT, their loss.

Thanks again all x