cost to re activate telephone line?

punto123

hi there

my friend is moving in to a rented property , the is already a line there which has been used previous with bt i think just needs to be "re activated" no dial tone.

i spoke to the post office and they send to reactivate " turn on a switch at the exchange" the line would be £ 40 pound , i thought this was always free? they say bt started charging for this 5 month back , and who ever you went with would charge this , is this correct ? , many thanks

Heinz

The lack of a dial tone suggests a connection charge may apply but the only way to find out what BT will charge is to ask them:

One-off connection charge

• Connecting a new BT line costs £124.99 (incl. VAT).
• Connecting a new BT line when you take a Calls & Broadband package costs £50 (incl. VAT).
• Connecting a new BT line when you take a Calls, Broadband & TV package costs £0 .
• Connection charge only applies in some cases – most of our new customers find they don't need to pay this charge.
• We'll let you know whether you need to pay this after you've entered your address and/or phone number in the order journey. You'll see the charge on your order summary before you reach the order checkout.
• If your home has had a telephone service from BT in the recent past, and the wiring and socket is undamaged and the line still has a dial tone, it's likely you won't need to pay this charge. But where there's no suitable BT line available in your property, no dial tone on the line, or if you have been disconnected for non-payment in the past, the standard connection charge will apply.
• Please note that some properties, for example new property developments, may have a white BT socket installed that hasn't been connected (ie no dial tone). In this case the standard connection charge will still apply.
• The connection charge covers engineering work in your exchange or your property in order to connect the line and is subject to survey.
• If the charge does apply it will be added to your first BT bill.

• Similarly, other providers are likely to charge for am new installationm if there's no dial tone.

punto123

so do other telephone providers look at the same info as bt , when determining of there is a charge ? , many thanks