MSE News: BT prices to rise this Saturday

Heinz

nicko66 wrote: »

Just emailed BT to ask that I receive proper paper billings again as there's no longer any discount for paperless billing. They've emailed back saying 'Sorry, but unfortunately we won't be able to reply to your email.'

Didn't they just reply saying they won't be able to reply?

Anyway, I never have any problems using their complaint webmail form:

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/contact_email/c/5642,5681

craggs

Hey everyone,,I'm another unhappy chap,,getting fed up with bt,I actually wasn't really bothered on the line rental,but taking away the paper billing,as it was that discount that made my line competative.

I resigned into a 12 month contract about 3 months ago now,can I get out of this now,before I ring them I just want to understand my rights incase they try to keep me in.

rdtrdt

I'm currently on a 12 month renewable contract (ends in Jan), which after the rental price rise, if I was to renew, would be:-
£14.60 Line
£ 4.90 Anytime
£(3.00) credit
= £16.50 per month

I realise that it would be cheaper to switch to BT Line Rental Saver (£120 in advance), even though if I do that I can not get the £3 per month credit, which would cost me:-
£10.00 Line
£ 4.90 Anytime
= £14.90 per month equivalent

Just spoke with someone at the "I want to stop my BT service" number, and they said that £14.90 per month is the best they can do - they say (after going off for a long time to "check with someone") that the £3 credit I currently get cannot be offered in conjunction with BT Line Rental Saver - despite me explaining that I'm therefore leaving in preference for a Primus package.

BUT, I note someone on here has posted that they HAVE recently managed to get Line rental Saver PLUS a monthly credit of £3. Have BT changed their policy since then, or do I just need to call again and persist, in the hope of talking to someone who can offer me such a deal?

Thanks!

Ady87

LRS and the £3 credit on the Evening & Weekend or Anytime plan are incompatible.

It is likely someone may have received a one off credit of £3, but it is highly, highly unlikely to be an ongoing adjustment.

rdtrdt

Ady, is that £14.90/month deal as good as it gets with BT then?

(we have 2 home-based people during the day, so the Anytime package does work out well, as daytime is when we make most calls; plus, we use 18185 for calls to mobiles, so the BT bills end up being just the line rental + Anytime cost)

starving_artist

Ady87 wrote: »

LRS and the £3 credit on the Evening & Weekend or Anytime plan are incompatible.

It is likely someone may have received a one off credit of £3, but it is highly, highly unlikely to be an ongoing adjustment.

Don't know if this is the same thing you are talking about but I have been offered LRS + free evening weekday and w/end calls by way of £3 credit each month.

Frustrated_Roy

This is an absolutley scandalous move by BT and one that is totally unneccessary considering the amount of money they are making. It's about time they looked more closely at the service the are supposed to be giving that they provide on lines that are in some cases well over 30 years old.

BT is one organisation that should be cutting their charges and by as much as 20% this year. Plus - as they are still not able to provide a fully reliable service they should give all their long - term customers a 5% discount now followed by a 2.5% discount every year.

quiver09

BT might sell you a fixed term contract, but in reality they can do as they please and stick two fingers to the likes of you and me...

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Subject
Complaint: VOL011-57415916572 - Mr L
Discussion Thread
Response (DM)

09/11/2011 03:43 PM

Dear Mr L,
Thank you for your email.
I have nothing further to say on this matter. I wish you every success getting this matter resolved to your satisfaction.
Yours sincerely
DM -Chief Executive High Level Complaints
Customer By Email (UL)

08/11/2011 10:42 PM

Dear M/s M,
Thank you for reply of 7th November. Thank you also for 1) Confirming that I am on a fixed term contract which was provided with a set price when I signed up. 2) Confirmed that misadvise was previously given by BT agents 3) Confirming that BT need to change the charges or the terms and conditions of a service covered by this agreement, and that this applies to both fixed and month by month contracts while confirming that BT’s terms and conditions do not specifically mention fixed term
contracts. I therefore conclude that legally you are in no position to give a true interpretation of BT’s terms and conditions on fixed term contracts and as such will escalate this matter to both Ofcom and to your CEO, to adjudicate. In passing, I note from the amount of comments and blogs on the internet, I am NOT the only one complaining about BT’s fixed term contracts, and while I maybe a single individual, you must face the reality that if we all complain, then collectively we may
get a better resolution. Thank you UL
Sent: 07 November 2011 10:02
Subject: Complaint: VOL011-57415916572 - Mr L [Incident: 111016-004418]
Response (DM)

07/11/2011 10:02 AM

Dear Mr L,
Thank you for your email dated the 6 November 2011 about the December 2011 price increases.
When you sign up for a contract with BT you are given the current price at that time. If this price is due to change we will notify you of the change in advance of this been changed. This covers all contracts with BT should they be a new 12/18 month contract or whether you are no longer in a contract. Our terms and conditions cover all services and whilst the exact words do not say if you are in an existing contract prices will be increased this term is covered under the terms and conditions section Changing the terms (notification)
49. Sometimes, we will need to change the charges or the terms and conditions of a service covered by this agreement. We will publish details of all changes online at bt.com. - THIS IS RELEVANT TO YOUR EXISTING CONTRACT
52. If we let you know about a change to the price or the terms and conditions of a service which is to your material disadvantage, you will not have to pay a charge if you decide to end that service early, unless the Tariff Guide says otherwise. However, once we have told you about such a change, using one of the methods detailed in paragraph 50, you must let us know within 10 days that you want to end that service by giving us the written notice set out in paragraph 21. Only the services that are directly affected by the changes we make can be ended without paying an early termination charge for that service and this agreement will continue to apply to any other services that are not affected by those changes. - THIS IS ALSO RELEVANT AS I HAVE CONFIRMED TO YOU THAT ONLY THE SERVICES ARE AFFECTED BY THE INCREASE CAN BE CEASED WITHOUT BEING HELD TO TERM. AS I HAVE CONFIRMED ONLY THE ANYTIME PRICE IS BEING INCREASED NOT YOUR LINE RENTAL AS THIS HAS BEEN PAID IN ADVANCE.
Please let me address your points
1) You have absolutely no right to judge a person’s financial aspect no matter how big or small the increase is, at the end of the day, it is an increase. Neither do I need to justify to you or any other BT person. I was following a commitment made to a 12 month term
I am not judging you at all in relation to your financial circumstances, under the terms it does confirm that if you are financially disadvantaged by the increase you can stop that service if it causes you financial burden, realistically an increase of £0.30 per month is not a great deal however if you feel that you are going to be disadvantaged by this increase then I will put you back unto the Weekend Plan.
2) I spoke with the Citizens advice Bureau as no one from BT would refer me to where it states that the rate increases apply to fixed term contracts, which they agree. If I was not on a fixed term contract then yes the new fees would clearly apply.
Our terms and conditions can not be specific to each contract, we therefore summarise these for all contracts and confirm that if changes are to be made we will notify you of these changes before they happen.
3) I was made aware of these changes on the 16th October. The 10 days may have expired, but the resolution to this query was done within the 10 day limit and has NOT been resolved and ongoing
You did raise your concerns on the 16 October 2011 with us by email. The 10 days have passed since you received notification of the changes, you have disputed the increase, as the terms do confirm you are only able to cease the services directly affected by the increase and in your case this is only the Anytime Plan.
4) Now you are saying only services directly affected by the increase may be cancelled without penalty. That is different to what was said by previous advisors earlier that I may terminate your BT Telephony Services, BT Total Broadband, or BT Vision agreement
If you were told that you could cancel all your services you were mis advised. You can see from the terms section 52 (above) that this is not the case. In your email you have quoted account number GBxxxxxxxx and only Line rental and calls are on this account. I do not see any broadband or vision services on this account, they may be on another account.
5) I am fully aware that every contract has terms and conditions, and you have again confirmed that this was a 12 contract in the final paragraph, and yes, if the price was reduced I would NOT expect a price decrease until my current contract had expired. It is no different to a mobile phone contract, that may have different promotional deals at different times of the year.
I can not change the way we introduce price increases, they are standard for all customers throughout and this is regardless of whether they have signed up for a contract or not. Anytime we increase our prices we have to give you 30 days notice unless these are government changes. If we were to reduce our prices we would also charge you the reduced rate so it works both ways.
6) I am not asking to be treated differently from other customers. I am asking about a commitment I was asked to make at the time of signing up.
You were given a set price when you signed up for a new contract with us, as the terms confirm sometimes we will need to change the charges or the terms and conditions of a service covered by this agreement, this applies to both fixed and month by month contracts.
If you feel that as Chief Executive High Level Complaints you have the right to apply the full might and muscle of BT against individual customers, then the problem surely must lie at BT’s end. I am not doing this deliberately or maliciously, but judging by your reply seems to imply I am being a continual nuisance. I must now also remind you that as a shareholder of BT, I intend to raise this matter of fixed term contracts with your CEO at the next AGM. As a responsible shareholder, I should be entitled to know how the company meets its end user customer obligations
You are entitled to raise your concerns with the CEO of BT in the next AGM meeting. I wish you all the best with this however this does not change my decision.
Thank you for contacting BT
Yours sincerely
DM -Chief Executive High Level Complaints
Customer By Email (UL)

06/11/2011 05:41 PM

Dear M/s M,
Thank you for your reply of 02 November 2011. Please let me explain the reason for my query, before arriving to any conclusions. The reason for continually contacting BT was to ask why BT requires customers to sign up to 12 months commitments/contracts which can change on the spur of a moment over a price increase, and we are told of penalties if we break the same contract mid-term. If you look at the email trail, this has never been answered satisfactorily but waffled over under various
terms and conditions, neither of which specifically relate to price increases to users who are in fixed term contracts. You have also confirmed that I have a renewable contract for 12 months for Anytime. The reason for signing up to 12 months was to get a reduced rate which I would not get if I did not sign up to a 12 month term. And I understand fully that the prices are going up on the from the 3rd of December. You have also mentioned the standard price rate of increase. Please let me explain a couple of
other points to you as well 1) You have absolutely no right to judge a person’s financial aspect no matter how big or small the increase is, at the end of the day, it is an increase. Neither do I need to justify to you or any other BT person. I was following a commitment made to a 12 month term. 2) I spoke with the Citizens advice Bureau as no one from BT would refer me to where it states that the rate increases apply to fixed term contracts, which they agree. If I was not on a fixed term contract
then yes the new fees would clearly apply. 3) I was made aware of these changes on the 16th October. The 10 days may have expired, but the resolution to this query was done within the 10 day limit and has NOT been resolved and ongoing. 4) Now you are saying only services directly affected by the increase may be cancelled without penalty. That is different to what was said by previous advisors earlier that I may terminate your BT Telephony Services, BT Total Broadband, or BT Vision agreement. 5) I am
fully aware that every contract has terms and conditions, and you have again confirmed that this was a 12 contract in the final paragraph, and yes, if the price was reduced I would NOT expect a price decrease until my current contract had expired. It is no different to a mobile phone contract, that may have different promotional deals at different times of the year. 6) I am not asking to be treated differently from other customer. I am asking about a commitment I was asked to make at the time of signing
up. If you feel that as Chief Executive High Level Complaints you have the right to apply the full might and muscle of BT against individual customers, then the problem surely must lie at BT’s end. I am not doing this deliberately or maliciously, but judging by your reply seems to imply I am being a continual nuisance. I must now also remind you that as a shareholder of BT, I intend to raise this matter of fixed term contracts with your CEO at the next AGM. As a responsible shareholder, I should be
entitled to know how the company meets its end user customer obligations Thank you for your assistance in the matter. UL
Subject: Phone - Billing enquiries - I have a query about call charges [Incident: 111016-004418]
Response (DM)

02/11/2011 11:17 AM

Dear Mr L,
Thank you for your email dated the 1 November 2011 about the price increases that are going to happen effective from the 3 December 2011.
I am sorry that you feel the need to continually contact BT about these increases and that you are unhappy about the increase in prices we are making.
You currently have a renewable contract with BT. This means that your contract automatically renews itself every 12 months unless you request otherwise. You currently have the Anytime Plan were you get the Anytime Calls with Friends and Family Mobile for £6.20 per month. You are on a special promotion to give you a credit of £2.00 each month so in fact you are only paying £4.20 per month for this deal.
Come the 3 December 2011 we are increasing our prices and we have given you notification about these increases. You have confirmed to me that you have received this in your email sent to us on the 16 October 2011. On the 3 December the standard price of this deal will increase by 4.8% or £0.30 to £6.50 per month. You will still continue to get your discount of £2.00 per month so therefore you will be paying £4.50 per month. If you feel that a £0.30 increase per month effects you financially then please provide me with proof and I will certainly look into this for you.
You have told me that after seeking advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau you are entitled to cancel your services within 10 days without any penalty. Please be advised that this is within 10 days of us notifying you of the change. As you have been made aware of these changes since 16 October 2011 the 10 days has expired.
Please also note from the terms and conditions on BT.com, section 52 that only the services that are directly affected by the changes we make can be ended without paying an early termination charge, this agreement will continue to apply to any other services that are not affected by those changes. You have paid your line rental in advance for 12 months, as you have done this you are not affected by the line rental increase from £13.90 - £14.60 until your Line Rental Saver deal expires. Therefore you would not be able to cancel your line as this is not affected by the change. We can however downgrade your calling plan from the Unlimited Anytime Plan to the Unlimited Weekend Plan where you would then have nothing to pay each month as you have already paid your line rental up front for 12 months. This contract does not expire until the 05/09/12.
If you chose to do this then you would have to pay for each call that you make from your landline, you would get inclusive calls to UK landlines and 0845/0870 numbers for up to an hour per call from midnight Friday - midnight Sunday. If you change your plan you would automatically get a refund on the next bill for any advance rental you have been charged.
When you take out a contract with BT there is terms and conditions with each service. BT are now increasing it's prices in December 2011, you will be affected by this change for your Anytime calling plan only, this will be an increase of £0.30 per month or £3.60 a year. Sometimes we may have to reduce the price of our services. Say for instance if we reduced the price of your Anytime Plan by £0.30 a month and you were in a contract you wouldn't expect us to continue charging you the higher rate until your contract expired, we have to be fair and treat all customer's the same.
As I have said above please provide me with proof that you will be materially disadvantaged by the increases and I will look into this for you, otherwise I am afraid there is nothing that I can do. You are not being affected by the line rental increase as you have Line Rental Saver, therefore the only thing you can change is your calling plan, as I have explained above, if you wish to do this please let me know.
Yours sincerely
DM Chief Executive High Level Complaints
Customer By Email (UL)

01/11/2011 11:41 PM

Dear CJ, Thank you for your reply of the 26th October and showing me the different sections in relation to changes in charges. I have read though all the sections you have listed, but I still don’t see where it relates to charges applying to fixed term contracts in the listed sections or in the BT terms and conditions. Secondly how would you know my financial circumstances to make a qualified statement that I am not impacted with the price change? I was given an option to renew
for a 12 month Unlimited Anytime Plan and qualify for a reduced rate. All they were interested was selling me a 12 month contract and telling me the benefits of getting a reduced rate. At no time did BT customer services advise me that the contract would be worthless if BT wished to increase in price and therefore nullify the contract. Irrespective of the amount of increase, it is still an increase to my fixed term contract, so there is an impact. I have since spoken with the local citizens advice bureau
and they too have read the BT terms and conditions and cannot any guidelines on charges applying to fixed term contracts within the BT terms and conditions. They have advised me that, all I need to do is to give BT, 10 day’s notice to end the agreement and termination and that I should not be charged a cancellation fee, and be entitled to a pro-rata refund of any advance payments made to BT. They are also checking with Ofcom on this advice. So I will ask you again, to please forward this email to your
executive directors or to your Chief Operating Officer at BT to ask why we are told to sign up to 12 month term when the fixed term means nothing in case of a price increase within the interval of the contract period. Thank you UL
Subject: Phone - Billing enquiries - I have a query about call charges [Incident: 111016-004418]
Response (CJ)

26/10/2011 09:39 AM

kehall

BT only provided me notice on 30th November. Per their terms they need to give 30 days notice. Having been forced to enter a new 12 month contract for moving a 13 year old line between adjacent buildings, even having paid £130 for the pleasure of a couple of wire swaps at the pole, I contacted BT to explain that I was intending to move away without penalty as I was within rights within 10 days of being notified of a price increase to my disadvantage. Given the paperless billing discount removal it was approaching a £2/month increase for no added value (only use the line for dsl and incoming calls)

They claimed I was informed at the end of October.. I said nope. The first official notification was by email on 30th November "important information relating to your BT account".

They said "they sent out the notice with the bill".. I said I don't get a paper bill!

Anyway they agreed to not holding to term so won't penalise moving away, but still awaiting their response on a refund for not providing the 30 days notice before the increase.

Given line rental only deals can be obtained for less than half BT's cost, why would anyone stay with BT when the service is so poor these days too (you used to be able to get an engineer out to a fault the same day (pretty crucial on intermittent weather related faults)!)?