BT Line Rental Saver now requires CPS to be BT ??

markja_2

I am just coming to the end of 12 months of a BT Line Rental Saver period. My CPS provider is not BT ( but Primus). The terms on the website say that I now have to return my calls to BT if I want LRS. I called them and they confirmed that I had to make BT my CPS provider in order to renew LRS. I said this was not the case in the past year. Then they talked about minimum qualifying calls via BT. I told them I understood and accepted this condition. Then they changed tack and said the excahnge may not recognise calls routed via BT. The person had no idea about the tripe they were sprouting. I pointed out that if their exchanged failed to do proper digit analysis then there would be a fault on their exchange. Silence ensued. I got no further but have posted a written question to BT. This must be bordering on an anti-competitive practise or an unfair contract term.

Anyone else with relevant experience?

Mark

pen1

My calls are with Sky and line rental with BT.

Price increased by £1.95 per month (£12.65-£14.60) on 3/12/11, following price increase and withdrawal of paper-free billing discount.

I considered BT Line Rental Saver and discovered it couldn't be ordered without taking calls back to BT. The terms now state "Available to BT Calling Plan customers ..."

I was determined to reduce the cost of line rental, so consolidated telephone & broadband services with Sky, by ordering their upfront line rental at £119.40 (£9.95 per month), and £12.25 per month (current price) from year 2.

Ady87

Calls with BT is not mandatory for LRS.

Having LRS and making 0 calls incurs the £1.50/month charge, effectively making line rental £11.50 a month. You can have Evening and Weekend calls at no extra cost in your LRS so you need to actually think, what benefits do you get by having calls with another company, what costs do you pay for the calls, does it actually benefit you in the way most companies will have you think?

syko29793

markja wrote: »

I am just coming to the end of 12 months of a BT Line Rental Saver period. My CPS provider is not BT ( but Primus). The terms on the website say that I now have to return my calls to BT if I want LRS. I called them and they confirmed that I had to make BT my CPS provider in order to renew LRS. I said this was not the case in the past year. Then they talked about minimum qualifying calls via BT. I told them I understood and accepted this condition. Then they changed tack and said the excahnge may not recognise calls routed via BT. The person had no idea about the tripe they were sprouting. I pointed out that if their exchanged failed to do proper digit analysis then there would be a fault on their exchange. Silence ensued. I got no further but have posted a written question to BT. This must be bordering on an anti-competitive practise or an unfair contract term.

Anyone else with relevant experience?

Mark

You can renew the BT line rental saver deal and keep your CPS provider. As long as you use the 1280 prefix to make the minimum 2 calls a month with BT to prevent the £1.50 charge for not making the minimum calls with BT. These can be part of the free calls within your BT calling plan. Sounds like the adviser seems to think you do not have CPS but another service that is similar called "wholesale calls" this is usually a skytalk/aol/talk talk calls package that will not allow the 1280 prefix as the calls are already on the BT network resold as wholesale. Primus as you say you are with still use cps so you should be ok to renew the line rental saver with BT and use 1280 to overide to make the 2 calls a month.

markja_2

The following day I had a phone call from BT to say I could indeed renew without making them my CPS provider. I could not get a straight explanation as to why it said this on the renewal form on the website and reiterated by the agent I spoke to....
Anyway I renewed on these terms and will check to make sure my CPS provider has not been changed in say a month.

As to those who pointed out the £1.50 charge if no BT calls are made. I have my routing programmed to make a few qualifying calls so as to not incur the charge.

We shall see....

Searcher2

I phoned BT after advice from Heinz and paid the £120 for 12 months retaining my Primus Option 2 CPS with no trouble at all (providing BT do what they say they will). I rang their cancellation line and said I was not happy with the £14.60 price rise and was thinking about going to O2.

They warned me if I don't make 2 calls a month via BT I will be charged £1.50 a month. They even offered to throw in evening and weekend calls instead of just weekend calls but I opted to keep my Primus CPS option which is free anyway.