Parents' angry with BT - re moving house

Middy

My parents will be moving on Wednesday and into a new phone exchange area - so unable to transfer their number with them. Earlier this year, they took out a prepaid year's of line rental.

Because the current owners are with Sky, moving within the exchange area and therefore keeping their existing number - he is a plumber and has phone number on van, local trade mags etc. My parents have to pay £135 connection fee and lose their remaining money to the end of the 12 month line rental. Plus as he is with Sky, he has to go to BT for 12 months and may lose his vital phone number. For a sole trader, his phone number is just as important as his tools.

All my parents want is for 1. Get a new phone number 2. Continue with the remaining 12 months LR 3. Keep charges at a low.

My parents are having to lose £160-180! My parents need a phoneline asap as they have sick relatives living abroad. I know my dad has a mobile, but unwilling to pay the received call charges from Canada.

Is there anything my parents can do?

mattyprice4004

Middy wrote: »

0! My parents need a phoneline asap as they have sick relatives living abroad. I know my dad has a mobile, but unwilling to pay the received call charges from Canada.

I know it's not really relevant, but I'd be putting sick relatives above a few extra quids worth of phone charges... :eek:

Check the T&Cs.

System

Can't they just get a new line put in - ignoring the line that is on Sky?

iniltous

There are 2 issues here, first one is that if your parents paid line rental saver, 12 months in advance, then unfair as it may be, BT say that it's not refundable,if the end user changes the terms of the contract, and moving home does this,so unless the move was unplanned it probably wasn't wise taking the deal knowing they wouldnt be in that address for 12 months, so they probably will lose this money,it's in the LRS t&c's
The new address is different, just because the current occupant is taking their current number with them to wherever they are moving to is irrelevant to your parents getting a line, any problem the current occupant may have in getting Sky to move the number to his new address is his and Sky's problem not yours or your parents.
If the address your parents are moving to is Sky LLU, then BT may well regard this as a new provide and charge the full install fee, but even with BT this can be less than £130,in fact it was £40 if signed up on line, or free if line and broadband taken together with BT, or don't use BT but a provider that charges less to install a line, or use Sky as the address should be on their systems and they should be able to arrange taking over the line regardless of the fact the number on it at the moment is being 'retained' and taken with the current occupant to their new address

Buzby

WHAT 'received call charges' (to his mobile?). His incoming calls will not be surcharged.