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BT charging line rental twice

On coming to change our broadband provider we realised that we were also getting our evening and weekend calls through Orange. We then wondered why BT were charging £15 a month (line rental – fair enough) but also £44ish every quarter. We had assumed the £44 was for evening and weekend calls which we now realise we were getting through Orange.

On phoning BT they eventually realised that since moving house in 2010 we have had 2 accounts with them and both payments were in fact line rental; one for our old house and one for our new house. Great, we thought, BT have made an error and owe us two years worth of overpaid line rental. Unfortunately the manager we spoke to did not agree, arguing that when we moved house we didn’t cancel the account at our old address.

What I don’t understand is that if we’ve told them we’re moving to a new house why would we want to keep renting a line at our old house??? I understand some people might keep it if they were letting their old property but surely BT would ask this when we told them we were moving?

Has anybody else had a similar problem? At the moment I feel determined to get back the overpayments that I have been making due to BT’s error. Can anyone see a reason why I shouldn’t get this money back? Any advice about where to go from here would be appreciated…
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Comments

  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Did you move your service from one address to the other, or simply open a new account at the new address?
    If you took the number with you then the old account should have been terminated.
    What did you actually ask BT to do when you moved?
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • Buzby
    Buzby Posts: 8,275 Forumite
    They won't be overpayments if he two lines were operating concurrently. as macman says, it all hinges on what was agreed - you would have had to get a cessation order for the old line and a new one for the reprovision, usually transferring the number if in the same exchange area.

    That said, you also have an equal responsibility to manage your finances - and if you had been paying out all this time for two lines, this management was deficient. BT may be minded to offer something as a rebate if the line remained unused, but this would be goodwill only.

    Lastly, why the uncertainty over what he amounts were for? Did you not look at the bills to find out? If you didn't bother - and simply let BT take what they wanted by DD, the error remains yours and not theirs, even if you can prove you did formally terminate - as you still need to be responsible for the money you pay out.
  • Thanks for the replies. To answer Macman's question first we were moving to a different area code so we couldn't take our old number, we simply asked BT to move our line rental from our old address to our new address.

    In response to Buzby BT were sending both bills to our new address but since we were getting the bills quarterly we simply didn't spot that we had received 8 bills instead of 4. Since both me and my wife open bills we will have checked the amount is correct and then put it straight through the shredder. We don't mark off bills on a tally chart to make sure we are getting the right number - who does?

    I still feel BT made a mistake and I should be refunded. I asked the line rental to be transferred. Instead they set up a new account without closing the old one.
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So you didn't notice that 4 of the 8 bills were for your old number?
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • No, to be honest I very rarely make calls on the phone so the only part of the bill I'm interested in is the bottom line.

    Despite making few calls the bill is still 4 pages long. I don't read every one in detail. Yes I made the mistake of assuming BT would get my phone number correct. Does that mean they are unlikely to refund me because I didn't notice their mistake?
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    alikazam wrote: »
    Yes I made the mistake of assuming BT would get my phone number correct.
    But they did, didn't they? One bill for your old number at your old house and another for your new number at your new one.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • Heinz, I think you missed the point I was trying to make. On a four page bill there is some information you just don't read. On a phone bill you assume, since its been delivered to your house, that it is for your home phone.

    I think we're getting away from the original post. I asked if there was any reason why I shouldn't get my money back. I think people have made it clear that since I haven't scrutinised my bills its no longer BTs fault.
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    alikazam wrote: »
    Heinz, I think you missed the point I was trying to make. On a four page bill there is some information you just don't read.
    The FRONT page on a BT bill shows the phone number and account number.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • Heinz wrote: »
    The FRONT page on a BT bill shows the phone number and account number.

    Yes, next to your home address and BT's address. How often do you check to make sure these are correct?
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    alikazam wrote: »
    Yes, next to your home address and BT's address.
    No, in a separate blue box on the opposite side to your address (BT's address is not shown thereon).

    I don't understand either why both you and your GL should shred such bills as soon as they arrive.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
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