BT line for new build property

topherxp

Let's sort the question of minimum term out.

From May there will be a 12 month minimum term on any line being started, whether or not it has had service in the past and excluding any package or offer with a longer term. If the line is cancelled within that 12 months, the customer will be held to term on their line rental upto the maximum of £70. So if you cancel with 3 months of the 12 months to go you have to pay 3 months line rental and if you cancel say after the first month you have pay £70.

As for the £124.99, the reason the price has gone up by 40% in the course of the last year is because of the competition and the fact that you can you other providers very easily. Before you could only rent the line from BT, so BT charged less because they could recoup that loss from the line rental. The other factor, albeit not a major reason, is the increase in the price of copper. With just flicking the switch moan that has been mentioned, if BT didn't preinstall the lines on new builds the cost of installing the new line would rocket even further, the best way of thinking about it is if you bought an item in bulk you would expect it to cost cheaper per item than if you just bought one of them.

In terms of Vodafones cost, as mentioned you need to have a contract mobile with vodafone as well as paying them rental for the landline and there will be some sort of minimum term for both of those services. So may or may not be cheaper in the long run.

Heinz

It's only a personal opinion but I think the reason is TT's refusal to take on customers unless they have an active BT line. They've apparently even been paying the £18 fee BT charges (which ceases on 1/5/07) to get out of their 12 month initial contract.

In other words, they've been feeding off BT's expenditure so they don't have to pay Openreach to do the work.

louisehj

topherxp wrote: »

Let's sort the question of minimum term out.

From May there will be a 12 month minimum term on any line being started, whether or not it has had service in the past and excluding any package or offer with a longer term. If the line is cancelled within that 12 months, the customer will be held to term on their line rental upto the maximum of £70. So if you cancel with 3 months of the 12 months to go you have to pay 3 months line rental and if you cancel say after the first month you have pay £70.

Can someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that if you move home under contract and keep bt service then you don't get held to term but have a new contract on your new phone line? Thanks.

Drunkstar

seancollier wrote: »

BT take a cut (approximately £40).

lol, nope. BT Retail are charged over £200 by Openreach for the installation of a line.

Yes I work for BT.

gt94sss2

pinkshoes wrote: »

as credit or cash? and if cash, then how come they won't do this with the £50 after 12 months?

I can't have any other cable or phone lines physically installed as it's a leasehold building, and they wouldn't like it...

If you close a BT account at any time, they will send you a cheque if there is a credit balance on it.

If they credit the £50 deposit to your BT account after 12 months, this will be part of the refund etc.. I suspect you have been misinformed by whoever you spoke to at BT..

Regards
Sunil

fossman

Bagpuss1973 wrote: »

They told us to be in because an engineer would be coming around so we thought the charge ok but on the day (having taken time off work), the engineer in question merely 'phoned to check the line having switched it on...yes I agree it is extotionate!

We were told our line would be switched on last Monday (16 April) between 1pm and 6pm, I took the afternoon off work and waited. 6pm came and my phone still wasn't working. I rang BT and was told the line had been activated but there must be a problem with the line. Engineer came out Tuesday morning and fixed it. For £125 I at least expected someone to make sure the line was working.

pinkshoes

gt94sss2 wrote: »

I suspect you have been misinformed by whoever you spoke to at BT..

Regards
Sunil

Actually, every person we speak to at BT seemed to tell us something different. Those at the indian call centre that didn't seem to understand would then just shunt you to another person, who started the call with "what number are you calling from?". VERY frustrating when you've just been talking to someone else for 5 mins explaining that you don't have a landline but want some information about the costs!

Didn't basic line rental used to be £10/quarter, then you pay for other services on top of that?

BexTech

pinkshoes wrote: »

Actually, every person we speak to at BT seemed to tell us something different. Those at the indian call centre that didn't seem to understand would then just shunt you to another person, who started the call with "what number are you calling from?". VERY frustrating when you've just been talking to someone else for 5 mins explaining that you don't have a landline but want some information about the costs!

Didn't basic line rental used to be £10/quarter, then you pay for other services on top of that?

Several years ago it used to be around £9.28 per month if paying by DD, when cable phone was £6 per month (with 50 discount for DD), that was standard line rental and you just paid for calls and options, cable being half the cost for calls than BT, then about 6 years ago, cable started putting their prices up quickly so within about 1 years they became dearer than BT.