MSE News: Sky takes over O2 and Be broadband: What does this mean for customers?

espresso

gwapenut wrote: »

I've had no letter, but what I'm weighing up is whether I should take out the BT line rental saver, which fell due for renewal last week. I am on O2 legacy BB free of charge until March 2014.

My thoughts were that (a) It would be nice to align BB and phone, (b) Sky may force an early change of plan which could mean me throwing away some of my line rental saver period (hadn't even seen this thread when I decided that could be a problem) and (c) Sky could offer me a juicy carror when migration time came, if they thought I'd be up for moving phone over to them.

I am still thinking it is best to keep paying full rental, for the sake of £20 or so over the next 6 months, to keep maximum flexibility, and then either take it out or switch to sky once sky themselves came back with a "contract" rather than a retention agreement which others on this thread have indicated they may not even honour, depending on which CSA you speak to.

Anyone have any wise words of wisdom?

gwapenut wrote: »

Sometimes line rental is just a means to a broadbandy end. Calls can be made from mobile at no charge, not even the ridiculous 15[p connection fee BT now charge.

I used to go for Virgin Media broadband-only without phone line, when it was £10, but at >> £20 now it';s simply not worth it compared with phone + BB on non-cable.

You contradict yourself.

If your line rental is with Sky you lose your flexibility and my have to return to BT on a minimum term contract.

gwapenut

espresso wrote: »

You contradict yourself.

If your line rental is with Sky you lose your flexibility and my have to return to BT on a minimum term contract.

No I don't, flexibility is contextual and based on known Sky broadband changes that are coming.

I have happily had O2 BB and BT line rental staggered half a year apart for several years while O2 BB was "stable". In the next 6 months, great changes are likely, with the possibility that in 6-18 months I will be "penalised" for not taking Sky phone with my Sky BB.

Therefore, the time has come to realign the two. The incentive to lose the yearly alignment - blagging 6 months free BB when O2 put their prices up a few years ago - is long gone.

Geordie_Ahmed

anactuary wrote: »

I'm in a very similar position with free BB until March, although my LRS only runs out in December.

I'm sitting tight, basically hoping Sky don't try and migrate me until next year (and will phone to delay it if it ends up being sooner).

Even if you could get LR+BB for £10pm by moving across early, you'd basically be paying that for LR only given you have free BB, and £10pm for LR only isn't an amazing deal.

Like you, I want the flexibility to stay or go, depending on the offers at the time, and signing up for 12m with BT doesn't give me that.

But as things stand he will be paying £15.45 to BT for LR and get BB for free from O2 yet if he moves early to Sky he can get both for a £10 so it is a good deal

Geordie_Ahmed

espresso wrote: »

Why would anyone want to take Sky line rental and then have to pay their ridiculous call charges?

1) The LR might only be for the BB, there are plenty of people that don't care for the LR and only get it for the BB

2) If they do make phone calls they can always add a call package

3) Sky's call charges are not massively different to the other providers

gwapenut

espresso wrote: »

If your line rental is with Sky you lose your flexibility and my have to return to BT on a minimum term contract.

I think I misunderstood the basic crux of your comment - This particular sentence is a very good point , any saving has to be significant for the future loss of flexibility.

Sure, people like postoffice *may* switch you back for free*. But this is all in the fututre and unknown, and it may even be that at the time you want to switch back, BT are only willing to do so for the full reconnection fee of > £100, regardless of any minimum term they impose.

So, once you've switched line rental as well, they well and truly have you.

* - I guess this is unlikely now that Postoffice have signed a pact with talktalk.

Speaking of postoffice, are they rubbish? I'd heard good reports of customer service, but I contacted them more than a week ago with a new customer enquiry and they still haven't bothered to get back to me.

Hmmmm .... maybe I should be talking line rental saver right now, after all.

macman

gwapenut wrote: »

I think I misunderstood the basic crux of your comment - This particular sentence is a very good point , any saving has to be significant for the future loss of flexibility.

Sure, people like postoffice *may* switch you back for free*. But this is all in the fututre and unknown, and it may even be that at the time you want to switch back, BT are only willing to do so for the full reconnection fee of > £100, regardless of any minimum term they impose.

So, once you've switched line rental as well, they well and truly have you.

* - I guess this is unlikely now that Postoffice have signed a pact with talktalk.

Speaking of postoffice, are they rubbish? I'd heard good reports of customer service, but I contacted them more than a week ago with a new customer enquiry and they still haven't bothered to get back to me.

Hmmmm .... maybe I should be talking line rental saver right now, after all.

A return to donor with BT is free of charge, you simply have to take a 12m minimum term line rental contract.

gwapenut

macman wrote: »

A return to donor with BT is free of charge, you simply have to take a 12m minimum term line rental contract.

Currently yes - but is that guaranteed in the future? I guess it makes commercial sense, otherwise they'd never get customers back

macman

Of course it's not guaranteed indefinitely. Nothing is. How is that relevant?

espresso

Geordie_Ahmed wrote: »

1) The LR might only be for the BB, there are plenty of people that don't care for the LR and only get it for the BB

2) If they do make phone calls they can always add a call package

3) Sky's call charges are not massively different to the other providers

Adding a call package is exactly what they want you to do after they have hooked you onto their line rental!

Their call charges are massively expensive when compared to alternative call providers that Sky prevent you from using e.g. 18185 here

I will never take Sky line rental because I want the total flexibility of paying cheap rates for the calls that I actually make. I don't want to add a call package and want to be able to change ISP easily if required.

gwapenut wrote: »

I think I misunderstood the basic crux of your comment - This particular sentence is a very good point , any saving has to be significant for the future loss of flexibility.

Sure, people like postoffice *may* switch you back for free*. But this is all in the fututre and unknown, and it may even be that at the time you want to switch back, BT are only willing to do so for the full reconnection fee of > £100, regardless of any minimum term they impose.

So, once you've switched line rental as well, they well and truly have you.

* - I guess this is unlikely now that Postoffice have signed a pact with talktalk.

Speaking of postoffice, are they rubbish? I'd heard good reports of customer service, but I contacted them more than a week ago with a new customer enquiry and they still haven't bothered to get back to me.

Hmmmm .... maybe I should be talking line rental saver right now, after all.

Yes I will be renewing my BT line rental saver soon and if Sky become uncompetitive I will be able to easily switch to another ISP that gives me what I want, not what Sky think that I should have!

gwapenut

macman wrote: »

Of course it's not guaranteed indefinitely. Nothing is. How is that relevant?

Well how is your comment that, if I were to switch line rental to Sky today, that I could also switch back to BT free of charge today relevant then? I wouldn't need to switch back today, I'd need to switch back in the future.

Makes your original comment redundant, don't you think?

The only way it would be guaranteed would be if it were an Oftel control.