MSE News: BT reveals price rises - but you can escape the hikes

Quentin

Gers wrote: »

.....In full 'peeved' mode I rang BT just now and got the Line Saver for 12 months at £131.00 (saving approx £60.00) and Caller Display free too.....

Caller display is currently "free" via privacy with caller display.

You need to extend your contract by 12 months from january 4th 2014 to continue to get caller display free.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/edw/freecallerdisplay/?s_cid=con_FURL_freecallerdisplay

They have been giving evening calls "free" when you take the line saver, so maybe the £10 they knocked off was in lieu of that??

Gers

Quentin wrote: »

Caller display is currently "free" via privacy with caller display.

You need to extend your contract by 12 months from january 4th 2014 to continue to get caller display free.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/edw/freecallerdisplay/?s_cid=con_FURL_freecallerdisplay

They have been giving evening calls "free" when you take the line saver, so maybe the £10 they knocked off was in lieu of that??

I currently have free CD but my 12 month contract was up for renewal this week which is why I did it on Tuesday. The agent I spoke to just now said I'd continue to have free CD with my new contract - will watch for that one. Got BB too.

Thanks

Quentin

I think the agent mislead you.

Yes, caller display is currently "free". Everyone can get it "free" currently irrespective of whether or not they are in a minimum contract, or how they pay their bill.

They don't start charging for caller display till next year, and getting it free from then on isn't connected to paying in advance. (They want a new 12 month minimum contract as from January 4th and in return will give you free caller display for 12 months from then irrespective of how you pay your bill)

Gers

Quentin wrote: »

I think the agent mislead you.

Yes, caller display is currently "free". Everyone can get it "free" currently irrespective of whether or not they are in a minimum contract, or how they pay their bill.

They don't start charging for caller display till next year, and getting it free from then on isn't connected to paying in advance. (They want a new 12 month minimum contract as from January 4th and in return will give you free caller display for 12 months from then irrespective of how you pay your bill)

Thanks - I'll watch out for that!

Patr100

Quentin wrote: »

Yes, caller display is currently "free". Everyone can get it "free" currently irrespective of whether or not they are in a minimum contract, or how they pay their bill.

As you suggest "free" , or "sort of" free currently as long as you make two chargeable calls per month , if not you still pay for caller display til Jan when the new pricing kicks in.

Patr100

Uxb wrote: »

Perfectly logical - and is the end result of the theory of "perfect competition" in action.
Everyone's costs are much the same, everyone has optimised the offering to provide the best for the customer in an attempt to gain market share. There is now no more that can be gained - and the service has become in effect a commodity whose price in now uniform wherever you go.
So everyone's prices will be the same and when the costs change everyone will change their prices at around the same time.

Furthermore there are no genuine 'new' customers to be acquired just churn of customers poached from other suppliers who can only be enticed by short term cheap deals at the expense of exisiting subscribers.

Indeed. The main distinction is the perception, experience or reality of differing customer services , foreign call centres or not , ease or not of changing between providers (eg Sky to BT) , etc.

GentleGiant_2

So if I am on an annual contact for the line and pay yearly.

1) Can I cancel under these price rises and get a refund or will my cancel take effect from the end of the 12 month period? (my year and my contract length are not the same)

[STRIKE]2) does the 1571 fee also apply to those who have paid in advance?[/STRIKE] - think it does

3) If I can't cancel without loosing the balance of what I have paid for, I assume I am stuck with the higher charges once my year pre-payment ends until the end of my contract, which seems a bit unfair.

Anyone know?

DaisyCutters

I am on a unlimited evenings and weekends package with CD & 1571 which is due for renewel in a week, I dont need or use the evenings & weekends package and can do without CD and 1571. If I opt out of renewing and cancel the CD &1571 is it possible to just pay for line rental on a monthly basis rather than a yearly contract and obviously any calls if I make any....all i can see are inclusive packages which I dont want or need.

Gers

Patr100 wrote: »

As you suggest "free" , or "sort of" free currently as long as you make two chargeable calls per month , if not you still pay for caller display til Jan when the new pricing kicks in.

I don't make any chargeable calls - currently I have the 'anytime' plan because I often work at home. Come the move I won't be. Never make any chargeable calls.

teddysmum

Currently, the required two calls need not be chargeable, ie can be included in your calls package.