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

Mergic

Tharweb and Sargent Cookie, did you get given your MAC verbally from the BT rep when you requested it? I did and asked for it to be emailed to me as well, but I'm still waiting. I've messaged them as well but not had a response and I've considered calling them again to request it in writing (just in case), but I've not bothered. I've given it to Plusnet with a move date of 8th Nov (I've arranged a later date so I get as much of my Line Rental Saver as possible) and I just hope it all goes smoothly.

steven_cardwell

On My Sky, i now have a date on 11th November showing for phone with broadband saying "Your order is currently being processed"

It would seem that BT didn't learn anything from all the complaints that were around when BT Sport was launching, with these New Year price rises, customer services still don't have a clue, the T&C's are vague, the email i got didn't really tell me anything about options......etc etc

Even after sending an email to CEO Office to get proper information, it took 3 days to get a call back, that then was supposed to be followed with a confirmation email, turned out that spelt my name wrong in the email so i hadn't received it and if it wasn't for myself phoning 150 a couple of hours later to see if there was any notes on my account as i was promised, then i wouldn't have got the conversation that the email was on my account and so was the MAC, of course the biggest bit of luck was that i got a UK operator so my slightly unusual question about notes & leaving was understood.

After reading the CEO email, it was still very generic, no real mention of my package or anything in any real detail, it basically said "You are given the choice to move your service if you are not happy with the price increase as a valued customer within 10 days of the notification. We regret to see you leave because of the price change, and all cancellation charge which should be applied to your account will be waived."

So i sent one back asking the simple question "want to confirm that my calls, broadband & tv package can be cancelled without any penalties or termination fees"

Got a reply back confirming this, i then asked "what about the vision+ box" as i wasn't out of contract, i didn't want to see a £200 fee, with this maybe being "outside" the termination fees etc being waived, maybe sounds paranoid but BT seem quite good at changing terms of the game and i want to make sure i've got everything covered.

Now we get into things that have been left out of the original email, will have to send back Vision box and router in a jiffy bag they will post to me.

Surely instead of writing a lot of nonsense in the "you can leave" email, things such as wanting to box back, no charge for box should have been written about, if i hadn't come back and asked in other emails, then i would be well and truly in the dark.

I posted in my original email, my email address, phone number, account info and what my package was, surely after taking 3 days to get back to me, they could have had a better prepared answer, i had to mention at least 3 times on the phone my concerns that i have a Vision+ box as well as calls & broadband with free BT Sport also, i just don't get looking back from these emails how on the phone i couldn't get a simple, fees waived, no charge for box, but want it back.....

I asked about BT Sport, does it get cancelled automatically when i leave, or it is a con where they charge full price because you haven't cancelled it directly, but never got a reply.

It is a complete minefield, what with catches if you cancel TV before 12 months, to the "over priced" £200 that BT claim the vision box is worth, to these various new 12 month contracts to get something free, the free BT Sport is it part of your package or a separate item, changing or downgrading packages seems to trap you into a new contract, is it any wonder a customer is confused!

BT Sport hasn't lived up to the launch hype and certainly isn't worth paying the "full" prices of £12.50 & £15 a month.

Charging for caller display is just getting greedy and is something i expect from a small firm that can't afford to absorb the costs without having to charge, we have been ex directory for a year, on TPS for years and we still get loads of cold callers, our landline handsets are set up to only ring with names in the handset address book, every other call they hear a ring tone but our phone stays silent and the caller then gets the handset's answering machine, so caller display is important to us, it feels that BT know users are needing caller display to keep these cold callers at bay, so they have decided to exploit users.

I think these price rises have been the "push over the cliff", i had a few issues with BT when i signed up for broadband & tv, once you get past them, before you get the chance to take a breath, you then notice them moving the direct debit date forward by a week without any proper notification, it just feels like it has been one thing after another.

Had to laugh when i phoned 150 on Friday and got the automatic "your call may take longer to answer as we are really busy", makes me wonder how many other unhappy users are trying to leave!

sergeant_cookie

Mergic wrote: »

Tharweb and Sargent Cookie, did you get given your MAC verbally from the BT rep when you requested it? I did and asked for it to be emailed to me as well, but I'm still waiting. I've messaged them as well but not had a response and I've considered calling them again to request it in writing (just in case), but I've not bothered. I've given it to Plusnet with a move date of 8th Nov (I've arranged a later date so I get as much of my Line Rental Saver as possible) and I just hope it all goes smoothly.

I called bt this morning and they said sky had already requested it. Bt then called me an hour later with a mac code and he seemed surprised when i said it was already sorted from my previous call. Anyway he said:A he would text me the code in case of any problems. Within 10 minutes I had received the code via text.

Mergic

I just decided to try to get the MAC in writing through the chat system. He couldn't help but phoned me and put me through to the Options Team. They said they still couldn't email it to me, but that they have had contact from Plusnet and it looks like the transfer it all setup to go ahead :T. I just hope they don't try to charge any fees/penalties; I didn't bother going into this (again) today.

Tharweb

I was given the MAC verbally and have given this to Plusnet. Having it emailed or text wasn't given as an option. My line rental saver is paid to the 27 November but I just want out.

I am like you Mergic, I just hope they don't charge penalties, none were mentioned when I spoke to customer options but there's always a niggling doubt isn't there.

steven_cardwell

Tharweb wrote: »

I was given the MAC verbally and have given this to Plusnet. Having it emailed or text wasn't given as an option. My line rental saver is paid to the 27 November but I just want out.

I am like you Mergic, I just hope they don't charge penalties, none were mentioned when I spoke to customer options but there's always a niggling doubt isn't there.

Even though i ended up going thru' the CEO Office about leaving, the quality of the confirmation of what was said on the phone email i got left a lot to be desired, that was when i actually got it, as they originally got my surname wrong, so i never got the email, after waiting all Friday afternoon, around 6pm i a called to 150 to find out of there was any "notes" on my account about leaving and that was when i found out the email was part of the notes and they forwarded it on to me and also gave me my MAC, that the CEO Office also requested that was to come in an email, so if i hadn't phoned, 5 days later i would still have been waiting for the MAC as that had also gone to an incorrect email address!

When they get something like that wrong, the email address was in every mail i sent them and it is in my BT account info as well, it doesn't fill you with much confidence in them getting all the various "credits" that counter act the no doubt automatic early termination charges onto the final bill, to only leave a bill with actual usage up to the move date on it.

I have everything crossed that BT get this final bill correct!

hondamad21

Hi,
I received my notification from BT about the price hike on Saturday.
Can someone please give me the address for the CEO Office?

Thanks in advance,

steven_cardwell

hondamad21 wrote: »

Hi,
I received my notification from BT about the price hike on Saturday.
Can someone please give me the address for the CEO Office?

Thanks in advance,

CEO email address is in your PM's

ronnyallan

MARTIN MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN WHAT BT CLAIM IS THE PROCESS FOR CANCELLING WHILST STILL IN CONTRACT.

Following the announcement of BT prices rises I decided I have had enough and started to look at moving to another provider. Although I am in contract until July next year, BT did say that customers could give notice within 10 days of the price rise announcement and not be held to the contract. I got a MAC code. However, after speaking to customer options for the 4th time, I now find out that the cancellation of the contract has to be done by BT meaning that if I go to another provider to carry out the transfer, that will not count as a BT cancellation and I will be expected to pay for the services for the remainder of my contract. Whilst I can still order a new service from another provider they will not be able to take over the line whilst I am still under contract with BT which means if I get BT to cancel, I then take the risk that I will have a gap in my services. I think this is totally disgusting and it appears to be a BT ploy to put people off moving. Does anybody have any knowledge about this that might help me proceed?

ronnyallan

p.s. can I also have the CEOs email in my PM please!