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

steven_cardwell

sergeant_cookie wrote: »

Ive had to ring BT several times regarding charges despite it been on the notes that I owe nothing, I have received letters saying I do. Direct debit got cancelled the other week. Fed up of them.

I've had texts, emails and a letter all with a personalised amount quoted for cancelling whilst in contract, but when you phone up BT all you get is the letter is automated, not sure how that can be when it has the figure that has been worked out only for me, again how hard would it be to send out a "sorry leaving" letter with "no charges for leaving whilst in contract due to price increases" in it.

For a company as big as BT it is pretty pathetic and certainly doesn't make me think i could ever go back to them in the future.

Considering i went thru' the CEO office, i find it hard to believe that they can't automatically put "leave without penalties" stuff onto the account, so the final bill will be correct without the customer having to chase to get what is in the account notes actually placed onto the bill!

steven_cardwell

Quentin wrote: »

When leaving without penalty under the get out clause expect this one too:

I got a voicetext asking me to ring them to discuss termination fees.

I did respond to find it was another "dedicated" retention dept., unaware of the CEO's office arrangements, but happy to insist I would have to pay leaving fees, plus my new company wouldn't be able to have my phone number!

Just more lies/scare tactics. (My refund is already in the bank, and my new phone company confirmed my number is safe, and that others have reported experiencing this dirty trick tactic)

BT in general have been totally useless, i even had to phone and ask where my email confirmation from the CEO office was, to find out they had spelt my surname wrong, even though my email address is attached to my BT account and it was in every email i sent, the amount of different answers you get on the phone from BT CS is just incredible, then over on the BT forum it seems to be hard to find a proper answer without getting a "BT are great" from the power users.

I will wait to the 20th, see what the final bill has on it and if it is wrong, then the direct debit will be closed, BT told to sort the bill out and then they can send a cheque instead for a refund of the advance usage charges for the 11th-5th that they have already billed for.

The last person i spoke to said they were going to put notes for a LRS refund on my account as well (it runs out on the 5th Jan), so i'm hoping for a simple correct bill with a refund going straight into bank, instead of having to moan to get bill corrected, and then wait for a cheque to be sent out, as quite frankly with the latter i don't trust the "sort the bill out" and a direct debit being still open, as their track record so far tells me they will still try to take the £200+ "termination fees" that is mentioned in the various texts, letter, email.....

Mergic

steven cardwell, I wonder if your experience with BT Sport still being active is related to what I've experienced with Plusnet...

Plusnet have advised me that my broadband will (has) switched over to them on 7th November, but the phone line won't actually switch over until 21st November. Having enquired with Plusnet they have advised that my call plan and any call charges are still with BT until 21st Nov (my line rental saver is active until 7th December so no problem there). My BT package is paid as 'broadband and evening & weekend calls', so for the next couple of weeks I'm not sure if I'm still paying for broadband as well as calls package, if I will pay a pro-rata'd amount for the calls package without broadband, or if I no longer have broadband or a calls package with BT.

My online account is showing the couple of calls we've made as being free, but generally we've asked friends and family to call us back or used our mobiles. It's easier to avoid using the phone and see what we're charged than to try and enquire with BT customer services (and get an answer based on what the operative thinks might be the answer). Our BT bill normally is issued about the 10th but hasn't yet, so hopefully it's waiting for the transfer to complete before calculating the final bill. We'll then see if it processes as charges free or if I've got to start trying to get it amended.

steven_cardwell

Mergic wrote: »

steven cardwell, I wonder if your experience with BT Sport still being active is related to what I've experienced with Plusnet...

Plusnet have advised me that my broadband will (has) switched over to them on 7th November, but the phone line won't actually switch over until 21st November. Having enquired with Plusnet they have advised that my call plan and any call charges are still with BT until 21st Nov (my line rental saver is active until 7th December so no problem there). My BT package is paid as 'broadband and evening & weekend calls', so for the next couple of weeks I'm not sure if I'm still paying for broadband as well as calls package, if I will pay a pro-rata'd amount for the calls package without broadband, or if I no longer have broadband or a calls package with BT.

My online account is showing the couple of calls we've made as being free, but generally we've asked friends and family to call us back or used our mobiles. It's easier to avoid using the phone and see what we're charged than to try and enquire with BT customer services (and get an answer based on what the operative thinks might be the answer). Our BT bill normally is issued about the 10th but hasn't yet, so hopefully it's waiting for the transfer to complete before calculating the final bill. We'll then see if it processes as charges free or if I've got to start trying to get it amended.

My calls and broadband both moved on the 11th, i did send an email to who was dealing with my leaving at CEO Office asking about BT Sport but they never got back, i also told BT on the phone at the end of October when i got a leaving text, to make sure everything was ok and to tell them myself of my change over to Sky date, that i wasn't paying for BT Sport and as i am "cancelling" my package i expect that to also include BT Sport.

Think it is nothing more than another f*** up by BT, as when i did speak to someone with half a brain at BT the day after Sky Talk & broadband went live, BT Sport was switched off.

Problem with BT is their Customer Services haven't got a clue, never seen an organisation that gives out completely different answers each time you call them!

I have just had a bill paid for 6thNov-5thDec, so i have well paid up for usage, i haven't made any chargeable calls from the 6th-11th, so if they mess up the final bill, i will shut the direct debit and once they get the bill sorted, they can then send me a cheque for the refund of 11thNov-5thDec that they have charged for in advance, as i don't trust BT to take off the termination charges and not try taking money out my account, hopefully they will prove me wrong and get the final bill correct, with it then being a simple refund paid straight into my bank account.

lucidamike

Thanks to advice on site, phoned for MAC on friday and after being offered chance to start another 12 month contract, finally got them to issue MAC (which isn't in the right format )

Looking around decided that Plusnet seemed to offer best value for fast unlimited fibre + phone and saw that Quicdco have a £100 cash back available for another 8 days http://www.quidco.com/plusnet/

So not only do I get cheaper prices than BT but hope to get £100 as well. They also have special £70 rate for non-fibre unlimted broadband + phone

steven_cardwell

Just checked my online BT account and in the charges section there is a £222 outstanding charge, phone one of the numbers in the text that i got a while about, that was to do with getting final bill charges info and they said it looks like charges for equipment.

I sent back the router and vision box on Saturday, the same day the jiffy bag arrived, even though i've asked 3 times for this bag as i wanted the stuff sent back basically on the 11th when i moved over to Sky.

Doesn't help when BT want to bring a final bill forward than leave it where the billing date has been, as that would leave plenty time for any BT stuff to be returned before the final bill is issued.

The CEO Office said that if there was any charges on the final bill all i had to do was call and they would be taken off as this was all in the account notes, yet today, after talking to a UK CS, i get put thru to billing that is in India, then comes the pulling teeth bit, basically as nothing is ever said in a sentence, it is hard trying to figure out what they are doing/up to, i got something about the £200 on the account, then i got a yes to nothing owed, then i'm really not sure what the answer to "refund" was, as my usage was paid up to the 5th Dec and i as left on the 11th Nov, i should be due a refund of that.

The thing is, this £222 is still on the BT account (under payment history), where as anytime the CEO office has sorted something, this section has changed straight away to show what they have just did.

Very frustrating, especially after coming off the phone and feeling that you are no further forward than before the call.

This final bill is according to the website due tomorrow, so it better be right, or the CEO Office will be getting another email!

steven_cardwell

Livid this morning, wake up to find final bill for BT of £222.69, even after the phone call yesterday.

Another email sent to CEO Office and direct debit closed, never seen such a bunch of useless !!!!!

Left such a bad taste in my mouth and i don't see myself ever using any BT services in the future down to the way they have acted.

sergeant_cookie

I had a final bill of £24.09, so I called them. The guy on the phone was adamant that it was correct, and I kept trlling him I had been told that I owed nothing but he wasnt giving in and claimed there was nothing on my notes to say otherwise. He kept saying it was correct until I told him to listen to previous phonecalls and his reply was 'oh right'. After been put on hold for a few minutes he came back and said 'I am just clearing that balance from your account now sir'. After several more minutes he came back and said I owed nothing and that I would be getting a refund in the form of a cheque. About 20 minutes later I had an email saying I was getting refunded over £57. BT are nothing short of a nightmare and I hope to never do busimess with them again. Every time I had communication with them I was told different things, I owed money, I didnt owe money and so on. At least now it's all sorted.

Mergic

sergeant_cookie wrote: »

...He kept saying it was correct until I told him to listen to previous phonecalls and his reply was 'oh right'...

Did you have a recording of the phone calls or was he able to go away and listen to them?

sergeant_cookie

He was able to go away and listen to them