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

Heinz

Atidi wrote: »

OK here's the lowdown on the price changes for privacy/caller display.

BT Privacy at Home will continue to be a free service

but...

BT Privacy at Home with Caller Display will now cost £1.75 per month (which is cheaper than the £3.30 per month, rising to £3.50 per month for caller display as a calling feature)

Existing customers can still get BT Privacy at Home with Caller Display for free for 12 months, but this will tie you into a 12 month contract with BT.
You need to pre-register for this by 6th December.
Pre-registration available only to existing BT Privacy with Caller Display customers

All the details here (at bottom of page), direct from the horses mouth
http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=31936#pegasus_Phone_PC2

I'm not sure what happens after 12 months? Perhaps they will offer to renew for a further 12 months on agreeing to another 12 month contract? That's what they've done previously with the free evening & weekend call package.

Edit: Apologies to jrawle who posted a link earlier that takes you to the same place.

So exactly what do customers get with BT Privacy at home?

ISTR that it was:

(1). Free TPS registration (that was a con anyway because there's no charge for TPS) and

(2) Free Caller Display.

So being able to 'keep' BT Privacy at Home free of charge appears just to mean you can keep TPS. Wow, that's generous. TPS has nothing to do with BT anyway.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Spam reported.

jhp

BT now have a website up with full information and a 0800 Helpline.

See: http://bt.com/callprices

jhp

See http://bt.com/callprices


Helpline Number Is 0800 085 7357.

unclepotter

jhp wrote: »

BT now have a website up with full information and a 0800 Helpline.

See: http://bt.com/callprices

This change won't apply to Line Rental Saver customers and BT Basic customers will see a different change to line rental.

What does that mean then? Still struggling to find any info.Just been onto BT online chat who are virtually useless and hadn't a clue.

rockin_plumber

It is all one big con!

I pay my line rental up front in February, effectively a twelve month contract.

I just signed up for the NEW evenings and weekend plan, which is free of you sign up for a twelve month contract.

Now on the 6th January you need to sign up for 12 months to get BT privacy at home and caller display free.
On the upside they will remove the need to make two chargeable calls a month to get this free..... Woooooooooooo

Anyone heard the phrase, "you can't polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter"

Apparently the only way I can get these to run in line with my line rental is to hold off signing up for twelve months until I pay my line rental up front for twelve months.

But that would mean paying for these services until I renew my line rental.

jrawle

That page only tells part of the story. There are also increases across the board to broadband and BT Vision.

This page has more full details, but you have to enter your account and phone number to see your broadband price rise:

https://www.bt.com/pricechanges

For example, I'm on BT Infinity at £26 per month, and that will increase to £27.67 which is pretty much a 6.5% increase as reported in the press.

In any other circumstances I'd just let this go, but given that I'm already angry to find I'm subsidising unwanted sports TV channels, I may see if I can use this price increase to escape without penalty.

Does anyone know: if a customer does leave mid-contract like that, do they just cut you off, or can you have a MAC code and move to a different provider as normal?

unclepotter

Spoken to BT Basics team who have told me..

Line rental up from £4.95 to £5.10 a month

Caller display and 1571 will now be charged at £1.75 a month for each one.
If you want to cancel then give 30 days notice.Was told to phone up on 4th December if I want to cancel ours.

unclepotter

Just thought I would pass this info on to anyone who has BT Basics

Line rental is going up from £4.95 to £5.10 a month in January 2014

And for anyone who has caller display and 1571 these will now be charged at £1.75 a month for each one.
You have to opt out or you will be charged.I was told to phone up on the 4th December if I wanted to cancel ours.

teddysmum

jrawle wrote: »

Does anyone know: if a customer does leave mid-contract like that, do they just cut you off, or can you have a MAC code and move to a different provider as normal?

I've been advised that any move should be done via the new provider, in order to retain my current number, as BT will just close the account. However, to leave because you object to a price increase requires you to contact them direct, so it's a complicated situation.