BT Light User Scheme

gt94sss2

ilikefreethings wrote: »

gt94sss2 do you work for telecommunications in some form?

No, but I did once (several years ago) - though its unlikely to be a company you would have heard about.. - for one thing it didn't sell anything to consumers - though i know more about telecoms than most people..

the light user scheme has little to no bearing on ones income threshold it's about being able to recieve a / any service one can at a cheaper price.

Which is one of the reasons its gradually being replaced by BT Basic

bills are expensive enough and it's quite nice to eat once in a while and have something left over to enjoy yourself.
t & c's are all well and good but if you can get around them then so much the better. surely you must relent to the fact that the common usage of mobile phones have had a large inpact on bt (in this instance) so they come up with rules in order to keep gaining multi-millions annually.

I have no problem with people legimately getting around T&C - I draw the line at deliberately lying to claim something though.

Mobile phones may have had a big impact on BT but that condition has been present since the 1980's when very few people had mobiles.

All the Light User Scheme is, is an regulator approved subsidy from 'normal' BT customers to those on the LUS (as its provided below cost) - BT doesnt really gain anything from the scheme.

Regards
Sunil

Welliesorter

Anyone signing up for this scheme needs to know that if you sign up for it, BT will put a bar on making calls via other networks. This means you won't be able to use indirect access operators (where you dial a prefix to use another network) or calling cards (at least if BT realises that the access number is for a calling card).

bristolleedsfan

i was on the light user scheme many years before internet access was common in homes, i then added ( at the time dial up internet) some time on BT did an excercise that blocked dial up internet from those who was on the light user scheme, had to contact BT to get the block removed and come off the light user scheme at the same time, reasoning given was that dial up internet was effectively making calls because it was dialling up a phone no albeit at the time a freephone no

ScarletBea

Ok, ok, got all your inputs so no LUS for me.
I only want the line for the internet and to receive calls from my parents anyway...

diamonds

BT allowed a Orange contract mobile @ my address in my name while I was on LUS ( activated via email from abroad ) - my sis was living at my flat having took her kids and herself away from a violent partner while I was abroad, I offered BT proof via police/social work she was " at risk " more so away from my flat than in it & that she needed a mobile that did not require top up's incase of emergency contact, they did not check police etc and said it was ok until my return to the UK where as both account holder I then would be ineligable due to T&C

I addressed my thanks & concerns to BT's Big Ben recently, that " at risk " customers on LLU/IC/BASIC were at an unfair advantage outside the home then & really that was not fair to the customers safety/wellbeing & put further proposals to him on the matter

gt94sss2

Timid_chap wrote: »

Don't really follow this cross-subsidy, cheating argument. Any telephone landline subscriber with broadband pays his/her ISP. The ISP pays BT a fee for shared access to the non-voice frequency of the local loop. The amount paid is determined by reference to return on capital. So surely the pricing of the voice frequency and the non-voice frequency should be kept entirely separate and light voice users should not be discriminated against. Or am I missing something (greed of the local loop owner for example)?

Most broadband ISPs effectively don't really pay anything towards the local loop - that only really applies to LLU ISPs. The rest rely on you paying line rental to BT (or another WLR provider) which covers the local loop.

Where your argument falls down, is that regardless of whether the local loop is used for both voice and broadband or just one of the two - the amount of capital in the local loop is the same - regardless of the frequencies used.

Regards
Sunil

twohapence

"Please remember that BT are not subsidising the Light User Scheme but that other BT customers are.. - i.e. our bills are slightly higher than they would be otherwise."

Hardly honest of BT to lock you into a contract where you are forced to pay for evening and weekend calls over their network whether you want to or not. I'm trying to find a way where I pay BT for the service I *have* to have from them and not the other services I can get elsewhere for less.

Two.

syko29793

This is the down side to having cheap internet and phone packages.
BT will no longer offer LUS as it costs money they are a business and need to make money to remain profitable.
If you have LUS and cancel BT wont care less as you made them no profit anyway they will be glad to get rid of a no profit customer.

Jemma-T

Oops, wrong thread Meant to post this http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1457703

*informer*

ilikefreethings wrote: »

bt's site is very difficult to navigate and i've complained to them about this (and it was a waste of time).
what you must remember is that if 'you' want the light user scheme is to tell them that you have NO MOBILE PHONE and no access to one. believe it or not i had a huge dispute with bt over this point as they said it was relevant and that if i had one or access to one then it did not meet there criterea for the light user scheme.
also remembered that i told them the public telephones are stinking disgrace, a 15 min walk away in any direction and often do not work.

Hi,
BT.com is one of the biggest Communications websites in the UK. All information about BT's products and service, along with prices is at your fingure tips. The self serve facilities that are available are vast. So looking at the website at a whole, it is very good and holds alot of info compared to other Sp's websites (you only have to see other complaints on here about that), so its hard to please everyone. I do know that improvements are ongoing with their website.

Light User is designed for those that need the security of a line but do not plan to use it enough to warrent having a calling plan. The lower the usage, the higher the rebate. But of course if you have a mobile or alt phone to use, the usage will naturally be low, therefore if you have access to another phone you are excluded.

Public payphones are normally very well kept. In some areas, the phones are damaged by the locals and people even !!!! and "other" in them, which is out of BT's control really. Something that should be taken up with local MP and Police to try and stop the anti-social behaviour or move away from the area.