Wishing to downgrade broadband-help req'd.

nickcc

Be wary of BT, my contract for infinity broadband finished mid October according to BT's bill but they added £49 onto my final bill for terminating my contract early even though my new Sky contract started end of October.
Still waiting for credit even though foreign call centre assured me that I would receive a credit.

DJC1690

nickcc wrote: »

Be wary of BT, my contract for infinity broadband finished mid October according to BT's bill but they added £49 onto my final bill for terminating my contract early even though my new Sky contract started end of October.
Still waiting for credit even though foreign call centre assured me that I would receive a credit.

Mid-contract price hikes should free broadband customers, says Ofcom

Media regulator Ofcom rules on mid-contract broadband price rises.Consumers and small businesses will be able to exit their landline, broadband or mobile contract without penalty if the price is increased mid-contract, Ofcom has announced.In a new guidance document, the communications regulator said broadband providers must offer cancellation rights if they choose to raise prices during a customer's contracted period.Ofcom noted that any increase to the recurring monthly subscription charge in a fixed-term contract is 'materially detrimental' to consumers.And therefore providers must give consumers at least 30 days' notice of any price rise, and allow them the freedom to switch to a different provider if they so choose.The regulator added that any changes to contract terms, pricing or otherwise, must be communicated "clearly and transparently" to consumers.Ofcom has issued the guidance following a consultation on how to give consumers a fairer deal in relation to price increases during fixed-term contracts.The new guidance - which applies to!landline, broadband, and mobile contracts, and also bundled deals - comes into force in three months' time. It will apply to any new contracts taken out after this date.Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s Consumer Group Director, said the regulator has determined that consumers entering into fixed-term telecoms contracts "must get a fairer deal"."We think the sector rules were operating unfairly in the provider’s favour, with consumers having little choice but to accept price increases or pay to exit their contract," he stated.“We’re making it clear that any increase to the monthly subscription price should trigger a consumer’s right to leave their contract - without penalty.”Ofcom explained that the latest guidance does not apply to non-subscription prices - for instance, those relating to pay-as-you-go mobile broadband.Any increases to these prices will remain subject to Ofcom’s General Conditions and the!relevant consumer legislation."Ofcom will monitor complaints about any increases to non-subscription charges and may review its position if new evidence of consumer harm comes to light," the regulator stated.Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: "This announcement is great news. Signing up to a contract, only to get told mid-way through that prices are going up – and by the way there's nothing you can do about it – is a proverbial kick in the teeth. Therefore we welcome this move, which will allow broadband and mobile customers to walk away from hiked up bills.“Hopefully it will make providers think twice about increasing prices - they won’t want to lose customers two months into a 24 month contract. But even if this move doesn’t stop prices going up, at least consumers will be able to vote with their feet and say no to higher bills by moving to a new deal."Considering that most mobile contracts are two years long, two annual increases could tip bill payers over the edge and, until now, there's been no way out. Consumers have just had to suck it up, and pay more. To make matters worse, many are often unaware that bills could go up - a fixed term contract doesn’t mean fixed prices.“However, while this is undoubtedly a major win for telecoms customers the big worry is that networks and providers will start raising prices to compensate. There could also be repercussions for mobile customers who got a handset with their deal - will they have to return it, or buy it outright, or we will see the end of free devices?“Ultimately though, this is good news for consumers who are tired of having to put up with higher bills, without a way out. And with the changes set to come into effect in just three months, consumers will soon enjoy greater protection from rocketing telecoms bills. Ofcom has shown that it can act in the best interest of consumers, and we welcome the steps it has taken today.”Tags:!Customer service and satisfaction

nickcc

My problem was that even though my Infinty contract had finished mid October (discount on my bill ended then) BT still claimed that the new fibre hub had not been supplied until December last year, when I pointed out that it would have been impossible to use fibre broadband without the hub then they had either finished the agreed discount early or got the date for the supply of the fibre hub wrong.

macman

bundance wrote: »

Hi

Plusnet Sales did not say this to me. I wonder why.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Mebbe I should contact them and enquire.
I'm out of my BT contract, but I wonder, is there any hidden charges from them if I transfer my number over to PN?

As long as all your BT services are out of minimum term (not just Infinity), and you use a MAC to migrate, there should be no other charges from BT.
You may incur a cease charge of around £30 if you don't use a MAC.

bundance

macman wrote: »

As long as all your BT services are out of minimum term (not just Infinity), and you use a MAC to migrate, there should be no other charges from BT.
You may incur a cease charge of around £30 if you don't use a MAC.

Thank you.

iniltous

You are not trapped by BT, you are at liberty to move to whoever you want , but you seem to be asking Plusnet on what BT position would be if you left, which seems a bit odd to me..if you cannot get the deal you want off Plusnet, it's got nothing at all to do with BT.

bundance

iniltous wrote: »

You are not trapped by BT, you are at liberty to move to whoever you want , but you seem to be asking Plusnet on what BT position would be if you left, which seems a bit odd to me..if you cannot get the deal you want off Plusnet, it's got nothing at all to do with BT.

Hi, sorry things are not very clear for you.
Hope this explains the oddness.

I rang plusnet, because I had just attempted to get their £2.75 for 12mths deal, but after entering my details and checking availability, that deal was not on the list of plusnet deals offerred to me.

I phoned plusnet and explained I was interested in thier £2.75 for 12mths deal, and queried why it was not on the list of tariffs offered to me, by plusnet, after entering my details on their site to order the package.
The guy from plusnet sales said that the £2.75 deal is not available for me, because I am on BT infinity, and he said I would need to approach BT to downgrade from infinity, and he also said that BT would probably lock me into another contract.

I am trying to find a way out of this, so that I can be free to go wherever I want.

hth

visidigi

Have you ACTUALLY rung BT? Rather than relying on a third party voice, ring them and find out your options. They can't tie you into anything you don't agree to.