Suddenly discovered BT are charging for Evening and Weekend calling plan

Zedicus

I pay 12 months in advance and do not make any chargeable calls so only check my BT bills every few month.

However, I noticed that the balance has started slowly diminishing and discovered that out of the blue and with no warning or explanation, they have started charging for the evening and weekend plan (which I only have because it is (was) free - it was offered some years back as an inducement to agree a 12 month contract).

On the first bill they made the charge the clawed back the 'discount' from part of the previous month.

Checking the BT site they do list the Evening and weekend plan at £2 a month but they are charging me £3.50.

Does anyone have a link to any information about how and when the charging for this changed?

macman

It will presumably have become chargeable when you reached the end of the discount period, probably after 6m or after the end of the 12m minimum term. It's not a 'universal' tariff change. If you look back at your earlier bills it should tell you.
The current charge is £2 for E&W calls: it may well be £3.50 on your now obsolete tariff.
You didn't check your bank statements either then?

Own_My_Own

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/46728/~/price-changes-from-4-january-2014-including-changes-to-bt-answer-1571-and-bt

From 1 February 2014 the Broadband Talk Evening and Weekend plan (not available for new sale) will cost £3.50 a month. We're writing to customers personally with their options in December and January.

Zedicus

macman wrote: »

You didn't check your bank statements either then?

What good would that have done?


"I pay 12 months in advance and do not make any chargeable calls.

However, I noticed that the balance has started slowly diminishing"

macman

If you pay LRS upfront then why do you have a credit balance on your account? Why give BT interest-free credit? If you switched to whole bill direct debit then you would not be owed anything by them, and you would have seen the £3.50 charge for the calls going out each month from your current account..
None of this removes your responsibility to check your bills though.

Zedicus

macman wrote: »

If you pay LRS upfront then why do you have a credit balance on your account? Why give BT interest-free credit?

There was a small balance when I paid the 12 moth rental and I allowed it to remain there to cover any calls I made.

My decision.

None of this removes your responsibility to check your bills though.

Whoever suggested it did?

macman

Because your original post implies that BT failed to tell you about the discounted period ending, and that on that basis you would possibly seek a a credit from them?
You haven't said when the original tariff was taken out, but 'some years back' suggests that you have been charged for E&W for quite some time, not just from 1/2/14. It's unlikely that the original discount period was more than 6m or 12m. Did you not receive the letter or email from BT in Dec/Jan linked to in Post 3?

Zedicus

macman wrote: »

Because your original post implies that BT failed to tell you about the discounted period ending, and that on that basis you would possibly seek a a credit from them?

It is a fact that BT did not explicitly tell me that the discount period was ending but the suggestion that I would be seeking a credit from them is something that you seem to have pulled out of your own head. There is nothing in the OP to suggest that.

You haven't said when the original tariff was taken out, but 'some years back' suggests that you have been charged for E&W for quite some time, not just from 1/2/14.

I've had the discount for many years, now. They offered it as an inducement to remain with them for 12 months and it rolled over, year after year without any action on my part.

It's unlikely that the original discount period was more than 6m or 12m.

Unlikely, perhaps, but as an actual fact, I have. I've had the discount since at least 2010. (As far back as I can go without digging out archived bills.)

Did you not receive the letter or email from BT in Dec/Jan linked to in Post 3?

Obviously not.

If I had I would not have started this thread as BT would have already provided the answer.

macman

So, it appears that they have ended the discount period at their discretion. Equally, you are now entitled to negotiate a new discounted period, probably in return for a new minimum term.
I don't see that they are contractually obliged to inform you of the end of the discount period, although I would have expected them to do so anyway. But, being BT...