Cancelling BT Essential TV/Youview - a no-brainer?

jimbow25

I signed up for BT TV in June 2013 to get a free Youview box, along with BT Infinity 2 and BT phone line. I got BT Essential at the time (not the BT Entertainment with 20 extra channels, I don't think this existed at the time).

Assuming my contract is up (I think the TV portion was 12 months vs. 18 months for broadband and phone) - my query is, what's the point in continuing to pay for this?

BT Essential's advertised features are:
1. Pause, record, rewind live TV, record to the box
2. Catch up with BBC iPlayer etc
3. The ability to suscribe for boxed sets etc.
4. BT Sport in HD on my TV instead of on the computer (I think)

1 and 2 are in-built features of the Youview box, which I understood is mine after 12 months and I am certain doesn't need a subscription to function. 3 and 4 are not important to me. So if I cancel the £5 per month I should still be able to use the Youview box as I want to - does that sound right? Does anyone else use a "legacy" BT Youview box and does it function as you'd expect?

VisionMan

Hi jimbow25,

Amusingly, this is being discussed on the YouView forum right now.

Anyway, if you cancel the £5 you are correct, items 1 & 2 are inbuilt and will continue to work and the box is yours after 12mths. What you will lose is -

- BT TV on demand

- The box will fall out of warranty

- All catch up TV usage will count towards your BB allowance.

If you continue with BT TV -

- If you ring to cancel they will/should offer you a discount for 12 mths, which will be either 2 or £3

- No catch up or on demand usage will count towards your BB allowance

- The warranty will remain on the box along with free helpline and engineer call out support.

Hope that helps.

jimbow25

Thanks for that, a great summary.
I've actually done the opposite and given the Entertainment bundle a whirl for £2 a month extra but I anticipate cancelling the TV subscription soon (I asked them to confirm for 110% sure that I was not committing to a new 12 months in the course of doing this).

Don't suppose you know whether I keep BT Sport via the box after cancelling, if I'm still a BT Infinity subscriber, do you?

Also as you mentioned - is the box under warranty indefinitely, so long as I subscribe?

VisionMan

Yes thats right, the box is under warranty indefinitely, for as long as you subscribe.

If you cancel, BT Sport will cease on the YouView box (as you wouldn't have a TV account to access it) but the 'free' PC and mobile apps would remain.