BT "Price Hike" Letters

Garry2

I received this letter and I'm sort of excited, I've read the thread but can't quite work out if this applies to me

9 months in to a 24 month contract for phone, tv and infinity

Since I've received this letter can I say that I'm not happy with it and potentially get out of the contract for all three?

Really haven't enjoyed being with BT

Olduserpasswordforgot

Garry2 wrote: »

I received this letter and I'm sort of excited, I've read the thread but can't quite work out if this applies to me

9 months in to a 24 month contract for phone, tv and infinity

Since I've received this letter can I say that I'm not happy with it and potentially get out of the contract for all three?

Really haven't enjoyed being with BT

If you have received it, i am sure you affected by the rise. if you are really unhappy then this is you opportunity to get out.

I gone and my new ISP activation is on the 15th, called bt yesterday to double check no sneaky charges and they confirmed that would not be the case and all i would be charged for was usage. which means at most a couple quid as i know my OH used the LL to make a emergency call. they did offer me everything but still could not match the BB+LL+(anytime calls) that my new ISP was offering. ( i am also getting 130 quid cash back from Topcashback) :T

so i would suggest if you can, and you want too get out.

dave_ged1

Just called BT for the second time to enquire about cancellation (only 6 months in to 18 month contract). Confirmed there would be no early termination fees payable (again only after I argued the case) but that they would charge £60 for the hub and a further £8 cancellation fee.

Apparently the £60 for the hub is payable by customers still within their original term. Has anyone else had the same experience? I explained I was more than happy to return the hub, but he explained I would be charged regardless and was adamant about this. When you add this to the 6 months of a 12 month advance line rental saver payment they are refusing to refund it is simply not viable for me to leave BT, which is frustrating as I've endured shocking customer service in my 6 months with them.

It seems as though BT have found enough loopholes in the Ofcom ruling to ensure they can still penalise customers looking to avoid their surprise price hikes.

CarlMalibu

dave_ged1 wrote: »

Just called BT for the second time to enquire about cancellation (only 6 months in to 18 month contract). Confirmed there would be no early termination fees payable (again only after I argued the case) but that they would charge £60 for the hub and a further £8 cancellation fee.

Apparently the £60 for the hub is payable by customers still within their original term. Has anyone else had the same experience? I explained I was more than happy to return the hub, but he explained I would be charged regardless and was adamant about this. When you add this to the 6 months of a 12 month advance line rental saver payment they are refusing to refund it is simply not viable for me to leave BT, which is frustrating as I've endured shocking customer service in my 6 months with them.

It seems as though BT have found enough loopholes in the Ofcom ruling to ensure they can still penalise customers looking to avoid their surprise price hikes.

Final decision from BT in my case: No refund of line rental.

Their executive complaints department has decided that they don't want to set a precedent, sought advice from their legal team (allegedly), and concluded that rather than refund the ~ £70 or so of outstanding line rental that I have and allow us to leave on amicable terms, to continue to refuse to do so.

I am more than a tad annoyed, considering the apparently inconsistent approach taken after looking through this thread.

I advised that I would be seeking an ombudsman ruling to the contrary, as they are evidently running contingent contracts.

I will keep people updated.

tightrs

i phoned bt to renegotiate my contract in the light of this letter which they refused to do the guy then told me i would be liable to early termination fees,i then spoke to his superviser to clarify that his imformation is wrong and asked for my mac code .
i have accepted that i may or may not lose my 4 months line rental saver but the savings i can make with topcashback and plusnet far outway these potential losses and i hate being lied to

CarlMalibu

Here is the transcript of the formal complaint response from BT:

[FONT=&quot]

Dear Mr CarlMalibu

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for taking the time to speak to me to give me your side of the story and I’ve added notes onto your account so that I can send you our final position. I have fully reviewed your complaint and I am sorry that we are not able to reach an amicable resolution.

As you have now completed our complaints process you can consult the Ombudsman for alternative dispute resolution and this is the letter you will need to show them as this is our final position. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Firstly, I would like to take the opportunity to explain the function of the Complaint Review Service so that you may understand our role and jurisdiction.

The Complaint Review Service refers to an in-house, independent body whose function is to ensure that any unresolved customer complaint receives independent and considered attention, outside the operational unit concerned. This is done in a fair and impartial manner. The Complaint Review Service also ensures that BT has complied with the terms of its contract with our customer, and regulatory obligations under which we operate. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What Happened [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]You contacted us on the 3 October regarding the price increases due as of 1December. I understand you’re unhappy that prices are increasing and had asked for a rebate on the advance line rental you paid. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]When setting up Line rental saver it’s confirmed at the point of sale that you have 7 days to change your mind and you would receive a full refund in this case but after this 7 day period the line rental saver fee is a non-refundable charge.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]When this was explained, you said that as your services are packaged and an increase has occurred, you are able to cease services with no penalty changes. This is correct for services affected by the increases due 1 December but as you have paid for your line rental in advance you are not impacted for the cost of line rental. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I appreciate that you have other services with us that are affected by the increase and you have the option to cancel these if that’s what you decide to do. You mentioned [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]that you are unable to have broadband service elsewhere without taking line rental with another provider. I can confirm that other service providers can offer broadband only packages whilst you maintain your line rental with BT. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What We Can’t Agree On and Why [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We have fully investigated your complaint for you and I have independently reviewed your issue and below are my findings: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I am really sorry that we are unable to meet your request to process a partial refund in this case as the terms of line rental saver are explained at the point of sale and to refund the amounts would be setting a precedent. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have included the line rental terms below for your reference – [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Line rental – You can pay for your line rental either by direct debit for £15.99 a month (rising to £16.99 on 01/12/14) or £47.97 a quarter (Standard Line Rental) or by paying £159.84 (rising to £169.90 on 01/12/14) by credit/debit card for 12 monthly payments in advance (Line Rental Saver) which is equivalent to £13.32 a month. You'll need to pay any additional call charges by Direct Debit. You'll receive e-billing. Existing customers will need to buy Line Rental Saver through MyBT. Connection charges may apply for new connections and there's a 12 month minimum term. You can change your mind about paying early and cancel Line Rental Saver within seven working days of your order and you will get a full refund but you won't get a refund if you cancel after that.

Exclusions and conditions[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What Next[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We’ve now taken all the steps we can to investigate your complaint. So the above is our final position with regards to your account. As you’re still unhappy, that means we’ve reached a deadlock.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]If you’d like to, you have the right to take your complaint outside BT. We’re a member of Ombudsman Services: Communications, who offer free, independent help to sort out disputes. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]You can find out more at [FONT=&quot]ombudsman-services.org/communications[/FONT] or you can call them on 0330 440 1614. You need to do it within six months of the date on this letter. They’ll tell you whether or not they can help, and if not they’ll tell you about any other options you’ve got.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Whilst this is happening you will need to make sure you pay any outstanding bills to avoid your services being restricted now that you have our final word on your complaint.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Yours sincerely, [/FONT]

Disappointing to say the least. They will not admit that their broadband pricing being directly related to their line rental pricing equates to contingent contracts.

I will see what happens with the ombudsman and report back.

Its_a_secret

dave_ged1 wrote: »

Just called BT for the second time to enquire about cancellation (only 6 months in to 18 month contract). Confirmed there would be no early termination fees payable (again only after I argued the case) but that they would charge £60 for the hub and a further £8 cancellation fee.

Apparently the £60 for the hub is payable by customers still within their original term. Has anyone else had the same experience? I explained I was more than happy to return the hub, but he explained I would be charged regardless and was adamant about this. When you add this to the 6 months of a 12 month advance line rental saver payment they are refusing to refund it is simply not viable for me to leave BT, which is frustrating as I've endured shocking customer service in my 6 months with them.

It seems as though BT have found enough loopholes in the Ofcom ruling to ensure they can still penalise customers looking to avoid their surprise price hikes.

I was initially told I'd be charged for the hub too but have since managed to get confirmation in writing that I won't get any explicit fees for leaving. I too am not being refunded my Line Rental Saver though and suspect I'll also end up with the ombudsman deciding whether that's fair.

Olduserpasswordforgot

dave_ged1 wrote: »

Just called BT for the second time to enquire about cancellation (only 6 months in to 18 month contract). Confirmed there would be no early termination fees payable (again only after I argued the case) but that they would charge £60 for the hub and a further £8 cancellation fee.

Apparently the £60 for the hub is payable by customers still within their original term. Has anyone else had the same experience? I explained I was more than happy to return the hub, but he explained I would be charged regardless and was adamant about this. When you add this to the 6 months of a 12 month advance line rental saver payment they are refusing to refund it is simply not viable for me to leave BT, which is frustrating as I've endured shocking customer service in my 6 months with them.

It seems as though BT have found enough loopholes in the Ofcom ruling to ensure they can still penalise customers looking to avoid their surprise price hikes.

not sure this is the Case. my switch over was very easy and over the weekend was a sent a returns package from BT which seems to be for the hub.

Maybe contact a supervisor. i am going to see if i really have return it as i would like to keep it and make a range extender.

CarlMalibu

Can anybody else who pre-paid for line rental share their experiences here?

I've still not heard back from the ombudsman, though they say it can take 10 working days for an initial response.

LazyTyper

CarlMalibu wrote: »

Can anybody else who pre-paid for line rental share their experiences here?

I've still not heard back from the ombudsman, though they say it can take 10 working days for an initial response.

I'm going through the process of switching from BT to Plusnet currently.

My broadband switched yesterday and my line rental is due in a week or so.

I have recorded my phone calls with BT and two different agents who confirm verbally that I will be due a credit.... so hopefully I won't need to fight for it.

I'll no doubt post here again with an update.