Moving house, BT says it's a 12 month contract, any way around this?

littlesnuggy

Hi all,
I wonder if you could help me out here...

I've been with BT (Option 1) for 3 years (2 years in one property, 1 year in my current property). I'm moving out of this property next Friday, and phoned BT to arrange to switch the number to my new flat. We are renting the new flat, and potentially could only be there for 6 months, however BT told me that it would be a new 12 month minimum term contract starting from when we move.

I have therefore looked into phone providers without the minimum term, and found the Post Office HomePhone package, which sounds great. However, it says that you need to have an active phoneline in your name for it to be set-up. Is this the same with all providers, i.e. will I have to take out the new contract with BT in the first place to be able to switch, which defeats the point of getting a service provider without the 12 month contract?!

Hope that made sense, I'm just really annoyed that it seems like there's no way of avoiding entering into a new 12 month contract with BT!

Thanks for any advice you can provide

gt94sss2

littlesnuggy wrote: »

I've been with BT (Option 1) for 3 years (2 years in one property, 1 year in my current property). I'm moving out of this property next Friday, and phoned BT to arrange to switch the number to my new flat. We are renting the new flat, and potentially could only be there for 6 months, however BT told me that it would be a new 12 month minimum term contract starting from when we move.

BT's T&C state:

'If the customer terminates their agreement for a residential PSTN line before the end of the 12 month minimum period the customer will pay a charge for ending the agreement early, by way of compensation to BT. The charge for ending any service for either a new line or a line that you take over after the 1st May 2007, is the lower amount of either £70.00or the total of the monthly line rental fees left in the minimum period.'

However, they also say:

'Customers who move home and take another BT PSTN line with a new 12 month minimum period are excluded from the early termination charges.'

which means a 12 month contract doesn't really matter, if you are planning to move again in 6 months.

I have therefore looked into phone providers without the minimum term, and found the Post Office HomePhone package, which sounds great. However, it says that you need to have an active phoneline in your name for it to be set-up. Is this the same with all providers, i.e. will I have to take out the new contract with BT in the first place to be able to switch, which defeats the point of getting a service provider without the 12 month contract?!

No, there are some who will connect your line for you without a 12 month contract but they are very few and far between - while all companies can do this, most choose not too offer this option.

Regards
Sunil

littlesnuggy

Thank you so much Sunil. As and when we move again, it's more than likely that we would get another BT line, so that solves that. Now to find a cheap broadband provider with no 12 month contract...!

Steve_xx

'Customers who move home and take another BT PSTN line with a new 12 month minimum period are excluded from the early termination charges.'

I'm reading this to the effect that if you take a new 12 month contract out in your new flat, that you will be excused the minimum term in your current home? Therefore, you would still be 6 months adrift if you left the flat within 6 months and you would then have to pay BT a penalty of £70.

Early Termination Charges for Residential PSTN Lines

If the customer terminates their agreement for a residential PSTN line before the end of the 12 month minimum period the customer will pay a charge for ending the agreement early, by way of compensation to BT. The charge for ending any service for either a new line or a line that you take over after the 1st May 2007, is the lower amount of either £70.00or the total of the monthly line rental fees left in the minimum period.

For residential customers who took service prior to 1st May 2007, the following early termination charges apply:
£ (NOT SUBJECT TO VAT)
Contract Type
Residential
New Line (12 month Minimum Period) - cancellation within first nine months
18.00
Take-over (12 month Minimum Period) - cancellation within first month
13.00
Take-over (12 month Minimum Period) - cancellation within second month
8.00
These early termination charges do not apply to existing customers moving to a new location within the same building. Under these circumstances a shift and visit charge would apply unless an installation take-over is applicable. VAT is not applicable to cancellation charges.
Customers who move home and take another BT PSTN line with a new 12 month minimum period are excluded from the early termination charges.
Order Cancellation Charge
Charges will be raised where a Customer cancels a Contract or the provision of a line before Service is provided, the charges are as follows:
(a). £ 15.00 charge per cancellation call (this charge is VAT exempt); and
(b). BT's reasonable costs incurred in getting ready to provide the Service.
This charge will apply to new provisions, takeovers and conversions.
OTHER CHANGES
Minor changes in office records to customer's name or address without change of premises - no charge.
The charge applies per exchange line or group of exchange lines (auxiliary working) and the Charges for alterations are cumulative.
The charge for change of number is additional to any takeover charge, and is limited to number changes within the local exchange area only. As a general principle when a removing customer asks for his/her old telephone number to be provided at his/her new address, a Change of Number charge is made. The only exception is where the old number is to be provided on a new exchange line at the new address, in which case no Change of Number charge is made.

gt94sss2

Steve_xx wrote: »

'Customers who move home and take another BT PSTN line with a new 12 month minimum period are excluded from the early termination charges.'

I'm reading this to the effect that if you take a new 12 month contract out in your new flat, that you will be excused the minimum term in your current home? Therefore, you would still be 6 months adrift if you left the flat within 6 months and you would then have to pay BT a penalty of £70.

You are misreading it

If you take out a new contract with BT you are exempt from the early termination charge (regardless (for new lines) of whether its 'the lower amount of either £70.00 or the total of the monthly line rental fees left in the minimum period.')

I'm sure someone who works for BT can confirm my interpretation of their T&C

Regards
Sunil

louisehj

littlesnuggy wrote: »

I have therefore looked into phone providers without the minimum term, and found the Post Office HomePhone package, which sounds great. However, it says that you need to have an active phoneline in your name for it to be set-up. Is this the same with all providers, i.e. will I have to take out the new contract with BT in the first place to be able to switch, which defeats the point of getting a service provider without the 12 month contract?!

Most providers tell you to get the BT line set up and they then take it over which means a £70 canc fee for you! I think not all to do this though. If you connect the BT line at your new flat and stay with BT and move again in 12 months, as long as you took up a BT line again then there would be no cancellation charges but a 12 month contract would begin in your new house. HTH

Louise

Steve_xx

gt94sss2 wrote: »

You are misreading it

If you take out a new contract with BT you are exempt from the early termination charge (regardless (for new lines) of whether its 'the lower amount of either £70.00 or the total of the monthly line rental fees left in the minimum period.')

I'm sure someone who works for BT can confirm my interpretation of their T&C

Regards
Sunil

It reads to me that if you move home and take a new 12 month agreement then you will be exempt from the early termination charge on your old house.

If the op moves to the flat, they will be exempted from the early termination charge on the existing property. But if in 6 months they move from the flat, they would be liable to the £70 charge, unless they moved to another property where they could have BT line provision.

topherxp

Basically, if you move you take out a new 12 month contract on the line which superseeds the term you may have at your current property.

If you have a calling tariff on a special offer, you will need to take up that service again at your new property and the term of the tariff will contiue alongside the new term of your line..

louisehj

Steve_xx wrote: »

It reads to me that if you move home and take a new 12 month agreement then you will be exempt from the early termination charge on your old house.

If the op moves to the flat, they will be exempted from the early termination charge on the existing property. But if in 6 months they move from the flat, they would be liable to the £70 charge, unless they moved to another property where they could have BT line provision.

The op said he has been in his current house for a year so he wont have any contract on his line, so no charges to pay anyway. There maybe one on his package if he taken any of the special offers.

Steve_xx

louisehj wrote: »

The op said he has been in his current house for a year so he wont have any contract on his line, so no charges to pay anyway. There maybe one on his package if he taken any of the special offers.

It doesn't matter. If the op goes to a new property then they would have a 12 month contract that they might have to break after 6 months, unless wherever they went they were proposing to sign upto another 12 month contract with BT.

littlesnuggy

I'm a she!

Here's what I (hopefully) think will happen:

I've been in my current place (property 1) for a year, thus I am not ending the current BT contract early.

When I move into my new flat (property 2), I will start a new 12 month contract.

If I move out of property 2 after 6 months, I will take up yet another contract with BT in my next abode (property 3).

What I understood by the T&C's posted by Sunil was that, so long as when I move I always reconnect with BT and start a new contract, I will not have to pay the £70 cancellation fee. But, each time, I will start back again at the beginning of a 12 month contract, so until I have been in one place for at least 12 months, there's no way of getting out from their clutches without paying the £70!

I'm just on the regular Option 1 with no extra features, and I think I'll just stick with that for now until I am permanantly settled somewhere.

Thanks for all the input, I think I'll try to phone BT to confirm that what I've said above is true, and will report back to clear things up.