BT wholesale cessation charges

janey1a_2

I have just changed from plus net to Virgin and, as such, am no longer using my phone line for broadband. I have received my final bill from plusnet which shows a £30 charge from BT wholesale to remove broadband from my telephone line.

I have looked into this and know it is a genuine charge but can anyone explain to me how they get away with charging such a large amount? The most they can be doing is sending someone to a telephone exchange box and flicking a switch, surely?!!!

I'm so cross! Fortunately Virgin didn't charge me for installing but what I saved there I now have to pay BT. What a rip off!!

LazyTyper

An Openreach engineer goes to the exchange to completely disconnect your copper line from BT Wholesale equipment.

This is charged to Plusnet who pass the cost onto you.

janey1a_2

Thanks for the reply. Don't know where they get their prices from, amazing that Virgin can send out 2 engineers to spend 2 hours installing my cable, under my front lawn, drilling into my house and setting up all equipment, all for no charge yet BT can get away with charging that amount simply for disconnecting a wire!

Just thankful Virgin didn't charge me to install the new cable.

pjread

Virgin can send 2 engineers for 2 hours to do some work on their own infrastructure enabling you to give them £x a month for at least 18 months,

Plusnet don't own an infrastructure per se and need to pay BT Openreach £30 to disconnect your old line. They pass on the charge they incur in order that you can stop giving them money...

janey1a_2

I realise plusnet are just passing on the charge and BT are making a point as they're hacked off at losing a customer, I just don't know how BT can justify the amount.

JJ_Egan

£30 is a very small charge to send a man in a van any place .
But all these charges in my view should just be built in to the contract price for every user .

macman

The same old misconception every time: it's not just 'flicking a switch', it requires a physical disconnection.
Try asking an electrician to come to your house just to rewire a plug, and | think you'll pay more than £30.

onomatopoeia99

JJ_Egan wrote: »

£30 is a very small charge to send a man in a van any place .
But all these charges in my view should just be built in to the contract price for every user .

If the OP had moved from Plusnet to (for example) Sky, there would have been no cease charge, so the charge can't be built into the contract as there is no way to determine when the contract is started if there will be a cease charge at the end.

mije1983

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If the OP had moved from Plusnet to (for example) Sky, there would have been no cease charge, so the charge can't be built into the contract as there is no way to determine when the contract is started if there will be a cease charge at the end.

It could be built in, but ultimately it would cost us, the consumer, more as they would just add £30 to the price every year 'just in case' you left after 12 months!

JJ_Egan

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If the OP had moved from Plusnet to (for example) Sky, there would have been no cease charge, so the charge can't be built into the contract as there is no way to determine when the contract is started if there will be a cease charge at the end.

It would stop the repetitive £30 charge posts .
It was in truth a bit tongue in cheek .

anotheruser

I wonder if you had a key to your local cabinet, together with appropriate knowledge and disconnected yourself, whether BT would have an issue with you not paying then?