BT Sport fiver a month

marleyboy

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Marleyboy
Could you kindly link to this Clause as it may help others .
I am guessing its BTs clause 57 .

1. Except in the circumstances detailed in paragraph 56, if we plan to change the price or the terms and conditions of a service to your material disadvantage, then we will write to you to tell you about that change so that you have at least 30 days' notice before it happens. If you are still in a minimum contract term for that service and you reasonably consider that you would be materially disadvantaged by the change, then you will have 30 days from the day you receive our written notification to call and tell us you want to end your contract for that service without paying a charge for ending your contract early. You'll have to give us up to 30 days' notice to end that service as set out in paragraph 25 above, but you won't be charged the higher price for that service during the notice period (if you have already paid the higher price we will refund the difference to you in your next or final bill). You can only end the services that are directly affected by the changes we make without paying a charge for ending your contract early and any other agreements with us will continue to apply for the services that are not affected by those changes.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/terms/

marleyboy

VisionMan wrote: »

Have you even bothered to read this thread?

Page by Page and from day1.

Its not the first time you have used this sentence and in this thread, I have no doubt it wont be the last. Its not just because of this why I question your BThelp obsession, nor this idea that BThelp is the best way forward,.

I question your obsession with discarding the ombudsman or belittling the clause that can so easily free anyone from the contract.

In one quest your advice is to talk to BT, whereas to not just me in this thread, you say "Yeah but what they told you was wrong."

If it is so wrong, there is no harm in anyone going through the more right channel is there?

pen1

marleyboy wrote: »

..... EVERYONE knows that BT are not going to help, they will fudge it, blame all but their policy and determined to say that there is no other option, or they cannot deal with such a complaint. ....... failure to adhere to it CAN be escalated to the ombudsman.

It doesn't change the fact that the first recourse is BT and that in common with other providers, they have 8 weeks in which to resolve a complaint, or issue a "deadlock letter", before the Ombudsman will consider investigating.

These conditions are set by OFCOM :
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ga-scheme/general-conditions/customer-code-practice/
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/complain/phone-and-broadband-complaints/adr/
See also: http://www.ombudsman-services.org/complaining-to-the-company-communications.html

I'd be interested to hear of anyone who succeeds in having a complaint investigated by an ombudsman before 8 weeks and without a "deadlock letter", because I understand that even if a provider doesn't handle a complaint as it should, the only recourse within the first 8 weeks (without a "deadlock letter") is to continue to pursue the provider, and retain clear evidence to demonstrate to the ombudsman after 8 weeks, the efforts that you made to bring the complaint to the attention of the provider.

Jed_Exodus

Inhibitor wrote: »

as I have said previously, BT have stated that my complaints 'won't be looked into' and will just 'sit there'. I was also told that my resolver emails would not be replied to as they do not know 'how to'. They would not send me written (email, mail) clarification of their stance on this either.

Seems a bit odd, surely they just need to respond in a normal email but to the Resolver address that it came from. This would explain why my emails are being ignored.

Inhibitor

Seems a bit odd, surely they just need to respond in a normal email but to the Resolver address that it came from. This would explain why my emails are being ignored.

Yes indeed, the woman on the other end at BT even tried to tell me that she couldn't read the complaint, pity for her she gave away too many details about it first. She kept trying to direct me to the BT complaints form page (the same one VisionMan linked to), I continually asked her that I wanted a response to my initial email through Resolver. I know they have it, we even have an auto response from them. Anyway she would not say that I would get a response even when I spelled out the resolver email address, nor would she put their stance in writing; 'these calls are recorded, you can use that'.

Strange stance to take BT-VisionMan if indeed you have no involvement with BT, seems like you're wasting your own time as well as ours.

VisionMan

All please read post #326.

VisionMan

pen1 wrote: »

It doesn't change the fact that the first recourse is BT and that in common with other providers, they have 8 weeks in which to resolve a complaint, or issue a "deadlock letter", before the Ombudsman will consider investigating.

pen1, I'm going to bow out now and leave the floor to others, like yourself. My respects.

pen1

VisionMan wrote: »

All please read post #326.

"Resolver" is giving the same advice:

Note, that the "This is how we'll help you with BT - Broadband:" section arrives at "send to Ombudsman Services: Communications" after 56 days- 8 weeks- after setting out an escalation path through BT management. Also:

If you cannot resolve the issue

If the matter is still not resolved after eight weeks or if you receive a deadlock letter, you can send your case to the ombudsman.....

http://www.resolver.co.uk/freeadvice/services/107/issues/42/issue_types/broadband-contract-is-unfair-complaints

On the "view your detailed rights" link, what to do if BT don't respond to your initial complaint:

.... If the company does not respond to your issue, then you should raise your case to the next level. The resolver system knows the next steps to take to escalate your issue and will remind you what to do and when, so that your voice is heard and hopefully your issue is addressed. ....

http://www.resolver.co.uk/freeadvice/services/107/issues/42/issue_types/broadband-contract-is-unfair-complaints#detailed_rights

Lifes_Grand_Plan

VisionMan wrote: »

I understand what your saying, but the key word here is 'materially'. It would be difficult for anyone to prove they have been materially disadvantaged over £5 a month.

Even though no one likes it (including me) all providers have within their right the right to alter the terms, conditions and prices of contracts mid-term. The only Ofcom stipulation is that they give contractees the right to cancel. And other TV providers have been conducting this practice for years.

Please everyone ignore this terrible advice..... I took EE to CISAS (the independant arbitrator) TWICE over price increases of PENCE PER MONTH. Both time I won. Claiming material detriment over a £5 increase should be easy peasy in comparison..... the difficulty will be whether that allows you to only cancel BT Sport or to cancel all BT services..... I think you would have a good argument for the later but BT will argue black is white that it should only be the former....

stockton_2

pen1 wrote: »

I'd be interested to hear of anyone who succeeds in having a complaint investigated by an ombudsman before 8 weeks and without a "deadlock letter", because I understand that even if a provider doesn't handle a complaint as it should, the only recourse within the first 8 weeks (without a "deadlock letter") is to continue to pursue the provider, and retain clear evidence to demonstrate to the ombudsman after 8 weeks, the efforts that you made to bring the complaint to the attention of the provider.

I have not gone as far as the ombudsman but I did make a formal complaint to BT last November when I contemplated moving house and they wanted to charge me a substantial exit fee because I was tied in to the BT Sports contract. My new home was run by Virgin.

Within a couple of weeks I received first of all a phone call and then later an email from a senior manager stating in great detail the circumstances in which I had renewed the BT Sports package and hence a new fixed contract. I guess this is what you have described as the "deadlock letter". They did also attempt to resolve the matter by saying how they could put a phone line and broadband service in to my new home. As it happened I stayed put and there the matter ended.

My experience tells me that BT do not, and cannot, just ignore a formal complaint and they have to investigate particular circumstances and make a formal reply to a complaint. When I complained I wrote a (proper) letter to their head office and made it plain that the letter was a formal complaint.

The BT customer service advisors who tell people that their complaints will just be ignored are simply hoping you will go away. BT cannot just ignore you if you make a proper complaint and send it to their Head office.