Trying to cancel BT

Mosh

Scenario: signed up for the really cheap deal with BT when I moved into a flat in February (TV, broadband, phone). Paid my line rental up front for the 12 months, never opened the TV digibox, never made a call on the landline (never plugged a phone in!). Cost per month £12.50.

Ended up moving out of the flat early (beginning of July), contacted BT and the usual £300+ cancellation charge - which I understand - so opted to leave the line in place and continue to pay the £12.50, cancelling the following year.

End July / Start August: BT announce price rises. I receive email and letter informing me of this. Under OFCOM regulations this means I can cancel with no fee! Yay! So I ring them up and am told that no - as I paid the line rental up front, it doesn't increase for me until the end of the contract and therefore, as I'm not affected financially, I can't cancel. And, you know what, I get that. Annoying, but within the "spirit" of the OFCOM legislation.

October 8th: new BT bill and my payments have *increased*. On investigation (i.e. digging through all the little expanding menus on the website), the broadband charge was also increased. Only by 99p per month, but definitely an increase.

October 9th: Call BT who tell me that as it's more than 30 days since I was informed of the price rise, I can't cancel without charge. I point out that I asked to leave on August 4th - the name of their staff member I've noted ties up with the record they have. Said staff member told me I couldn't cancel during a period when I was legally allowed to do so. I maintain that this is therefore *their* problem and that I wish to *retrospectively* cancel the account, including any and all fees accrued since August 4th which I have paid as a result of their error.

They say (initially), "no". Followed, after a lengthy period on hold, by "we'll get our team to check the original call recording and get back to you in 18 working days".

I'm mainly posting here to ensure that I've done everything correctly. Friends have advised me to cancel the Direct Debit but I don't feel this would help me. I can afford to pay £12.50 (now £13.49) a month for a line I don't use until February... but I don't see why I *should* when I've legally been able to cancel, contacted them at the beginning of that timeframe and was "misinformed".

Thanks for any input.

jem16

Mosh wrote: »

I'm mainly posting here to ensure that I've done everything correctly.

You have except that your initial attempt at cancelling would have been better in writing so you don't have to rely on a phone call that they're going to find.

Friends have advised me to cancel the Direct Debit but I don't feel this would help me.

No it wouldn't and could lead to your credit rating being trashed.

I can afford to pay £12.50 (now £13.49) a month for a line I don't use until February... but I don't see why I *should* when I've legally been able to cancel, contacted them at the beginning of that timeframe and was "misinformed".

Thanks for any input.

I would contact the BT CEO in writing - email will do. Inform him of what has happened and ask to be released from your contract as you are entitled to do.

Mosh

Thanks, Jem. You're correct that correspondence should be done in writing. However, BT's standard channel - and the information it gives you in relation to cancelling - points to a phone number. No postal or email details are provided.

No excuse for not doing it, perhaps, but any reasonable person would - I think - follow the structure that BT have put in place.

As it happens, I think a friend of mine has the CEO's email details so I'll get them and drop a message to add weight to my request.

jem16

Mosh wrote: »

No excuse for not doing it, perhaps, but any reasonable person would - I think - follow the structure that BT have put in place.

No I agree - most people do phone. However it's only when something goes wrong that you have nothing to back it up.

Mosh

All too true. Annoyingly I have an app on my phone which records all conversations, but I didn't have it installed as far back as the start of August!

Companies don't like it when you ask *them* if you can record the call for quality control purposes...