MSE News: BT to cut landline costs for up to one million customers...

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

I also recall having the internet in 1997 - that was 20 years ago - so a current 80 year old would have been 60 back then in the workplace. Considering Men retired at 65 at least eldrly 80 year old men should know how the internet works.

Caddyman

redux wrote: »

Whatever the usage, the line facility is a physical connection, made of various components.

It isn't divisible; you can't have half or two-thirds of a line.

I don't disagree with you, however, you know exactly what my viewpoint is, i.e. paying an element of rental for something I don't use. I'm not using the line for voice calls and I can prove that to BT, so why is it unreasonable to want a line rental discount on that element of the contract?

At the end of the day, BT and other providers can offer call blocking or answer phone services or anti virus elements which they can charge customers separately for if they want them, so why can't they offer those who don't use the line for calls, a discount? Clearly, offering a line rental discount for those not using the line for voice calls, would, as has already been pointed out, strip some of their profits out.

As for Residential Telephone Directories. Seemingly, as a BT customer certainly, you get one whether you like it or not. Undoubtedly, part of the cost of line rental goes toward paying for this useless directory. Surely, if people want a directory, fine, let them have it, but if they want it, make them pay for it as a separate part of the contract. When I woke up this morning, it was 2017, not 1974. BT need to move on and bin these relics of a bygone era.

Caddyman

teddysmum wrote: »

You probably spend more time using your line for internet than others do for phone calls.


I thought this old chestnut of not wanting to pay for a land line had died off ,as it's soften been pointed out that internet is not magic. it needs a land line to travel along.


It's rather like saying you want the bowls in a dinner set at a reduced price, because you only use them for cereal and never have soup, so you shouldn't be charged for soup bowls.

Yes, but despite the line rental and broadband element being sold as a 'total cost' contract, I'm still paying a separate element for the broadband.

I'm not saying I don't want to pay line rental, but I've explained that already. Seemingly too difficult a concept for some to grasp.

Your last analogy has no relevance or bearing on this topic.

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

I'm not with BT and pay 11.50 a month for line rental plus a cost on top for 80/20 fibre to the cabinet.

I'd say shop around and reduce you line rental. I don't get calls in my price but they are cheap so it's not worth me having a calling package. I just pay for calls as I go. The firm does do packages and they include calls to mobiles. I also get call display and it's a 30 day contract.

What don't have nor can get is sport television.

Caddyman

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

I also recall having the internet in 1997 - that was 20 years ago - .....

Do you remember just how horrendously slow it was though! Dial up which took about 5 minutes for a simple JPEG to download. I don't miss those days!

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

I wonder how you set up a company and buy lines wholesale for resale at a profit? Firms other than BT retail do it. Maybe people could club together to form a phone company !

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

Caddyman wrote: »

Do you remember just how horrendously slow it was though! Dial up which took about 5 minutes for a simple JPEG to download. I don't miss those days!

Yes. I had Compuserve and AOL. But my point is in 1997 people were using the internet. Those people are now "elderly." I got broadband at I think 158kb in 2000 and then 1mb in 2002 and it's slowly sped up since.

redux

Caddyman wrote: »

I don't disagree with you, however, you know exactly what my viewpoint is, i.e. paying an element of rental for something I don't use. I'm not using the line for voice calls and I can prove that to BT, so why is it unreasonable to want a line rental discount on that element of the contract?

Because it's physically impossible for them to save money, so how can they pass part of a non-existent saving back to you as a discount?

But it looks like you could carry on asking the same question 5 or 10 times, so I doubt if any answer is satisfactory.

redux

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

I wonder how you set up a company and buy lines wholesale for resale at a profit? Firms other than BT retail do it. Maybe people could club together to form a phone company !

Actually, never mind a phone company, it has struck me that this close of 6 houses could go down to one or two lines, with wifi for internet, and with 6 or more cordless VoIP extensions for calls.

The old fear though - tricky about emergency lines in a power cut.

I haven't bothered to suggest it.

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

redux wrote: »

Because it's physically impossible for them to save money, so how can they pass part of a non-existent saving back to you as a discount?

But it looks like you could carry on asking the same question 5 or 10 times, so I doubt if any answer is satisfactory.

Ofcom have divulged the that the wholesale cost of line rental is disproportionate to the sold on retail price. What it needs is for joe public to access the wholesale cost by forming community phone companies. A bit like groups that bulk by heating fuel oil to get it cheaper.

BT can't use the excuse of line maintenance costs because this is the wholesale rental. The amount above that charged by BT et al is to pay for their costs (billing and bidding stupid money for stupid TV sport rights) and profit line.