BT 'Equipment Charge' Scam

SheffEd

This is to warn others of a potential scam BT is running to presumably try and scare gullible customers into staying with them. I am just coming to the end of my contract and I've switched to Plusnet. I mistakenly arranged the switch-over date one day too early (before my BT contract expires) so I received a letter from BT informing me there would be an equipment charge of £65. I then phoned BT to find out why I was being charged and they told me the charges were because I was terminating my contract a day early. I then phoned Plusnet and got the date changed to the correct date. 2 weeks have passed and I received nothing from BT confirming there will be no charges so I've just had a very interesting live chat with a rep. Make of it what you will:


Nayana: Hello I’m Nayana, thank you for chatting with BT. I’m reading your enquiry, please give me a few moments I’ll be back soon.
I may need to ask you for some further details, if you would like to use this time to grab the account number, the account holders full name, address and postcode that would be really helpful.
Nayana: I understand your concern about the charges as you are moving to a different service provider. I will check the details and I will help you. Could you please confirm the above details so that I can look into the account.

Nayana: Thank you for the information , I will check the details. Please allow me 5 minutes.
Nayana: Thank you for waiting, as I have checked the details I can see that your services will be transferred on 28/11/2017. Could you please tell me were you informed that there will be no charges.
Me: When I last called I was told the earliest date for me to transfer without charges would be the 28th November. Originally Plusnet had agreed the 27th . So I asked Plusnet to change the date to the 28th.

Nayana: No problem, as I can see the details it shows that your services will transferred within 28/11/2017.
Me: So there will be no charges?
Nayana: No, there will be no cancellation charges as your contract ends on 28/11/2017.
Me: Great. . BT could have emailed or written to confirm that. They were more than happy to send out letters telling me of charges on the original date.
Nayana: Thank you for that information , I have rechecked the e-mail details, but it is the equipment charges of £65 you have to pay.
Me: Why am I being charged equipment charges?
Nayana: It is the charges of BT Home hub.
Me: I paid a set up fee, I thought that covered the price of the over rated BT Hub,. can I not just send it back to BT? No other broadband company has ever charged me for the routers after a contract has expired.
Me: Are you still there? Can you point me to any T&C's where it says there's an equipment charges at the end of the contract?
Nayana: Yes, I understand that and I am placing an order for the Return kit so that you can return the equipment so that you will not be charged for it.
Me: Thanks but I would still like pointing to any clause in the contract that states there's an equipment charge at the end of the contract.
Nayana: Yes, but if you return the equipment then once after receiving the it we will waive of the charges.
Me: Which I will do and it makes sense to return equipment but where is this clause in the contract because I'm struggling to find it?
Nayana: I am sorry about that, as there is no details of the charges of the equipment when the contract ends.
Nayana: I have placed an order for return kit VOL013-260161632072, you will receive the return kit within 23/11/2017.
Me: Unbelievable. So BT would have been charging me with no right to do so. I will post this conversation on Money Saving Expert. now to warn others against falling victim to scam!
Nayana: I have rechecked with my manager and I can see that you have cancelled the contract on the exact date and hence you will not be charged for it.
Nayana: You can ignore that e-mail . However you can also return the equipment to us.
Me: Please send me an email to confirm there will be no charges.
Nayana: I send this chat transcript via e-mail, is that okay?
Ed Arnold: Okay.
Nayana: Thank you. Is there anything else I can help you?

Inner_Zone

SheffEd wrote: »

This is to warn others of a potential scam BT is running to presumably try and scare gullible customers into staying with them. I am just coming to the end of my contract and I've switched to Plusnet. I mistakenly arranged the switch-over date one day too early (before my BT contract expires) so I received a letter from BT informing me there would be an equipment charge of £65. I then phoned BT to find out why I was being charged and they told me the charges were because I was terminating my contract a day early. I then phoned Plusnet and got the date changed to the correct date. 2 weeks have passed and I received nothing from BT confirming there will be no charges so I've just had a very interesting live chat with a rep. Make of it what you will:


Nayana: Hello I’m Nayana, thank you for chatting with BT. I’m reading your enquiry, please give me a few moments I’ll be back soon.
I may need to ask you for some further details, if you would like to use this time to grab the account number, the account holders full name, address and postcode that would be really helpful.
Nayana: I understand your concern about the charges as you are moving to a different service provider. I will check the details and I will help you. Could you please confirm the above details so that I can look into the account.

Nayana: Thank you for the information , I will check the details. Please allow me 5 minutes.
Nayana: Thank you for waiting, as I have checked the details I can see that your services will be transferred on 28/11/2017. Could you please tell me were you informed that there will be no charges.
Me: When I last called I was told the earliest date for me to transfer without charges would be the 28th November. Originally Plusnet had agreed the 27th . So I asked Plusnet to change the date to the 28th.

Nayana: No problem, as I can see the details it shows that your services will transferred within 28/11/2017.
Me: So there will be no charges?
Nayana: No, there will be no cancellation charges as your contract ends on 28/11/2017.
Me: Great. . BT could have emailed or written to confirm that. They were more than happy to send out letters telling me of charges on the original date.
Nayana: Thank you for that information , I have rechecked the e-mail details, but it is the equipment charges of £65 you have to pay.
Me: Why am I being charged equipment charges?
Nayana: It is the charges of BT Home hub.
Me: I paid a set up fee, I thought that covered the price of the over rated BT Hub,. can I not just send it back to BT? No other broadband company has ever charged me for the routers after a contract has expired.
Me: Are you still there? Can you point me to any T&C's where it says there's an equipment charges at the end of the contract?
Nayana: Yes, I understand that and I am placing an order for the Return kit so that you can return the equipment so that you will not be charged for it.
Me: Thanks but I would still like pointing to any clause in the contract that states there's an equipment charge at the end of the contract.
Nayana: Yes, but if you return the equipment then once after receiving the it we will waive of the charges.
Me: Which I will do and it makes sense to return equipment but where is this clause in the contract because I'm struggling to find it?
Nayana: I am sorry about that, as there is no details of the charges of the equipment when the contract ends.
Nayana: I have placed an order for return kit VOL013-260161632072, you will receive the return kit within 23/11/2017.
Me: Unbelievable. So BT would have been charging me with no right to do so. I will post this conversation on Money Saving Expert. now to warn others against falling victim to scam!
Nayana: I have rechecked with my manager and I can see that you have cancelled the contract on the exact date and hence you will not be charged for it.
Nayana: You can ignore that e-mail . However you can also return the equipment to us.
Me: Please send me an email to confirm there will be no charges.
Nayana: I send this chat transcript via e-mail, is that okay?
Ed Arnold: Okay.
Nayana: Thank you. Is there anything else I can help you?

So you made a mistake and it BT's fault?

esuhl

Inner_Zone wrote: »

So you made a mistake and it BT's fault?

It sounds like it. But the customer service person clearly had no idea what she was doing, and was happy to just make stuff up.

giraffe69

It's another scam, not. The word needs redefinition, perhaps? Cancel or move at the end of the contract and there is no problem.

iniltous

Here is an excerpt from the T&C's, it quite clear when a charge is raised for equipment


Equipment: If you end a service during the minimum term and you haven't paid for any of the equipment in full, we may charge you the full price of the equipment (except in the circumstances listed in clause 13c). For example, this may happen if we've given you a home hub and you didn't pay the full price for it.

You cancelled initially cancelled before the minimum term expired, so the equipment is charged for, you realised your error and changed the date to be after the expiry of the minimum term....the letter advising of the charge was probably automatically generated by the first date you or your new provider gave BT

The advisor eventually did say no charge for equipment after you changed the changeover date , it's now up to you if you want to return the equipment to be dealt with in an environmentally friendly way , or throw it in the bin

System

Does BT bill for the remainder of the 'minimum term' if you leave early?
If so, those T&Cs are likely to be unfair.

boatman

From the BT tariff guide 3rd Nov 2017 pg 136:

We’ll supply a BT Home Hub to all new BT Total Broadband or BT Infinity customers. The standard price of the BT Home Hub is up to £129.00 (depending on model supplied). We may let
you delay paying for the BT Home Hub for up to 12 months from the date that we accept your order. If you don’t pay for the BT Home Hub in full when you place your order, you’ll normally
have to pay the full price either 12 months after we accept your order or at the point that you end the service – whichever is the earlier. But if you keep the service for at least 12 months
from the date that we accept your order, we’ll waive that payment. If you end the service within 12 months of us accepting your order, we’ll waive part of the payment, but you’ll still have to
pay up to £65.00 (depending on model supplied) towards the full cost of your BT Home Hub. Existing BT Broadband customers requesting a replacement hub may be supplied with a
reconditioned hub. A reconditioned hub is one which has been reconditioned to an “as new” standard and is supplied with the same 12 month warranty that would apply to a brand new
hub.

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Does BT bill for the remainder of the 'minimum term' if you leave early?
If so, those T&Cs are likely to be unfair.

From BT tariff guide 3rd Nov 2017, pg 143
What happens if I cancel part way through a month?

We work out the charge for any part month on a daily basis. So for example, if you took Unlimited Weekend Calls on 1st January 2016 with a 12-month minimum contract period, and
decided to cancel your contract so that it ended on 12th November 2016, you will be charged:
£8.50 for December 2016 + (£8.50 ÷ 30) x 18 (for 13th–30th November 2016) = £5.10
Total Early Termination Charge £8.50 + £5.10 = £13.60

So yes, I would agree with you, it would be unfair, because you are in effect completing the contract.

boatman

If you are leaving because of the latest price increase in January, you won't have to return the router.
13b. Equipment: If you end a service during the minimum term and you haven't paid for any of the equipment in full, we may charge you the full price of the equipment (except in the circumstances listed in clause 13c). For example, this may happen if we've given you a home hub and you didn't pay the full price for it.

13c.you end a service under clause 17b as a result of changes that significantly disadvantage you

17b. If we increase any of our core charges, or if we make any changes to a service, the charges (other than acore charge) or the terms and conditions of theagreement in a way that significantly disadvantages you