BT not allowing me to leave PB contract without penalty after price hike!!

usthad

I have phone and broadband contract until June this year with BT. They told me they had send me an email about the price hike on 1st of december which I didn't receive(and I don't remember consenting to BT to communicate with me on email in the first place other than e-billing).
So I asked them whether I could leave like MSE article suggested, but they refused to leave penalty free as 30 days have lapsed since the email they send and I didn't receive!! I will have pay the penalty and 6 months rental+BB charges:mad:.
I have raised a complaint and they are sending me ombudsman details.
To make things worse internet connection keep dropping off, which BT customer service is looking into(only 1 day since complaint was raised)
Am I not entitled to leave without penalty? Is there anything else I could do?

[Deleted User]

So why did you ask to not have emails from them?

I can see this going one way, and it's not yours...

mije1983

Not a lot you can do apart from appeal to their better nature!

They will have evidence to prove they sent it, and as it was a communication BT were required to send by law, I imagine this overrides your communciation preferences about not receiving any emails.

JJ_Egan

Check your BT account and where it sends emails to .
Yesterdays price rise has been well documented for the last three months .

[Deleted User]

mije1983 wrote: »

as it was a communication BT were required to send by law, I imagine this overrides your communciation preferences about not receiving any emails.

Correct, setting email preferences only applies to marketing emails. They can still send (rightly) emails pertaining to your account. They'll also be able to prove they sent it and even possibly if the customer has read it.

boatman

Its a bit concerning the number of people on here that have not received the price rise notification. I'm sure some have ended in the junk folder and got deleted, but I do find it hard to believe that is the case with all of them.
Should OFCOM be insisting that letters are sent as well as emails? It always used to be the case that it would be something sent out with a paper bill, is there a better way, be it text message automated phone message perhaps?
At the end of the day BT or any other company don't have to increase prices mid contract, its their choice to do so, so perhaps they should be encouraged (and also pay for) to use every possible means to inform the customer, not just rely on one email.

[Deleted User]

Its a bit concerning the number of people on here that claim to have not received the price rise notification.

I've corrected that

diane***

hey i have the very same issue.......... they put my costs up, i just wrote my story asking for help 2 minutes ago then found yours... i didn't get notification either. i also didn't know that agreed contract prices can rise and if they do you can cancel the contract, BT says they notified me, they didn't. i checked my emails, i had one email in November about caller display charge £1.75 , if i wanted it ''free'' i could follow a link.
Now how does that qualify as notification of charge increases? i ask you.
BT are not playing fair, i agreed 24 months paying £61.99 and now find i'm paying £73.24 , the only notification i received was about caller display £1.75 ... i did not get an email about contract renewal or choices.
i thought signed contracts were binding on both sides, if they wanted to change the deal then they should have ended it and asked me to get in contact, not put the charge up and say it's my fault .
This is poor practice and many people are getting caught out.
i have complined and i am waiting for a snail mail letter to raise the issue further with BT complaints.

JJ_Egan

<i also didn't know that agreed contract prices can rise >
Thats in all the adverts and terms and conditions and your sign up .
<Our prices and terms may change at any time while you're in contract with us

We'll let you know about any important changes before they happen.>

pmduk

boatman wrote: »

Its a bit concerning the number of people on here that have not received the price rise notification. I'm sure some have ended in the junk folder and got deleted, but I do find it hard to believe that is the case with all of them.
Should OFCOM be insisting that letters are sent as well as emails? It always used to be the case that it would be something sent out with a paper bill, is there a better way, be it text message automated phone message perhaps?
At the end of the day BT or any other company don't have to increase prices mid contract, its their choice to do so, so perhaps they should be encouraged (and also pay for) to use every possible means to inform the customer, not just rely on one email.

No matter how the notification is sent, there will be people claiming not to have received it.

uberalles

I have not received any type of communication advising the price rise.