BT notice period when moving

scottishblondie

We only concluded missives and had our date of entry confirmed last week, and I've now gotten around to arranging broadband, TV etc. We are currently with BT, but do not want to stay with them. We cannot move the service and then change provider as they wanted us to start a new contract so I arranged new services for the new house and just phoned BT to cancel my account.

They've said that there is a 30 day notice period, which I'm fine with paying as it is in the T&Cs, but they say they cannot cut off the service until the 30 days are up. This means that the new owners cannot get their own services started until December 28th, and more worryingly could plug in a phone and go to town calling premium rate phone numbers using my account! I'm not fussed over them using the broadband as it is unlimited but we have no call package so even regular calls would rack up charges.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Surely not everyone gets more than 30 days notice that they're moving, it seems ridiculous that they can't stop the service! I've emailed our solicitor to ask if there is any protection that can be put in place but obviously I won't get a reply tonight.

dunstonh

We cannot move the service and then change provider as they wanted us to start a new contract so I arranged new services for the new house and just phoned BT to cancel my account.

BT allow the moving of service without a new contract. That is exactly what we are doing.

I only notified BT last week and we move next week. They have confirmed the service will move over on the same basis on the day of moving. I am not in a tied in deal at the current address and not at the new address. Indeed, it was all rather easy.

ThePants999

Yeah, I think you just got a clueless CSR first time around. Call back, you'll probably get someone different and hopefully they'll have more of a clue.

scottishblondie

Hmm. I fear that I may have messed this up in that case, as on the basis of the information I got from BT previously I have already signed up with Now Broadband at the new house, and then phoned BT and cancelled our account.

Now Broadband have also said that they need to send an engineer out to set up a new line and they cannot do so until the 11th of December. The previous owners cancelled their service back in August when we got the keys for the house. If I try to backtrack on this now and move our BT service I may end up in an even bigger mess...

bobster2

Are you still in the cooling off period for Now Broadband?


Does BT have a call barring or account blocking service you could use? The sort of thing parents use to stop their teenagers from making expensive calls?


Of course you could physically disconnect the phone line! The new owners wouldn't be able to get BT to send an engineer to reconnect it as they aren't the account holders (yet).

scottishblondie

bobster2 wrote: »

Are you still in the cooling off period for Now Broadband?


Does BT have a call barring or account blocking service you could use? The sort of thing parents use to stop their teenagers from making expensive calls?


Of course you could physically disconnect the phone line! The new owners wouldn't be able to get BT to send an engineer to reconnect it as they aren't the account holders (yet).

Yes I only just signed up with Now this evening, so I expect I could cancel it. It is a really good Black Friday deal, though, so I am loathe to give it up!

I had a look to see if there was any option to bar outgoing calls but I can't see one. I'm not too keen to mess with the wiring in the house in case it comes back to bite me later.

I did find this interesting BT help article though, that talks about a stop date and gives an example where only 9 days notice to stop the service is given. Definitely worth another call to customer service!

martindow

You can pay BT for extra features which include call barring but then the new people in your house will not have a phone service.