Mum Paying a Fortune for Broadband AND locked in

leedslulul50

I'm currently visiting my mum and I've discovered she is paying £67 a month for her BT broadband package PLUS £220 a year line rental.
1/ Of this £67 a month, £10 is for unlimited calls and £10 is BT Sports.  I believe it must include her line rental (due to a ruling in 2016, that stated broadband packages must include line rental in the price )
2/  However, she has also been receiving emails every year stating that if she paid her line rental upfront, then her line rental would be reduced.  So she has been paying £220 a year on top of the £67 a month.  The latest request for this payment was made by BT in January 2020.
3/  She received a telephone call from BT in September 2019, saying that they were increasing the charges but if she signed into another contract they would do her a 'deal' (HA).  So she is now locked in with them until September 2020.

Am I right in thinking that she's being way overcharged!!!!!  She can only access the last 15 months of her statement and even then its really difficult to understand the charges.

Any help, advice much appreciated

Lulu




  

bill888

Have you checked bank statements to see if £67 pm is the actual amount debited from her bank account for recent months of November, December and January?
Without seeing the bills, if Line Rental Saver has recently expired and BT are requesting renewal, the figure of £67 may include line rental at normal £19.99 monthly rate which is paid in advance.

I believe the out of contract price for superfast broadband and line rental is around £55+.  Add the Anytime calls and BT sport, and it is £75+ total....

onomatopoeia99

leedslulul50 said:

1/ Of this £67 a month, £10 is for unlimited calls and £10 is BT Sports.  I believe it must include her line rental (due to a ruling in 2016, that stated broadband packages must include line rental in the price )

I'm not sure about "must" as my broadband cost doesn't include line rental.  I get my broadband and line rental from separate companies, so it can't include line rental.

Broadband prices must be quoted inclusive of line rental in advertising.  This ruling was created by a team at OFCOM that apparently forgot about the shared metallic path facility that they require BT to make available wholesale.

leedslulul50

Thanks both.  Yes Bill888, it seems as though you are right and the line rental saver had expired.  Thanks so much for explaining.  She will be changing suppliers in September.