1.3m BT landline customers face bill hike of up to £54/yr - MSE News

1882

I've looked at this and their prices in general and have decided to move, my contract ends in around 5 weeks anyway for phone & broadband. When's the best time to sign up for a new provider, 10 days or perhaps a week before the expiry?

EnglishWelshie

wellsm said:

I just spent 38 minutes on the phone either waiting to talk to or talking to a BT representative.

I wanted to give 14 days notice of a switch to another supplier (as stated in their recent email/letter).

However, I was told that I couldn't not change supplier because, even though the call package was being changed by BT, I still had a Broadband contract which runs until May 2021. If I DID decide to change supplier now then I would have to pay an early cancellation fee of £150.

Anyone had a similar experience?

You are allowed to leave free of charge as they are putting your prices up. I have given my notice and it has been confirmed that there is no penalty to pay. I move to sky on 13th August with £95 cashback through quidco

oldandwizend

1882 said:

I've looked at this and their prices in general and have decided to move, my contract ends in around 5 weeks anyway for phone & broadband. When's the best time to sign up for a new provider, 10 days or perhaps a week before the expiry?

i would look at which supplier you are moving to and see if they quote any specific lead time for supply. Provided they can use same line as BT then, according to uswitch it can take up to 2 weeks. The last time I switched I seem to recall it took approximately 10 days but that was several years ago!. I would contact BT now to tell them now that you intend to leave as when coming to the end of a contract they often give you a good deal to remain which you can then compare with competitors - have competitors prices to hand before you phone BT and make sure you are comparing like for like so you can haggle.. There is always the chance that, even with new contract, prices may increase but that is the same with all suppliers.. A lot of suppliers seem to be moving to annual 'cost of living' increases built into contract but whether this will ultimately replace all other price increases we will have to wait and see.

On a personal note, I have been with BT (phone, broadband, mobile) for some time, have always got a good deal at contract renewal; maybe slightly higher than some competitors but a price worth paying with only one bill and one company to deal with!

I have had the occasional complaint but this has normally been dealt with satisfactorily, which is more than I can say of my experience some time ago with Sky broadband and, more recently, Sky TV. The problem with all suppliers is that Customer Service has its ups and downs. When it is really 'down' they gets lots of complaints and throw resources at it in an attempt to bring the level down, when it is 'up' they become complacent!

Greengage

It's very troubling indeed that this automatic transfer to new terms unless you opt out coincides with a period when BT, by its own admission, is extremely hard to contact. BT should either establish a dedicated 0800 line just for those affected or delay the transition until Customer Service staff are coping.

JJ_Egan

You have 30 days from the email and charges don't start until September .

Greengage

So up to 27k extra enquires per day (including weekends and assuming an even spread) when they are already trying to discourage callers. Something doesn't add up.

boatman

For a contract to be fair it needs to be equal. We should be able to write to BT and say in September I'm going to pay £4/month less..

boatman

wellsm said:

I just spent 38 minutes on the phone either waiting to talk to or talking to a BT representative.

I wanted to give 14 days notice of a switch to another supplier (as stated in their recent email/letter).

However, I was told that I couldn't not change supplier because, even though the call package was being changed by BT, I still had a Broadband contract which runs until May 2021. If I DID decide to change supplier now then I would have to pay an early cancellation fee of £150.

Anyone had a similar experience?

It's possible if you signed up or re-contracted to phone or broadband at different times, maybe one has a rolling contract while the other has a minimum term. But most people now have contracts for both running together.

JJ_Egan

But many broadband contracts are longer than 12 months .

CraftyCow

I don't trust BT, as every time I have moved house, they have failed to provide me with a reliable phone for a week to a fortnight when it is most needed for reconnection of all the other services! I have then been forced to rely on my mobile for everything. So I don't want all my eggs in one basket. If I want to call a mobile no. I will use my mobile.
However, the way they have done it means whatever I choose to do, (even nothing being the option to move to their new plan), I am then committed to a new contract for 18-24 months! I just object to being railroaded into a rise of 7.75%+! It really should be illegal.