Will BT help an elderly person change their inappropriate contract they can't afford

Weave

bengal-stripe said:

Do check the award letter: are the £2.00 your friend got awarded Guarantee credit or Savings Credit?

Thanks for your input @bengal-stripe. The wording on the letter states 'Pensions Credit Award Notice and Statement of Details' and then says 'We are pleased to tell you that you are entitled to Pension credit of £2.74 a week from 20 June 2022'. I think the important part, based on what you are saying' may be this:

'The payment is made up of: Pension Credit Savings Credit - £2.74' 

From what you have said there are two elements to this benefit and he has not been awarded the important one. That is really bad news

Weave

UPDATE:
As we do not qualify for the 'BT Essentials' option I have gone done the vulnerability route as a last resort.

I registered myself as an 'Account manager' using my friends online account and this has allowed me to ring BT as an authorised person without my friend needing to be present and have to listen to me plead his case which is better for him.

I spoke to BT and explained his financial position and recent loss of his wife affecting his finances and the impact it has had on his lifestyle and how he does not need the level of service he currently has. The agent I got this time was sympathetic and spoke with a manager after I insisted my friend needed help. He came back with a monthly reduction of £30 per month but a new contract for 24 months. I explained this would still be too much so the agent tried his manager again and offered £50 per month cheaper with a new 24 month contract which I accepted. 

The new deal is £37.99 fibre 100 (too fast but that is all they would offer as he was already contracted at that speed), £9.00 TV, £7.50 for 700 mins. this looks to be the same as their current new customer deal rates so at least he's getting the best they can offer now.

My friend can take comfort in the fact if he had done nothing he would have paid more in the next 11 months contract than he will now pay in the next 24 months under the new contract. He is effectively paying less overall and getting an extra 13 months service free.

My advice to anyone else in a similar situation is:

• use the phone not the chat
• ring several times if you do not like the first offer, be persistent and patient
• plead your case nicely and ask for help
• if you are acting on behalf of someone else add yourself as an 'Account manager' via their BT online account. You do this if they have access to their online account with BT (if you can access their emails you can reset the BT login if needed) add yourself as an 'account manager' (Google it) you can then talk to BT yourself without the account owner being present if you prefer
• and finally.... if possible, and you are not contracted to stay, use a different provider as BT charge more for the same service available elsewhere. They state they are a 'premium' service with better tech support etc but it's not worth the premium in my opinion.