Looking or the best LANDLINE ONLY provider

yumzone

Hi 

Im looking for some advice for an elderly friend.

He was with the post office for his landline and he was migrated to Shell energy.

His last bills have been averaging around £180 every three months.

He hardly uses the line for outgoing calls but it’s his point of contact for incoming calls.

I feel this is too much to be paying, they charge him for all calls made?

He doesn't need internet as he is a technophobe 

He lives in quite a rural area.

Any advice would be greatly appeciated

Many thanks

Cloth_of_Gold

We use BT for our landline only (we don't use them for our internet as we have fibre optic broadband with a different company). We are on a package that gives us unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles and it costs about £67 per quarter. If you want I could look on the bill and see what the package is called and the exact amount they charge.

elsien

Depending on when he was migrated, it may be that his old transferred contract ended and he’s now rolled over onto a new one which he may have agreed to without shopping around.
He will have a copy of his contract somewhere - he needs to check to find out exactly what he’s paying for. 

Cloth_of_Gold

The other thing is that analogue landlines are being phased out and everyone will have to have a digital one (it's already been rolled out in some areas). This will require an internet connection. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/

OutdoorQueen

Landlines are changing, and many people and areas have already migrated to the new system.  The analogue system is gradually being switched off and replaced with a digital network.  

To use a phone handset everyone will need an internet router, the phone will plug in the back of the router.   If the current phone is fairly new, it should work.  If it is old, a new handset will be needed.   Service providers have been told to offer packages for those who do not use the internet.  

More info:

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/broadband/article/digital-voice-and-the-landline-phone-switch-off-what-it-means-for-you-aPSOH8k1i6Vv

Link to BTs page:.  https://www.bt.com/broadband/digital-voice

Another provider is Vodafone  https://support.vodafone.co.uk/Broadband/Pro-Broadband/1751006322/What-is-Digital-Voice.htm

Would your friend qualify for a social tariff which are available for those on low income? For eg   https://www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband/essentials-broadband
BT have a similar package.  

J_B

Cloth_of_Gold said:

We use BT for our landline only (we don't use them for our internet...............

Same here - we pay £4.03 for 'voicemail with call protect', £8 for 700 minutes to land and mobiles and £11.73 for line rental.

Total £23.76 pcm (Or £71.28 per quarter, if you prefer to compare that way.)

Chloe_G

I've been with Post Office/Shell for years and only pay around just over £20 per month for broadband and landline. (Very rarely make outgoing calls.)  Can he phone them with you there and discuss it?  Last time I phoned when they were Shell it was the same people as when they were Post Office and they've always been extremely helpful.