BT Home Essentials Unlimited Broadband- check your renewal.

Robbie64

Is the price increase not when the contract is renewed (i.e. when BT check with the DWP)? I've dug out the email I got about my price increase and it said:

Summary of changes 

           1.     Following each annual renewal of the Home Essentials plan, if you're still eligible, you'll be moved onto the equivalent latest Home Essentials package we offer at that time for another 12 months and your monthly price will be £22.00.

My contract was renewed on 7 July 2025 and I received the email about the price increase in May. (apologies for the poor formatting, I haven't been able to copy and paste the above quote very well)

HillStreetBlues

Robbie64 said:

Is the price increase not when the contract is renewed (i.e. when BT check with the DWP)? I've dug out the email I got about my price increase and it said:

Summary of changes 

1. Following each annual renewal of the Home Essentials plan, if you're still eligible, you'll be moved onto the equivalent latest Home Essentials package we offer at that time for another 12 months and your monthly price will be £22.00.

That's the same email I had. I think my renews beginning of Sept.

Newcad

The fact remains-

There is no current Home Essential plan that is priced at £18 per month.

So they should not be sending me an email that says that.

 They should be charging me either:

• £15 for "Home Essentials Unlimited Broadband"
  or
• £16 for "Home Essentials No Income Plan".

Here are the plans and current prices again: https://www.bt.com/terms/home-essentials

However re-reading one of the 2 emails that I got things get even more confused.

It clearly says that they have changed my 'Home Essentials Unlimted' to 'Home Essential Fibre Essential' 

That 'Fibre essentials' plan does not include phone calls like the 'Unlimited' and 'Zero Income' plans do.
Also "Fibre Essentials" is £21 a month not £18.

However:

So they are saying that they have renewed/changed my Home essentials to the wrong package, one without phone calls included, and have then applied an incorrect cost for what they say they have changed it to.

(Wrong product, wrong cost, t's a communication worthy of the DWP's smoke and mirrors letter writing department).

As they have not even acknowledged my emaild complaint, I guess I'll grid my lions (stet) and call them to get it corrected back to the 'Home Essentials Unlimited" or at least to the 'Home Essentials No Income' at £16 a month.

Newcad

Looking at that 'Contract start date' date in my first screenshot above I've just checked my BT account online.

It cannot currently show my broadband package details (surprise, surprise); but it does today clearly say that the phone is now on Pay As You Go rather than the 700 included minutes that I previously had with Home Essentials.

I do note that to their credit the plans with included phone calls are now unlimited calls and not just 700 minutes.

I can't decide here if  BT are deliberately trying to degrade the value of their existing customers' Home Essentials packages or if it's just a computer error.
I'm tending towards computer error.

I've not phoned them yet, I've tried an escalation email address that I have.
(BT want you to make complaints by phone where there is no written record, phone-calls-only is an increasing trend that I do not like).

HillStreetBlues

I agree it's as clear as mud.
Mine renews beginning of next month so will keep an eye on it.

Newcad

Following my escalated complaints email, BT rang me today and were pretty clueless about what had happened.
The lady I was talking to didn't even know what the Home Essentials plans were or their prices.
She did agree that the £3 increase looked like an automated error.

She put me on hold and then transferred me to - Sales.

It appears that BT resolve such issues simply be changing your package rather than trying to fix whatever caused the error.

They initially offered me 'Home Essentials Fibre' at £21, or 'Home Essentials Fibre2' at £24.
Neither of which includes phone calls.

Of course I wasn't falling for that, and told them I qualified for either 'HE Unlimited Broadband' at £15, or 'HE No Income' at £15.
Both of which now include unlimited phone calls.

I've ended up with the 'Home Essentials No Income' for £16 a month.
Which is more acceptable, it's basically the same as my previous 'Home Essentials Unlimited Broadband' with 700 mins a month free calls, but £1 a month dearer.
However for that extra £1 it now has unlimited calls included rather than the previous 700 minutes.

I've had 2-emails confirming all that - well almost, because one still says 'Fibre Essentials' but it has the details and price correct.

So still saying Fibre Essential (without the 's') but then lower it says:

The second email gets it right:

So again, if/when your BT Essentials plan renews check what they have done and if you don't think it's right then contact them to get it corrected.
PS. By the time my next annual renewal comes around I'll be over State Pension Age so will no longer have a qualifying benefit for Home Essentials.
Interestingly though even after your qualifying benefit ends you can stay on your Home Essentials plan until they do a recheck at 11 months.

rangout

Mine's is still estimated at £15, but says "your bill may be higher due to recent changes to your account or services"

For now, it's still down as Home Essentials with Home Phone and Broadband. It states my contract ends on 05 April 2026 when the prices should go from £15 to £16, as per the MSE email a few months back

It does seem they might have applied the £3 rise to all accounts

Robbie64

Newcad said:

PS. By the time my next annual renewal comes around I'll be over State Pension Age so will no longer have a qualifying benefit for Home Essentials.

Interestingly though even after your qualifying benefit ends you can stay on your Home Essentials plan until they do a recheck at 11 months.

Will you not qualify for Pension Credit? That would mean you can stay on the Home Essentials scheme.

Yes, the good thing about the Home Essentials scheme is once BT has confirmed with the DWP that you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit you can remain on the Home Essentials plan until the next recheck (which should be in 12 months, not 11 months after the last check). This applies even if you cease to be entitled to the qualifying benefit in the mean time. There is no need to inform BT that you have ceased to be entitled to a qualifying benefit.

HillStreetBlues

Robbie64 said:

Newcad said:

PS. By the time my next annual renewal comes around I'll be over State Pension Age so will no longer have a qualifying benefit for Home Essentials.

Interestingly though even after your qualifying benefit ends you can stay on your Home Essentials plan until they do a recheck at 11 months.

Will you not qualify for Pension Credit? That would mean you can stay on the Home Essentials scheme.

Yes, the good thing about the Home Essentials scheme is once BT has confirmed with the DWP that you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit you can remain on the Home Essentials plan until the next recheck (which should be in 12 months, not 11 months after the last check). This applies even if you cease to be entitled to the qualifying benefit in the mean time. There is no need to inform BT that you have ceased to be entitled to a qualifying benefit.

They learnt from BT Basic as once on that it was never rechecked.

Newcad

Robbie64 said:

 Will you not qualify for Pension Credit?

I don't/won't qualify for Pension Credit because I'll have a full New State Pension (over 35 qualifying years) plus I'll also have £300+ a month from an old DB works pension.

Interestingly though I should still get some HB and some CTS, and the HB will qualfy me for certain things such as the WHD, (now that they've changed the rules again I'll qualify again) but not for other things that only specify UC or PC.

To finish up this BT Home Essentials overcharging saga:
I've just checked my BT account online and today it is showing the Broadband package, albeit that it's showing the wrong one its showing the 'Fibre Essentials'.

Note that last information point - it confirms that the plan will continue to it's end date, even though I will no longer be eligible for UC after reaching SPA.

The phone has been corrected and now shows unlimited calls.

And next months bill estimate shows the correct £16 for the "HE No Income"