BT Broadband+Landline cheaper than Landline although Broadband not available at location

SharkenFishen

Dear forumites, We live in a very remote location in Wales. No mobile reception in our village. BT has sold us Landline&Broadband with a very basic speed - we are on an ancient copper line -, this package is cheaper than a landline only contract. (This contract included the purchase of fancy modern phones of which many functions are only avaible with a broadband connection.) After much faffing and sending out openreach technicians, telling us we have set it up wrong and such, they finally admitted they technically cannot provide any internet access because we are 11 miles from the next exchange. We could not claim the broadband fee back until "the problem was resolved" (aka repaired), we can only switch to the - more expensive - landline contract. 
Reading up on USO legislation, I think this is a breach of the obligations BT has. They are not allowed to charge extra for a service, or make us buy other services to provide for a landline. (Other providers do exist in as much that a local company gets heftily subsidised to provide internet via masts that loop the signal to our house. This is not very reliable and makes me miss many working hours due to interruption. There is no other landline provider)

I have formally complained to BT.  We have informed our MP. I have sought advice from the ombudsman. The issue is still not resolved. I want to pay for the landline part only, and not pretend I am using a broadband connection that doesn't exist. As far as I know, BT wants to cease all copper landline provision by 2027. 

What is your take? Any recommendations? 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Sorry OP but if you cancel the broadband then you'd just pay for the landline which is a reduced monthly fee if you only have a landline.

Are you saying landline only is £x more expensive per month than the landline + broadband was?

If so how much per month are we talking?

How far have gone with BT, have you emailed the CEO contact available on the CEO email website?

The team there are pretty good and they may agree to apply a credit of £x per month times the number of months your original contract was for. 

Beyond the contract, I believe the USO only covers £x for install of broadband of at least 10mb and beyond that you are looking at a community type of program where Open Reach will fund 50% and the community fund the other 50% (or at least that's what they used to do).

We were stuck with poor broadband for years and it's very frustrating, luckily they built a phone tower and we have a 4G hub (although it's not cheap and the speeds aren't the best due to the topography but what can you do). 

Regarding replacing copper, 11 years ago they was putting fibre to 98% of homes in Wales, sadly the more remote areas seem to last and if the projects are scrapped at some point you get left where you was. 

onomatopoeia99

SharkenFishen said:

As far as I know, BT wants to cease all copper landline provision by 2027. 

On this specific point you are incorrect. They are ceasing analogue landline provision and moving to VOIP so the handset will have to be plugged into the router, not the master socket.  The line itself may be either copper or fibre, VOIP is agnostic to the link layer.

What were you doing for your landline before entering this contract with BT?

littleboo

What service did you actually want? Broadband + Phone, or Phone only and as asked above, what did you have before ordering the BT service?

SharkenFishen

1. Previously we lived elsewhere, with plenty of choice for providers.
2. The broadband &landline contract costs ~£54 (with the landline itemised at around £35 in the bills), the landline only contract costs around £60.
3. We wanted landline as a security feature, since there is no mobile reception. We booked landline & broadband because it was cheaper, thinking a limp backup broadband would be a bonus, again as a safety backup, for my work. 
4. BT VOIP landline relies on a functioning BT internet connection hence will not work for us afaik. 
5. USO is very specific about a lot of points most people don't seem to be aware of. It explicitly states that no extra services must be sold as necessary to provide a customer with basic landline connection. Nor may people be charged more than others depending on the area. In my opinion the contract and service we are given is in breach of said rules. I am particularly interested in opinions of people who have pursued complaints re USO or know about USO and landline cases where it has played a role. 
6. I have opened a complaint with BT and it has not been resolved. Before I continue pursuing this matter I am exploring what recommendations or experiences other people have regarding landline services and missold contracts. 

I get the impression that BT likes to receive subsidies for remote areas but is sending me in circles because most people eventually give up. Treating us like it's our fault the connection is not working for weeks, with lots of time wasted waiting for technicians who didn't turn up or pretend "switched it on" was very annoying. I don't like being treated like this, if anything I get more determined. It is after all not my fault that BT cannot provide broadband here. 

Ultimately I want a landline contract that costs the same as itemised in our broadband &landline contract. And I believe I am legally entitled to that as advised in the USO rules. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

SharkenFishen said:

2. The broadband &landline contract costs ~£54 (with the landline itemised at around £35 in the bills), the landline only contract costs around £60.

Sorry OP to clarify that's per month?

We are landline only and it costs £12.09 per month (no add ons). 

littleboo

The only way to receive a voice service now is via VOIP which requires an underlying broadband service. That can be on top of an broadband service or for voice only, the broadband is provided to support to the voice but is transparent to the customer If its technically not possible to provide any sort of data connection, then there is a problem. You may be able to use the USO but be aware that one time charges above a threshold are passed on to the customer.
How are you able to post on here?