Ditch or stay with BT?

StevieD54

My 24 month contract is up next week so I’m looking around. There are clearly better deals out there, but my broadband (FTTP) has been very reliable, hence my reluctance to switch. I am a Sky  TV customer also. Basically, BT are offering an upgrade from 150mb to 500mb for the same price as I’m paying now, 24 month contract as usual. Or I can take a new 150mb package for £6 p.m. less than I’m paying now.

However, one thing I must have is a live landline, this is non negotiable. I currently pay BT an extra £3.40 p.m. for this add on, PAYG. I don’t use it to make calls……I just need it for incoming calls, especially from my elderly mother. So the question is, would other firms offer this landline option? e.g. I know Plusnet won’t, they’ve told me: ‘we no longer do phone lines’.

So does anyone have an experience of this particular situation to share with me? Thanks in advance.

vacheron

Find another company who offers land line options, apply to switch to them and tell them you want to transfer your existing number over from BT. Set an installation date for 3-4 weeks in the fututre. 

The new company will then amlmost immediately get the ball rolling by contacting BT for number porting authorisation, which basically triggers all the "YOUR CUSTOMER IS LEAVING" alarms (far more effective than calling and threatening to leave).

You will then find you will get an unsolicited call from BT's higher level retensions team within the next 1-2 days with the best deals they can offer to get you to stay. Think of a "good" price for the deal from the people you are switching to (it doesn't have to be real)!  

If the BT counter offer is good, stay with BT and cancel the new provider under the 14 day cooling off period. 

If their offer is poor, stay on track and get your new broadband installed. 

I've done this every time. It works without fail and avoids all the initial derisory retention offers from the level 1 retentions teams who really don't have the authorisation to offer much. 
  

iniltous

I’ve just renewed with BT , the renewal price effectively winds back the previous 2 years annual increases so I’m paying roughly what I was 2 years ago and is identical to the Sky broadband price (although the new deal price will increase once a year as it did before ) , I also kept the phone service for a similar reason as the OP , I never make outgoing calls ,  but the occasional genuine incoming call is worth the relatively small price .

Taking Sky as an example, in my case Sky would be little cheaper , TBH broadband is the same price but I get telephone from BT for the equivalent of £2 so switching to Sky would be £2 cheaper because Sky broadband has a phone service included on a PAYG basis included wether it’s required or not , so that suits the OP’s requirements, and it should be possible to port the phone number from BT to Sky , although if it’s goes wrong that’s always a possibility and not necessarily easy to resolve .

TBH , only you can decide what’s the best in your situation, you have been offered two seemingly decent BT offers , a better speed for the same price or a £6 reduction staying on the same speed , Sky may be a little cheaper as they don’t charge for the PAYG phone , my comparison is based on their currently available Black Friday deals , I’d say the phone service almost certainly not an obstacle, more important in my view would be email , you may or may not use your @btinternet.com email , in my case I’d need a significant price difference to offset the hassle of not having that available from email clients, plus the general rule of ‘ if it ain’t broken don’t fix it ‘ .

Lastly , in my chat with BT they still encouraged  a switch to EE , BT said that EE would have been even cheaper and the phone service would be maintained as would the BT email address ,  and moving to EE would open up deals on mobiles , EETV etc , but I was satisfied with what BT offered , so the possibility of EE being a couple of ££ cheaper , possibly to the Sky level didn’t interest me , but may be of interest to the OP 

dnpark38

I'm on the Open Reach network and we now have a second fibre network in the OR trunking and to the top of our pole.
Do you the choice of one of these new Networks?

StevieD54

dnpark38 said:

I'm on the Open Reach network and we now have a second fibre network in the OR trunking and to the top of our pole.
Do you the choice of one of these new Networks?

No idea. All is know is that FTTP was installed underground, using  the original copper phone line conduit. It’s an 1990’s estate so no poles. Originally, I think only BT could offer us FTTP fast fibre, as OR had installed it. I think it’s been freed up now and more firms can access/offer it now, e.g. Sky.

iniltous

There was never an exclusive period where only BT were allowed onto Openreach FTTP , it’s often stated as a fact but it’s absolutely wrong , it’s never been the case , in fact it’s against Ofcom (the regulators ) rules…..if BT were available first it’s because they responded quicker than Sky , Vodafone, Talk Talk etc , by getting their interconnecting circuits connected faster , not that the others were ‘barred’ from the Openreach FTTP network for a period of time .

If an Alt Net had put in their own network, often using Openreach infrastructure , the OP would likely already know , as they flood the areas they cover  with mail drops , unsolicited door knockers , cold calls etc to advertise their availability.

dnpark38

iniltous said:

If an Alt Net had put in their own network, often using Openreach infrastructure , the OP would likely already know , as they flood the areas they cover  with mail drops , unsolicited door knockers , cold calls etc to advertise their availability.

Well that's what I thought would happen happen but not heard anything from the new Network.
It was BT/EE that did a cold call.

iniltous

So how do you know this other network is available ?

dnpark38

Saw it going in, and two houses now  have their original OR and a new fibre to their houses.
When OR put my full fibre in they took the old OR wire away, of course this new network can't touch the OR and houses end up with two.
I think the new is BRSK, but could be Netomnia or City Fibre as all three have plans to do networks.

iniltous

Well if it’s true then you are in the minority, a major part of the Alt Net industry is to get customers ASAP , their financial model is hugely reliant on take up, the fact that they are all financially on life support is in large part due to their woeful take up rates ….siting back and waiting for custom come to them is definitely not their ‘modus operandi’ .

Alt Nets , before , during and immediately after they install their network employ teams of people to inform the local populace that they are available…the fact you say you saw it being being installed yet you don't know if it were BRSK , Netomnia or City Fibre is also odd , given their vehicles are liveried, the notification boards around street works say on who’s behalf the work is being done , and the workers themselves wear PPE with the company logo on them .

Ectophile

I don't know whether or not to recommend them yet, but I recently switched to Vodafone FTTP.  The VoIP phone came as standard at no extra cost.  That's the no inclusive calls option, but still allows my mum to phone me.  The caller display even works.