BT Essentials

NineParsecs

I've checked loads of providers offering social tarrifs. very few have removed ESA (Not legacy ESA.) There are going to be loads of refusals as the legacy part of ESA is now gone. They need to catch up, it's not really fair to leave it.. It caught me out because it simply said ESA, BT removed the "income based" part, hence i thought they had changed their policy. It's a good job it doesn't affect your credit rating or i'd be all over em! Maybe not mis-selling, but it IS misleading.

Neil_Jones

Ofcom's website just suggests ESA:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/social-tariffs

So if the regulator is saying that then the providers (especially BT) have to follow suit.

It is verified with the DWP I believe and I suppose the "assumption" (for want of a better word) is that Universal Credit is being claimed, as income based ESA as I alluded to earlier in the thread is being absorbed into that and may still be floating about. New ESA is separate (and from what I understand new style is claimable as well as UC).

It may be that New ESA on its own isn't enough because I believe its similar to contribution based/new style Jobseeker's Allowance- ie you get it if you paid enough NICs in the previous few years Income based JSA would qualify for a social tariff, whereas new style JSA doesn't.

You'll notice other services that say you can get free this that and the other on JSA (such as NHS prescriptions, sight tests, dental etc),only count for JSA purposes if you are on income based JSA - contribution/new style JSA gets you nothing. It may be that social tariffs are treated the same way.

I don't claim to know all the rules and the ins and outs, but it appears to me its the way the system works. If DWP computer says no, no social tariff for you.

NineParsecs

Seems awfully complicated?