Is it even possible to haggle against BT's automated pricing?

superpang

I read the haggling guide here and am having no luck!

My contract expired last week. I'm currently paying £65.99 for 900Mbps. I called last week and was told the best they could do was £43.99, despite offering new customers £38.99! So today I phoned the disconnection number as suggested and the computer says the best they can do is £49.99!!

So it seems like I'm fighting an algorithm that is putting the pricing UP to try and call my bluff and the people in the call centre/s have no sway in the matter. Is this correct? It seems obscene to me!

Sky are offering me £27.00 as a Sky VIP. This would be a no brainer if not for the fact that I also have my "land line" aka digital voice with BT so it would mean faffing around with a VoIP service. I also have a BT email address and my home network can also be a bit picky so I don't fancy taking a punt on a new router. So as much as I'd love to tell them where to go, staying would be less of a headache!

mta999

I think the sad fact is that if you just want broadband then you have a lot of competitors and can shop around and get a good price, but if you want a BT landline then you are pretty well stuck paying whatever BT ask.

flaneurs_lobster

Obscene seems a strange description of a company's renewal policies. Don't like them, don't take them.

I was quoted £40 by BT when out of minimum term, signed up elsewhere, BT countered with £27 and 10x the speed. Might work, but it's a gamble.

If the landline is the killer then you are going to have to live with BT or swap to a broadband vendor neutral VOIP service.

Can't see much point in paying for a Gb internet service when you've got a dodgy router/and or wonky home network.

Get rid of the BT email, ridiculous that a provider's email service should be a constraint on your broadband choice, plenty of free (and frankly better) email providers.

oldernonethewiser

Why is your home network "a bit picky"?

For me that would be a potential reason to move elsewhere.

As flaneurs_lobster says, look to migrate away from your BT email. Having an email tied to an ISP is unnecessary.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012299#Comment_82012299

Yep, turning down the £43.99 if everything else suited them was a mistake. They need to take the chance with the OTS service.

superpang

Thanks for the replies.

I know, I know, I'm BT's ideal customer - been with them 16 years, need a "land line" as I live in a rural area, and I've rested on my laurels with the email address. They've got me over a barrel.

With hindsight, I should've accepted the first offer, but the reason I posted here was because the guide implies the haggling is a similar process to Sky TV, which it is absolutely not in my experience. It even says on the "My BT" webpage that they price match with new customers. The lady on the phone brushed that off. I stand by my statement that their dynamic pricing model is obscene. I'm not trying to book a holiday on a dodgy website here.

With regards to my network, I have a large house with two APs wired through the loft. The farthest seems to drop out with some routers or not work at all. I realise that's a me problem but my current setup just works, and if it aint broke…

The plan was always to phase out the email and landline. This is certainly the kick up the backside I needed. I'd rather have taken two years to be thorough about it but I guess I'll fast-track that.

iniltous

£38.99 is the new BT customer price for 900 Mb broadband without telephony, so £43.99 is that new customer price plus £5 for PAYG telephony (so it seems you have been offered the same as a new customer ) you say you want telephony but then use the no telephony price as a guide .

TBH although you may get both services cheaper than £43.99 using someone else , it’s a pretty reasonable offer for BT , EE may be a little cheaper still and that is basically the same in that you can keep telephony etc , although you would need to confirm that the BT email address is maintained .

If you want to remove telephony that £5 difference between broadband and telephone, and standalone broadband should be removable

superpang

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012472#Comment_82012472

Nope, I left the telephony prices out for clarity. The first quote was actually £49.99 with PAYG, so they went from £44.99 to £49.99 in three days. Presumably it'll be £54.99 by the end of the week, so I won't be calling them anytime soon!

Will look into a new router and VoIP service and set up a new email and take it from there.

flaneurs_lobster

….although you would need to confirm that the BT email address is maintained

Came up in a recent thread, BT allow you to keep your email address for free but it's web-access only - to retain mail client access will cost you £7/mth.

superpang

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012482#Comment_82012482

I'd already read that elsewhere. I'm certainly not paying that. Not easy to just bin a primary email and phone number I've used for years but it is what it is!

iniltous

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82012480#Comment_82012480

You said the new customer price was £38.99 , It is but for broadband only , not broadband and phone the new customer price for broadband and basic PAYG phone is £43.99 (£5 more ) , you called last week and were offered £43.99 , you never said this was for broadband only , the implication that it was on a renewal basis , so including telephone if that’s what you currently have .

FWIW , if you start a move to another provider you may well get a retention offer to remain pretty soon after the ‘sorry you are leaving’ communication