B T price changes

alanq

BritBrat wrote: »

^ could be a big mistake.

They may do now, but only BT have to allow it.

Not that big mistake. As has already been pointed out, with Plusnet there is no lengthy contract. If they block the facility one is free to move on.

loulou41

I am on option 1, I guess if I make 2 calls per month, that should cover for free caller display, 1571 & unlimited w/e calls. I am thinking of calling them as I will struggle to make 2 calls with bt a month as I normally use 18185. I guess, I would have to waste two short calls to anybody a month. It's just remembering to do it every month so as not incur charges. Thanks

allanmc

Yes JHP.

To be honest, I used to work for BT; until they caringly, and very compassionately, outsourced me to another company. Due to my lower salary, and dead career options, loyalty to BT is really not a priority and has nothing to do with it. To prove it I have personally used many other ISP and call providers over the years as I, like most forum members, don't believe in paying more than you have to. Various recent TalkTalk CPS and billing problems has made me have another look at what is out there.

I wholeheartedly agree that Heinz has a great plan. I have been doing something very similar for the past few years. Having taken the hump with TalkTalk, and done the sums, this BT offer, along with using 18185 for our other chargeable calls, is as cheap as it gets for us. Please note that Heinz does recommend using BT for your line rental, which would give you your inclusive evening and landline calls for a year without having to involve any other companies. Why not get as much as you can from BT for the £10.50 that Heinz recommends you pay anyway? Apart from the 12 month commitment, the only downside is that you only get landline calls up to 60 mins included. With Primus you get 90 mins and you can opt for their capped, 20p for 20 mins to mobiles arrangement.

As well as avoiding paying more than you have to, I am also a great believer in an easy life, and this offer seems to tick both boxes for us. It will also make it easier for the other members of my family to help keep our phone costs down without having to engage their brain. This has proved to be a bit problematic in the past.

If a 12 month contract is an anathema then this is clearly not for you. I was simply trying to point out that this seems a pretty straightforward, and VERY competitive, deal that will suit an awful lot of people who are maybe not as penny wise as they could be, or can't be bothered.

In both of these cases the cheapest line rental is £126 for the year. The choice comes down to whether you feel it is worth the hassle of involving another company or whether you feel you can accept BT’s sweetie of inclusive calls.

Neither option is wrong. It depends on how your home phone is used. If you regularly make evening and weekend calls in excess of 60 mins (and don't want to hang-up and dial again), or call mobiles, Primus, with BT line rental, looks the best option. If you do neither regularly, and are happy to commit to BT line rental for 12 months, then BT looks the easier option for EXACTLY the same monthly cost.

I also think that BT Option 2, 12 month contract option would, possibly, qualify for the free caller display via BT Privacy without having to make monthly chargeable calls but am not 100% sure on that.

The recommendations from Heinz for any other, not included, chargeable calls will work in both of these scenarios and the costs incurred will be exactly the same.

Either way the total costs are virtually identical, unless you regularly call mobiles.

Only you will know what the best option for your situation is.

The decision, is yours..................................:T :T :T

djohn2002uk

allanmc is absolutely right. The whole thing is "horses for courses". I have used 1899 then 18866 then 18185 over the last few years but my bill from them is always around the £9/month mark. Now I can get option 3 for £7.95 and £5.95/month from April it's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

BritBrat

I have no problem with a 12 month contract but I do with a rolling 12 month contract and that is what you are signing up to.

As I see it the only way out of the contract is to move to another phone supplier.

So good luck to you allanmc, as you worked for BT you will know best.

Just like Ben did with me.

allanmc

BritBrat wrote: »

I have no problem with a 12 month contract but I do with a rolling 12 month contract and that is what you are signing up to.

As see it the only way out of the contract is to move to another phone supplier.

So good luck to you allanmc, as you worked for BT you will know best.

Just like Ben did with me.

Hi BritBrat,

I can see your point but at the end of 12 months you can downgrade your option, move supplier or carry on for another 12 months, if you cannot find a better deal. You really wouldn't want to downgrade or change within the 12 month periods as you would have to pay to get out. That doesn't seem particularly unfair to me as I will be paying my BT line rental anyway. If you are going to be paying BT for your line rental, then why not take advantage of their inclusive calls? Currently there is not a cheaper line rental option that also includes the 1571 and Caller Display services that we use.

Being a disgruntled ex-BT employee really does not mean I know best. I am only trying to say that this is a hard to beat home phone deal if you want an easy option and can live with it for recurring 12 month periods.

If you want a more flexible but fiddlier (is that a real word?) solution, then don't even consider this option. Either way, unless you call a lot of mobiles, it will cost you around the same for the 12 months, with or without the contract.

You have to decide which is best for you.

I doubt if Ben has to pay for his calls.

billsavings

djohn2002uk wrote: »

allanmc is absolutely right. The whole thing is "horses for courses". I have used 1899 then 18866 then 18185 over the last few years but my bill from them is always around the £9/month mark. Now I can get option 3 for £7.95 and £5.95/month from April it's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

The Option 3 offer is only a no brainer if you regularly make lots of peak calls.If you dont then your wasting your money.

jhp

Fair play to you allanmc but the Heinz programme works well for me and i dont intend to change it and sign a rolling contract with BT.

The Acronym IIWDFI comes to mind.:D

notbritishgas

Bufflowbill wrote: »

With Primus the Free Evening and Weekend Calls are what they say FREE. Where as on BT,s offer they raise the proper charge then give you a credit. Does this mean that if you dont make some chargeable calls you dont get to use up the credit and it rolls on?


"Available to eligible residential customers agreeing to a 12 month renewable contract on BT Together Option 2 ('Unlimited Evening & Weekend Plan' from 1 April). Line rental costs apply. Discount is via bill credit. Exclusions and conditions apply."

I am on paperfree billing and last weekend made some "free" calls. I can confirm that they do not show on my bill,so no credit is required.
However for those of you that use GeoISP as a dial up Internet provider, which uses an 02 geographic number to dial, these calls are not free at the weekend, BT have scuppered that freebie.

Heinz

jhp wrote: »

Fair play to you allanmc but the Heinz programme works well for me and i dont intend to change it and sign a rolling contract with BT.

The Acronym IIWDFI comes to mind.:D

Thanks for the vote of confidence (for those wondering, the acronym stands for "If It Works, Don't Fix It!).

However, another poster raised the possibility of opting for the BT free Unlimited Evening & Weekend Plan to 'save the hassle of ' signing up for Primus Saver Option 2. It's a variation on the 'one bill is easier' argument (which I've never understood - but I have the time to spare) but, provided 90 minute free calls (instead of BT's 60 minutes) and/or calls to mobiles capped at 20p for up to 20 minutes is not an issue for you, I have to admit it's a possibility.

Indeed, the Heinz (Orchid) program would work perfectly with it too.