B T price changes

Mr_McGoo

According to The Times today BT'snew trick is to make weekend calls free and promote that loudly, under certain plans, while increasing the cost of weekday daytime and evening calls, announced much more quietly. This is calculated to increase the amount paid by most users, while pretending that they're making it cheaper.

The Times also said that there is/will be a new charge of 75p per month for having your bill posted. I guess this is in addition to the £1.50 "Payment Fee". That will get them £80,000,000 per year windfall unearned profit, says the Times..

The solution to the problem of wasting time and energy keeping abreast of all BT's little tricks and scams is not to use them. Then you don't have to bother and can have a nice, cheap, simple tariff with another supplier. The only disadvantage is that BT wholesale give non-BT customers a lower priority than BT customers (Source: BT engineer up a pole outside our house, 5 days after an ADSL failure was reported) in an attempt to persuade people that using BT is best.

Drunkstar

Mr_McGoo wrote: »

According to The Times today BT'snew trick is to make weekend calls free and promote that loudly, under certain plans, while increasing the cost of weekday daytime and evening calls, announced much more quietly. This is calculated to increase the amount paid by most users, while pretending that they're making it cheaper.

Welcome towhat 99% of buisness' do. :P

The Times also said that there is/will be a new charge of 75p per month for having your bill posted. I guess this is in addition to the £1.50 "Payment Fee". That will get them £80,000,000 per year windfall unearned profit, says the Times..

Its a 75pence line rental increase. Its far from unadvrtised either, all new customers are specificly told. OK the paper free discount is also increasing, but thats a good thing no?

The solution to the problem of wasting time and energy keeping abreast of all BT's little tricks and scams is not to use them. Then you don't have to bother and can have a nice, cheap, simple tariff with another supplier.

A mistake as it can remove access to over-ride numbers and CPS.

The only disadvantage is that BT wholesale give non-BT customers a lower priority than BT customers (Source: BT engineer up a pole outside our house, 5 days after an ADSL failure was reported) in an attempt to persuade people that using BT is best.

It has nothing to do with wholesale, so thats tosh.

ginger_nuts

apart from the 12 month rolling contract ,are there any disavantages to this .Are there any connection fees or hidden charges .

Soliton

Hi all,

I am sat here trying to decide how to react to BT's price change and have been reading through this thread. Very usefull.

A couple of questions have arisen:

1. There was a suggestion that BT's online bill is different from their paper bill. i.e. contains lest detail. Is this correct or have I misunderstood?

2. What I could do with is something that will read my last few bills anaylse them and give equivalent prices for alternative suppliers. do any of the comparison sites (or anywhere else) do this?

Heinz

ginger_nuts wrote: »

apart from the 12 month rolling contract ,are there any disavantages to this .Are there any connection fees or hidden charges .

For those in, as I describe it, "GPO mode" (i.e. would never consider changing from BT), I can't see there is.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=8624095#post8624095

BritBrat

For those in, as I describe it, "GPO mode" (i.e. would never consider changing from BT), I can't see there is.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...95#post8624095

Makes programing the Orchid easy, when all you have to do is change daytime calls to 1889, 18185 and the like.

My mother in law has been complaining about her last two phone bills, but when I say I can reduce it she don't want to know.

I may get through one day.

Mr_McGoo

Drunkstar

I realise that you are pushing the BT line, but your facts are plain wrong.

Welcome to what 99% of businesses do.

No they don't. BT just thinks they do. Try some research. My provider doesn't, for example.

Its a 75pence line rental increase. Its far from unadvrtised either, all new customers are specificly told. OK the paper free discount is also increasing, but thats a good thing no?

Be nice if existing customers were also told, wouldn't it, and not just by an announcement buried in a ream of drivel about how wonderful BT is sent with the bill. But then they might think of quitting, so we must avoid that. Your "paper-free discount" is a charge for a paper bill. I expect TESCO will follow that; as you check out they'll ask for 50p for the bill and receipt.

As for your question, "good thing. no?"; why is it a good thing, exactly?

Please don't tell me, as I suspect you might be about to, that you think it's more environmentally friendly to run a computer for 15 minutes fighting your way through the BT website, then printing the invoice you find. I don't know whether it is or not, and nor do you. So let's stay off the "environment". I set up and teach about Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001 in case you were unsure which standard covers EMS) and those who take it seriously are plagued by people quoting "the environment" when they haven't got a clue about what really creates adverse impact.

A mistake as it can remove access to over-ride numbers and CPS

Typical BT threat. If you go to another supplier, we'll make sure you lose........

I don't actually know what "over-ride numbers and CPS" are, so I can probably live without them.

It has nothing to do with wholesale, so thats tosh.

BT Wholesale is responsible for the wire from the exchange to all non BT custotmers premises. (BT customers as well, for all I know). My supplier pays BT Wholesale for the line he rents to me (at a lower price than BT would charge). If it goes wrong, he has to contact BT Wholesale to get it fixed. The engineer I mentioned told me that non-BT customers get a lower priority, something always denied by BT, when I asked why it took so long to fix a line fault. Would you like to find out for yourself how this works when you next go to work, and then withdraw the "tosh" comment?

BexTech

Over-ride numbers are like 18185 where you can get cheap call access. For example 18185 charge just 5p per UK landline call no matter how long you are on the call for, also calls to all UK mobiles 3p/min weekends and 6p/min weekdays.

CPS is carrier pre-select, where you line rental remains with BT but your calls are automatically routed via another provider such as Tesco, Primus, Sky Talk.

Having BT for line rental allows you more scope for saving money on calls as you can CPS your line to Primus for example who give you inclusive evening and weekend calls (each call up to 90 mins) and add on Penny Mobile so calls to UK mobiles are 20p for up to 20 mins, both with no monthly charge, you can then also use 18185 for other calls again no monthly charge.

Drunkstar

Mr_McGoo wrote: »

Drunkstar

I realise that you are pushing the BT line, but your facts are plain wrong.

Nope, I am afraid you are.

No they don't. BT just thinks they do. Try some research. My provider doesn't, for example.

I am refering to the 'maximise the good, minimise the bad' its what most companies do. As far as your company, would that be the one that charges an extra fee just to be with them? The one that charges extra if you use another company for calls (thats what CPS is)?

Be nice if existing customers were also told, wouldn't it, and not just by an announcement buried in a ream of drivel about how wonderful BT is sent with the bill. But then they might think of quitting, so we must avoid that. Your "paper-free discount" is a charge for a paper bill. I expect TESCO will follow that; as you check out they'll ask for 50p for the bill and receipt.

So you want BT to phone every customer to tell them? Or maybe, just maybe they could read the BT Update that is sent out with the bill. Paper free discount is that, a DISCOUNT for choosing that method. Not a charge for paying for a paper bill as the charge is he standard. Go find out the difference between a harge and a discount before posting about this again.

Typical BT threat. If you go to another supplier, we'll make sure you lose........

I don't actually know what "over-ride numbers and CPS" are, so I can probably live without them.

:rolleyes:

CPS and over-ride numbers...thats the facility to pay one company for the line rental and another for calls. ONLY BT (and Kingston in Hull) have to allow this, Utility Warehouse allow it, but at a charge of £3 a month on top of your bill.

BT Wholesale is responsible for the wire from the exchange to all non BT custotmers premises. (BT customers as well, for all I know). My supplier pays BT Wholesale for the line he rents to me (at a lower price than BT would charge). If it goes wrong, he has to contact BT Wholesale to get it fixed. The engineer I mentioned told me that non-BT customers get a lower priority, something always denied by BT, when I asked why it took so long to fix a line fault. Would you like to find out for yourself how this works when you next go to work, and then withdraw the "tosh" comment?

Wrong wrong wrong.

BT Openreach mantain the lines, they are who your provider would contact. If they contact Wholesale first they are inept and unable to do even the basics of telecoms. So the tosh coment stays I am afraid.

Though I dont know if Openreach actually prioritise BT over non BT, I dont work their and cannot say. Though I do know that in my experience they dont.

edit: as far as pushing the BT line goes, I have risked my job on more than one occasion to help people on this forum, as I am sure many could back me up on that. I have critised BT, I have helped people get around dicounts and I have helped when I could, even when my job was at risk.
Ask Heinz.

gt94sss2

Drunkstar wrote: »

Though I dont know if Openreach actually prioritise BT over non BT, I dont work their and cannot say.

I think that 'Openreach actually prioritise BT over non BT' is a myth - as in fact I believe their are systems in place so that the BT engineers generally don't know which telecom operator a line "belongs too"..

Regards
Sunil