Saving BT Line Rental when away

Compound_2 · 19 October 2004 at 10:30PM

With reconnection being free now, is it worth disconnecting your line if going away for an extended period? You save on BT line rental plus avoid the risk of unauthorized calls. What is the bureaucracy for disconnecting and reconnecting, and do you keep your number? Is your CPS provider informed, and might you loose the TalkTalk free year? What about prefix carriers – can they just suspend or must you cancel and re-join?

Is the Light User Scheme a better idea?

FF99 · 19 October 2004 at 10:35PM

Would you get the same no. again ??????

sergeant121 · 19 October 2004 at 10:55PM

This is not meant to be rude but, if you can afford to be away for long enough to make what you suggest worthwhile (i.e. more than a month), surely you don't need to save £10.50?

Re prefix carriers, AIUI, once you've registered, you pay for what you use. Don't use, don't pay (no bill).

Compound_2 · 19 October 2004 at 11:25PM

surely you don't need to save £10.50?

There's still the issue of unauthorized calls. In any case, there might effectively be no choice about going away, and there are plenty of complaints on here about BT line rental. Saving £10.50 per month is commendable MoneySaving.

Re prefix carriers, AIUI, once you've registered, you pay for what you use. Don't use, don't pay (no bill).

But if your number isn't kept for you, someone else could make calls at your expense.

gt94sss2 · 19 October 2004 at 11:47PM

With reconnection being free now, is it worth disconnecting your line if going away for an extended period? You save on BT line rental plus avoid the risk of unauthorized calls. What is the bureaucracy for disconnecting and reconnecting, and do you keep your number? Is your CPS provider informed, and might you loose the TalkTalk free year? What about prefix carriers – can they just suspend or must you cancel and re-join?

Is the Light User Scheme a better idea?

Just how long are you planning to be away/is an extended period?

Reconnection with BT is free but if its longer than 3 months (normally) - you risk losing your telephone number as BT may reallocate it.

If you disconnect your line, your CPS provider automatically knows and your service is cancelled - so you would lose the TalkTalk free year.. of course they *may* have a new offer when you want to come back (or they may not!)

Prefix carriers - I don't think they will cancel your service automatically but its a good idea for you to stop them yourself and restart them - in case your number is reallocated and the new "owners" want to use indirect access companies.

As for the Light User Scheme - you can't be on TalkTalk and LUS at the same time.

If you switch to LUS, BT will also block your access to indirect carriers (though this will come back when you change to a normal tariff) and its against the T&C to be on LUS if you have a mobile or ADSL.

Regards
Sunil

DonnyDave · 20 October 2004 at 12:28AM

I have to agree, it seems more trouble than it's worth.

What are these 'unauthorised calls'. Who's gonna make them? Are you going to leave someone your house key to look in every so often? You trust them with your possessions but do not trust them not to make sneaky phones calls?

Another thing. These days with pairs being tight and BT not wanting to install more, your line may be physically disconnected. When reconnected you may find yourself DACSed.

I know because a neighbour's house became empty. When it was reoccupied my line was DACSed with theirs.

In short, a conventional telephone line uses two wires (known as a pair). As more lines are installed in an area, the less spare pairs available. If you're DACS'd, you share a pair (usually) between your pole and the exchange. There is no cross-talk between the lines, but there is slightly more noise. This is most apparent with the internet because you will only be able to get 33,600kps on dial-up.

Saving BT Line Rental when away

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