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Unhelpful BT

donegaljoe — Wed, 31 May 2023 11:06:17 GMT

Hi folks,

I am about 6-7 months into a contract with BT (also took out an EE Mobile Plan) getting full fibre 500 data only for approx £35.45.

As a family member has medical requirements a landline would be helpful so I rang BT today enquiring how they could help me in this regard.

New customers in my area can sign up to the same package for £30.99 a month with the phone line costing an extra £5 total being £35.99 with landline.

BT were unable to add a landline for the above price, so I am feeling a bit p***** of with them.

When it comes around to renewing the contract in 18 months or less I will certainly count this experience as a negative against BT.

Re: Unhelpful BT

imjolly — Wed, 31 May 2023 11:13:43 GMT

adding the ability to make and receive calls to your existing broadband only starts a new contract at whatever price is available. bear in mind that it would be digital voice using the SH2 and if any power cuts then home phone will not work unless you have battery back-up - UPS

probably better with just using mobile

Re: Unhelpful BT

garybs29 — Wed, 31 May 2023 12:31:42 GMT

I honestly don't know why people think broadband should be treated different from other services. Fact is new customer offers change periodically & you got the best at the time. Do you buy other household goods & go back to the stores months later asking for a refund to the new price too?

Re: Unhelpful BT

donegaljoe — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:31:09 GMT

Sorry I don't buy that argument for this reason. If I buy something in a shop its a one off payment, whereby broadband is an ongoing service and I am continuing to pay each and every month for the service.
If I want to make change to a service such as adding a landline for medical reasons, then BT should be willing to help me as a continuing customer at the best possible price.

Re: Unhelpful BT

imjolly — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:35:34 GMT

there is no add-on for ability to make and receive calls and you need to start a new contract instead of the broadband only package you selected to a new package broadband with phone capabilities resulting in paying the current price.

Re: Unhelpful BT

donegaljoe — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:43:13 GMT

I am willing to pay the current price for new customers but BT won't let me.

Re: Unhelpful BT

iniltous — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:37:52 GMT

The price you pay , and state is available to new customers seems very good in relation to the prices quoted on the website for 500Mb with a ‘landline’ type phone service, it shows me , £27.50 for 3 months then £50 , the no phone comparison is £45 after 3 months of £ 22.50 ( £5 is the usual per month difference, this based on PAYG calls )

Is your complaint BT won’t add the phone service, or they will add the phone service but the new total price you pay would go up by more than the usual £5 , because the £35.45 broadband price isn’t maintained, so although the phone service charge of £5 is added , the total price is more than you expected (£40.45 ) or are you expecting only to pay £35.99 ( only 44p more ) because that’s what supposedly new customers in your area would pay if they joined BT on that basis ?,

TBH it’s unrealistic to expect a phone service to be added for 44p per month.

Assuming BT did offer to add the phone , how much was your cost going to increase, was it £5 ?

As said , if you want to change the terms of the contract then there is no compulsion on BT to maintain the current price , plus ( although I can accept the price offered to me on the website may be different to new customers in your area ) , if your expectation is you should get 500Mb plus phone for £40.45 or even £35.99 that seems quite a lot different to the price offered to me as a new customer, which is £50 after 3 months of £27.50

Obviously, if you took a phone service , the number allocated would be ‘random’ , simply a ‘new’ landline style phone number , an option open to you is to simply sign up with a third party VoIP provider, which would get you a similarly ‘random’ phone number , the only difference is you wouldn’t use the phone socket of the BT SH2 but use whatever equipment the VoIP provider supplies or indicates you need to buy.

Re: Unhelpful BT

donegaljoe — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:04:16 GMT

I can't remember exactly know the amount for landline but the cost was more than an added £5 added to the £35.45 I am paying for the data only.

Thanks.