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Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Caz9797 — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 12:09:11 GMT

BT says it will rise prices by CPI + 3.9% however that was set before the massive increase in energy prices which have caused a large rise in CPI. While BT will have incurred some increase in its energy costs is it really responsible to increase its charges to the maximum allowed when many customers will be finding it hard this year to cover all of their bills? Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 12:14:57 GMT

To answer your question, I agree with you 100% but I think you'll find that it takes a lot more than a little dissent on a forum to influence BT policy

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

imjolly — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 12:30:29 GMT

@Caz9797

how many other companies have you written to who also have the set annual increase in their T&C? how many have replied

any postponement of the annual price rise will need to be done by many many companies and then BT may be one of them. I wouldn't hold my breath though

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

gg30340 — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 14:43:36 GMT

Keep in mind BT is not a public owned company or a charity.

The BT CEO has already stated the price rise will go ahead.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/07/28/bt-plans-another-inflation-busting-price-rise-despite-cost-living/

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Caz9797 — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 15:36:34 GMT

Correct which means there are a number of individuals and pension fund managers who can encourage a rethink. What this forum can do is help them decide to act.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:07:21 GMT

Speaking for myself, that prompts a couple of questions.

1. Can I leave within the contract period without penalty rather than pay the extra (I believe the answer is yes, I'm just looking for confirmation)

And

2. How do I go about changing ISP's when I'm on FTTP, can I just migrate in the good old fashioned way or do I have to cancel and start again from scratch with an alternative supplier ?

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

imjolly — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:21:46 GMT

@Les-Gibson

You need to check your T&C but I expect that is part of your conditions you agreed to the increase of CPI +3.9% so you cannot leave due to the annual increase

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:22:58 GMT

1. I don’t think you can as it is a pre-agreed price rise built into a contract you agreed to, unlike when companies increase your bills when they feel like it, usually annually accompanied with a message along the lines of “to keep investing in your services” and other such waffle.

2. I assume your FTTP is an Openreach product so you can swap to any other provider that also offers that type of product, just like you could with ADSL and FTTC.

Plenty of providers out there that use the same infrastructure as BT/EE and will offer you either a monthly contract or longer with no price rises, as a consumer you just need to put the effort in to move and even that isn’t difficult these days.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:38:55 GMT

Thanks for that @Anonymous

I've had FTTP with BT for many years and at that time I was warned that I wouldn't be able to change ISP's as easily as with ADSL, hence the question.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 17:23:54 GMT

Just for info if anyone else wants to know if you can cancel your contract due the the annual price increase, the short answer is no, you can't

The information is there in the T&Cs' but as with everything BT it is a bit abstract as you have to read clauses 10 and 21 to work it out.
Why they can't make it more readable by putting all the necessary information in one clause baffles me.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

gg30340 — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 18:12:10 GMT

@Caz9797 wrote:

Correct which means there are a number of individuals and pension fund managers who can encourage a rethink. What this forum can do is help them decide to act.

And how do you propose to do that. This forum has at most a thousand users at any time and far less than that who are frequent active members.

Given that BT have in excess of 14 million customers the vast majority of which will no doubt be in a fixed term contract and will not move to another supplier and incur cancelations fees if the price increase does go ahead and do you honestly think that "individuals" who ever they may be, and pension fund managers, who have a duty to increase their customers pension funds, will really be interested in encouraging a rethink.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

pottyperson — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 11:01:19 GMT

@Les-Gibson wrote:

Why they can't make it more readable by putting all the necessary information in one clause baffles me.

It's a binding contract which by definition is 100% necessary. To be fair, every time I've renewed my contract the agent has pointed out the prevailing provisions for price increases both before and since the implementation of CPI+.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Arthur_Brayne — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:15:33 GMT

If I'm honest, I have fewer issues with the CPI increase as the added 3.9%. Where has that figure come from? It's basically more than anyone ever gets offered as a pay rise and yet BT just add it on on top of the 'cost of living' increase.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:53:36 GMT

@Arthur_Braynewrote:
If I'm honest, I have fewer issues with the CPI increase as the added 3.9%. Where has that figure come from? It's basically more than anyone ever gets offered as a pay rise and yet BT just add it on on top of the 'cost of living' increase.

I think CPI is a bigger consideration for most people, after all a CPI of (say) 1% plus 3.9% is a lot more affordable than a CPI of (say) 10% plus 3.9%.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Arthur_Brayne — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:16:16 GMT

That's true @Les-Gibson but at least that increase is based on something. The 3.9% seems an arbitrary figure added to boost BT's profits. If, say, CPI was -1%, we'd still be paying increased prices of 2.9% even though BT's costs haven't gone up.

Maybe that's a slightly naïve or simplistic view but I 've worked in places where any annual salary increase was based on CPI and in 2015 we didn't get a pay rise because CPI was, basically, 0% for much of the preceding year.

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

imjolly — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:35:58 GMT

@Arthur_Brayne

If you check what other companies not just ISPs you will find similar annual increases from 3.9 or 3.7% so BT are just one of many

It didn't seem bad when CPI was very low but not case now

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 10:29:39 GMT

@Arthur_Braynewrote:
If, say, CPI was -1%, we'd still be paying increased prices of 2.9% even though BT's costs haven't gone up.

I'm not sure that's altogether true, I seem to remember reading somewhere that even if CPI was negative the price increase would still be 3.9%. i.e. 3.9% is a minimum increase

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

pottyperson — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 17:13:28 GMT

@Les-Gibson wrote:
... I seem to remember reading somewhere that even if CPI was negative the price increase would still be 3.9%. i.e. 3.9% is a minimum increase

You don't need to rely on vague memories. Just look at the T&C, where clause 21b states, "If the CPI figure is negative in the relevant year we will only increase the charges by 3.9%."

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

Les-Gibson — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 18:28:29 GMT

@pottyperson

Thanks for confirming that I remembered correctly

Re: Anyone else think that BT should not to raise prices by the full CPI + next year?

pagenotfound — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 08:35:52 GMT

Totally agree with @Caz9797 on this. If the increase next year is as high as predicted then I'll see my contract out and then look to switch to whoever has the best deal and I suspect there is going to be an awful lot of end of contract churn.

I have no issue with BT workers taking action for better pay with the cost of living increases and more power to them but it will be a bit of a joke if BT are offering 5% pay increase to workers but are then going to put prices up 14% or more. It's not going to be a good look.