This topic

New deals not available to exsting customers

TimGlass — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 17:19:10 GMT

Upgrades getting worse! I'm on Halo 3+, which (excluding TNT sport add-ons) is £70.51 per month(!) I was sent an email saying I could upgrade - went to MY BT for deals, and Full Fibre 900 would be £75.91.
However, I also had a separate offer, stating that new customers could get the same Full Fibre 900 (exactly the same) for £44.99 per month, for a 2 year contract.

By not offering the new deals to existing customers I would have to pay an extra £30 (rounded) per month over 2 years, or £720. BT sales will not negotiate anything.

I will probably wait until termination is nil, and then move - My contract expires June 2024 - termination is £244.11

What has happened to BT - I have been a broadband customer for nearly 20 years - why am I, and others, being treated like this?

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

TimGlass — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:00:49 GMT

Further to this I've gone back to what I was sent. If I go to upgrade I get a message saying Full Fibre 900 Halo 3+ is £75.91 per Month. There is a label at the top of the offer saying "Less than new customer price"
If I just go to offers I get Full Fibre 900 at £44.99 per month. Even allowing for 'Complete Wi-Fi' at £5 per month , the total is still just £49.99 per month, or approx £26 per month less (£624 over 2 years)
How does this stack up with the 'Less than new customer price' given in my upgrade deal/invitation?
Is this something that needs to be taken up elsewhere, or is there a simple reason?

I have screenshots of the above if required

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:16:37 GMT

As ever it seems that the prices you are offered at any given time depend on which way the wind is blowing! If I go to a mate's address (I can't get FTTP), then 900Mb is £57.99 as a new customer.

You say Complete WiFi is £5 but for me it's showing £10. You've also omitted Hybrid Connect that is showing at £7 for me. That's very close to the £75 you're currently paying, but without the rest of the Halo benefits.

I did post the other day that it appears that Halo is no longer being sold.

I do get the distinct impression that each department of BT is expressly forbidden from communicating what they're doing to any other department...

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Puma937 — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:38:10 GMT

@TimGlass @Anonymous - The pricing model at BT is absolutely insane.

I'm currently on Fibre Halo 3+ (only 73mb) for £67.50 including phone - out of contract. My upgrade offer within MY BT is as below, £1 more for FF900 with Halo 3+. I have no option though to remove Halo.

If I log out and go through the process as a new customer, FF900 is currently on offer as £42.99 with Complete WiFi for £5 and Hybrid Connect for £7:-

Looking at the Halo page, the prices are ridiculous:-

I'm beginning to lose my mind trying to work out the pricing model used by BT.

For additional confusion also have a look here:- https://www.bt.com/assets/pdf/BT_PhoneTariff_Residential.pdf

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 21:09:46 GMT

I wonder if it's a dynamic pricing model based on what they think they can get away with? Just tried another address eight miles away from the address I used previously & generally considered less affluent.

So that shows the £42.99 that others have posted & also includes a £12 setup fee instead of the £32 they want up the road. Even more odd is the £42.99 price is supposedly reduced from £54.99, which is still lower than the £57.99 price.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

garybs29 — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 21:26:04 GMT

It'll be dynamic pricing based on competitors in area etc, more competitors = lower price

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 21:57:42 GMT

Could well be, the address I used for the lower price also has Virgin 1.13Gb available for £45, whereas for original address Openreach has no competition.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

TimGlass — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 22:16:42 GMT

My upgrade offer that I saved states unequivocally "Less than new customer price", and quotes £75.91 per month.

As the new customer price quoted is £44.99 pm, plus £11.99 P&P this is deliberately wrong.

Incidentally, if I now try and go into my wonderful upgrade deals (!) the "Less than new customer price" has been replaced by "Online exclusive", and the price is now £76.99.

It seems to me that they've been having a lot of complaints, and are trying to get away with it by pretending it never happened. Never mind, I have the print outs to prove it, and will be attempting to pursue it through one means or another.

PS : BT say here that you can't mention a competitor (they edited my original post), but I can get a 900 MB deal from a firm of the same size for £26.99 per month - emailed + leafleted. Thing is, BT still want me to pay up my contract if I go

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Puma937 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 03:38:30 GMT

@TimGlass - Unfortunately I don't think you have a leg to stand on, as BT are looking at like for like packages. The issue is around the fact that you currently have Halo 3+ (locked in forever, like me) and the price promise from BT that 'We promise you’ll never pay more than a new customer when you renew your contract. No exceptions.' is actually correct. What it should say is '....when you renew your Halo contract'.

The new customer price for FF900 Halo 3+ is over £90, so your offer is cheaper. Looking at a non-Halo prices removes that price promise.

Where BT are misleading their customers is that you cannot easily remove Halo, to take advantage of the 'basic' FF900 deal. Within My BT you will never see offers to downgrade from Halo.

Remember that Halo 3+ comes with Complete Wifi (£5), Hybrid Connect (£7), Yearly Home Tech Expert Visits (pointless) plus the latest Smart Hub 2 (which everyone can get) and Double Data on BT & EE mobiles (also 10% discount on your EE call plans).

This is where BT believe that paying an extra £30 a month for Halo is justified - when the only two main elements used are a £12 extra.

I notice tonight that BT are confusing the issue further, as the deals have changed to Black Friday Offers with 3 months free and then back up to £49.99 for FF900. Like a moving target the BT pricing model is constantly shifting, intentionally to confuse existing customers and grab new ones by dangling a different carrot every other week.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

TimGlass — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 11:28:06 GMT

Afraid you're probably right, still, they must have been flustered to remove the 'never pay more' from their blurb, and replaced with 'online only' At the very least confusion!

On the additional elements, on the EE mobiles I found that they're just as bad, and am paying the penalty to get out and switch to a far superior deal (I think all networks have a better deal, and their ads aren't so appalling!). Never had a tech expert, have a few smart 2 hubs, and various range extenders acting as complete WiFi.

If I had shares in BT I'd be worried

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

StuartHK — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 11:56:59 GMT

They call it “competition”. In reality it’s greed driven taking the …

To be fair to BT, it’s endemic through the country these days. It will end the same as it has for the insurance industry. People will start switching, on principle, at the end of their contact until the industry wakes up to the fact that we’re not all mugs.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Puma937 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 12:13:00 GMT

@TimGlass - BT don't care enough to change the wording due to a few frustrated customers. The ploy is to rotate the wording and offers as often as possible, to intentionally confuse. Even the Value & Options team agree, but their hands are tied.

If if go to My BT, my upgrade offers have now disappeared from yesterday. I now get:-

BUT.....if I go through the Halo page, I can still see them:-

Notice that FF500 now says 'Less than the new customer price'.

The Halo page also still states:-

In numerous locations:-

BUT fails to state that it refers to Halo ONLY packages.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

StuartHK — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 12:17:59 GMT

“Halo” now there’s another example. Added to my package for “free” with out any request from me and now I seem to be paying for something I never requested or use.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Puma937 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 12:52:33 GMT

@StuartHK - Halo 3 or Halo 3+ ?

Did you get the Hybrid Connect and Wi-Fi Discs?

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

StuartHK — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 12:59:13 GMT

Just the basic Halo 1. As I said, it was added automatically with no input from me but I now seem to be paying for it.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

Puma937 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 13:24:50 GMT

@StuartHK - What is Halo 1 exactly and what does it include?

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

StuartHK — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 14:55:55 GMT

4g Mini hub if the line goes down. At least I think. It's never been of any actual use.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

marco806 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 20:07:24 GMT

BT/EE are just not competitive...And rely on folk renewing with their eyes closed....When you can get 900 speed for £29 per month, with no in contract increases its a no brainer to leave at the first opportunity imho.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

orozz — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 20:11:16 GMT

Halo 3 only activates with a “qualifying fault” as I found out when my upload speeds dropped to nothing but the download was ok. An Openreach engineer was required to fix the service so to me this should be enough to send me a mini hub and set my BT mobile to unlimited.

Pointless insurance rubbish which will not be renewed in 4 months time.

Re: New deals not available to exsting customers

StuartHK — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 20:45:48 GMT

@marco806

Yes, the only reason I’m still with them is because I’m intending to move house soon and I don’t want to tie into another 2 year contract.