This topic

What is the process for leaving BT

Left2024 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 19:31:35 GMT

Hi,

Our BT Services finished on the 10/June this year moving to a fibre provider as BT can only offer copper services and BT say that they have no plans for offering us Fibre broadband until 2026.

We are out of contract and the Fibre is provided over the Openreach poles.

However we have just had to pay a bill for BT services until the 7th/July else we would have received a £7.50 late payment charge - even though we have had numerous emails telling us which BT services are stopping from the middle of May.

To further complicate matters BT did not cancel our land line, which successfully ported to a VOIP provider on the 10th/June but on the 13th “upgraded it” to a £28 weekend call plan from a 700 minute anytime plan.

We have contacted BT’s support a number of times to try and find out what our final bill should be and why they have changed the call plan for a phone number which is no longer handled by BT.

However we have been giving different answers and in one case treated very rudely by an operator who told me I was looking at the wrong bill and talking over me rather than listening to me.

On two occasions I was put on hold for almost an hour, before the calls were dropped, while the “technical” team tried to cancel the order placed on the 13th as I was told that this was preventing the final bill being issued, but in both cases the problem was not resolved.

When we called BT on the 13th to ask why the order has placed the operator raised a complaint, however we are unable to even view this through the “My BT” portal - it returns a blank grey page.

Has anyone else had similar problems and how can I get a final bill issued (and hopefully a refund for services that BT have not provided)?

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:20:27 GMT

deleted by poster.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

NigelB72 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:08:22 GMT

It depends on who your moving to. BT told me there was a 3-6 month wait for Openreach fibre installations but a rival that also uses Openreach completed a full installation within 10 days. They also notified BT who closed my account down and sent my final bill. Oh and the threats of high charges for cancelling early resulted in a cancellation charge of around £30 ...

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

Left2024 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:16:48 GMT

Thank you for your response - the new Fibre connection was installed in less than 5 days and the first support person I spoke to at BT have told me that the contractor had marked the work as complete for the transfer of the phone number on the 10/June but BT had not completed the work.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

gg30340 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:17:20 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe wrote:

A forum member will not be able to help with this, but you may like to wait and see if you get any suggestions.

What a very helpful answer!!!

Sometimes it is better to say nothing!

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

gg30340 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:28:56 GMT

As it would appear that you have already contacted the BT Customer Service numerous times and received poor service from them I have notified the moderators of the forum about your problem. Once they have read this they may be able to help. They will advise you by posting on this thread.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

NigelB72 — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:37:44 GMT

@Left2024 that sounds like someone working on behalf of Openreach either didn't finish their job before marking it as complete. Ours was done in 2 stages. 1st stage was Openreach pulling the fibre through to outside the house and ISP techy doing the internal bit a couple of days later. It was pretty seemless to be fair

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

iniltous — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 07:38:31 GMT

Although it’s not particularly clear , I suspect the OP has left the Openreach network and BT completely , chosing to use an FTTP Alt Net that leeches into the Openreach infrastructure via PIA ( using the telegraph pole ) , the problem appears to be a combination of who served notice to BT , the OP or the Alt Net if the Alt Net is also the VoIP provider ( normally it’s the consumer if leaving for an Alt Net and not simply migrating to another providers over the Openreach network ) but the OP’s case appears more complicated in that they have also ported their telephone number although it’s not clear if that’s to the Alt Net providing the FTTP or a third party VoIP provider, if it’s a third party VoIP provider, if they requested the number port , it’s 30 days after that the BT service should stop .
In essence it should be pretty simple , the FTTP provider cannot serve notice for the network, if they requested the phone number to be ported the FTTC would be ceased as a consequence of that port request , but ultimately after BT were told to cease FTTC by the consumer or to port the number by the VoIP provider, it’s 30 days notice ……so to give any real opinion more details are needed,
Who gave notice to BT , the consumer or the VOIP provider, and when was that ,
Was there any errors in doing this , like date changes from the Alt Net where the original date given was changes and BT/Openreach were expected to use the new date or new dates .

Its quite often the case when ‘complaints’ are posted , and the error seems pretty obviously down to BT that after a few pertinent questions it’s not as simple as the OP woukd suggest , perhaps the OP can supply further details.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

JohnC2 — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:04:00 GMT

Hi @Left2024, sorry your BT account has not been closed and you've been unable to get this issue resolved when you called.

I've sent you a Private Message so you can get in touch with the Mod team and we'll be happy to help you get this resolved.

Cheers

John

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

Left2024 — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:03:32 GMT

My broadband is now on Fibre which is totally separate to the legacy line coming into the house and the move of the phone number went as expected on the day agreed between BT and the new provider.

I spoke to BT prior to the switch over and was told that everything would be handled between them and the new phone provider and BT confirmed this by email at the end of May.

"We're sorry to hear you're thinking of moving your phone line and broadband to another provider.
If you'd like to chat about the move or have any questions, call us on 0800 085 1756 before 2PM on 06-Jun-2024.
If we don't hear from you, your services will automatically move on 10-Jun-2024
...
If you have any other services connected to your broadband, we'll stop them when it's taken over."

The problems all seem to be around BT not cancelling the phone line correctly within their systems although the operator I spoke to could see that the work has been completed (and they have attempted to do this twice without success) and starting a new Call plan for the phone (which is no longer with BT) which has prevented me being issued with a final bill.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

iniltous — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:21:20 GMT

You seem reticent to state who your new provider is , and if they are delivering its services using an Alternative FTTP Network , or the new ISP is also using Openreach network , wether it’s FTTC or FTTP is relatively insignificant, given that you ask what is the process for leaving BT , it’s does make a difference if the new provider is using OR (as was the BT service ) or not , when it comes to serving notice to BT .

There is a process when moving between providers on Openreach that doesn’t exist if moving to an Alternative Network and the Openreach network becomes redundant , if moving provider on Openreach network the new provider serves notice on your behalf when they arrange Openreach to complete whatever works are required….the way you are describing your situation doesn’t seem to align with either scenario, who is your new provider and over what network are they providing your service ?

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

Left2024 — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:27:54 GMT

There is no issue with either new broadband provider as is not over the open reach network - the problem lies with BT not cancelling my phone line when it was ported to the new provider.

I am not going to share details of the either providers as (a) the broadband is totally separate and has no bearing on the issue and (b) the Voip provider (and BT) have confirmed that the new provider has completed the work.

Re: What is the process for leaving BT

iniltous — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:10:07 GMT

So who contacted BT to advise them you were leaving ? , you directly by asking BT for your line ( phone and broadband) to be ceased or your VoIP provider , if it were the VoIP provider asking for your phone number to be ported , that has the effect of causing the cessation of the associated broadband , in either case it’s a 30 day notice period from when BT were advised.

BT ( and Openreach ) have no interest or knowledge if the work required to install your FTTP service from an Alternative Network is completed or not , it makes no difference to them , you or the VoIP provider effectively gave 30 days notice to for BT service to stop, the Alt Net have no reason to contact BT , they cannot serve notice on your behalf.

It’s irrelevant if the Alt Net FTTP broadband was activated the same day as the BT service stopped , or if it was before, or after, it makes no difference to BT when your Alt Net was provided, the date the phone number moves does impact BT and the Voip provider

The ‘sorry you are leaving’ notification must have been as a result of the VoIP provider asking for the phone number as the FTTP Alt Net don’t advise BT of anything, unless they are both the network and voice provider and then it’s the request for the number port that BT are responding to .

As stated , if whatever date your VoIP provider asked for the number to be ported , you still ‘pay’ for 30 days after that , if the port request was the point at which notice was served , you shouldn’t pay after those 30 days have expired but the final bill may cross two billing periods so paying and being refunded for days after the supply has ended is normal.