This topic

Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 10:49:13 GMT

My broadband + phone-line contract + calling plan is coming up for renewal in January.

It appears that the renewal process will automatically switch me to Digital Voice. As a vulnerable customer (once I've managed to register - that's a problem in itself!) I have various reasons not to switch to DV until it becomes really necessary.

How do I renew without getting put onto DV? there seems to be no option in the renewal process to do this.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Keith_Beddoe — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 11:10:50 GMT

Its no longer possible, as new contracts and renewals, are DV only.

The best option is not to renew, and stay on a a rolling monthly package. You would lose any discounts, but would not be disconnected or forced onto DV.

Also you would lose your calling plan if you renew, as the only option is PAYG or unlimited minutes, which would cost you more.

People that have renewed have been force over to EE, with lots of potential issues and increased costs.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 11:28:58 GMT

Interesting, thanks for that info.

I was under the impression that, if I failed to renew when my contract ends, that in effect my line and broadband would simply cease and in effect I would be cut-off. As we need the landline for medical reasons (hence trying to register as vulnerable) I dare not let that happen.

So do I need to do anything to get this 'rolling package' or will it just be automatic?

Re: Renewing contract without DV

licquorice — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:14:11 GMT

There is no need to do anything, your contract automatically becomes a rolling monthly contract unless you explicitly cancel it.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:43:00 GMT

So does the price alter or what?

Re: Renewing contract without DV

iniltous — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 14:01:14 GMT

Most ‘contracts’ have discounts during the minimum term , so after the minimum term expires although there no longer is any continuing contractual obligation , short of the normal notice period, the discounts come to an end so for nearly everyone ( not just BT customers ) the price goes up after the minimum term expires to whatever the pre discount ( standard ) price is .

FWIW , on its own , allowing a minimum term to expire and moving onto the month to month contract doesn’t stop a migration to Digital Voice , that migration doesn’t have any contractual ramifications , basically it’s no different if the telephony is delivered by DV or PSTN , the arrangement is to supply telephone services not the method of delivery , so it makes no contractual difference to you what type of telephone service it is .

If you get a notification of a change to DV you can request it to be delayed ( the notification includes the way to delay the move ) , that’s if you have good reason ( like a ‘lifeline’ type alarm device on the line ) although this delay can’t last forever, eventually you every BT customer that wants telephone services will move to DV or have no telephony from BT .

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 14:26:15 GMT

So...are you saying that I could renew my contract in the normal way just before it expires, thereby keeping almost the same discounted price (the new broadband price is only aprrox £1 per month more), then at some stage BT will tell me that it will be moving me to DV and I can ask them to delay that?

Re: Renewing contract without DV

licquorice — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 14:34:03 GMT

Unless you get frequent and prolonged power cuts, there is absolutely no reason not to move to DV.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 14:45:56 GMT

>>>Unless you get frequent and prolonged power cuts, there is absolutely no reason not to move to DV.....

Well, in my case:

1. The main phone+answering machine is at the front of the house, downstairs in the hall. The router is upstairs at the back in the 'home office'. If I connect the hall phone with an 'adaptor' will that still work if the router is off?

2. There are several BT loud-sounding bells located in various parts of the house as my wife is very deaf. No-one at BT can tell me if they will work off an adapator.

3. For reasons of our limited mobility there are extension phones in almost every room, so there is a BT Line Booster to power the extra REN. Again, no-one at BT can tell me how to get the Line Booster to work with an adaptor.

The current set-up works and meets our needs. Why should we be forced to move to something that appears to be inferior and inflexible?

Re: Renewing contract without DV

licquorice — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 15:37:07 GMT

All of which are obviated by using cordless phones or Digital Voice handsets.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 15:56:13 GMT

Sorry, but how would a DV handset or cordless phone replace a loud-sounding bell, especially those mounted high up well away from any power sockets?

Re: Renewing contract without DV

iniltous — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 15:59:44 GMT

All your wired devices can be reintroduced into a DV setup , effectively they just need to be rewired to the SH2 phone port ( search voice reinjection ) , this is your responsibility but you could employ someone to do this for you…..as stated , once advised of an impending migration , you may be able to delay the change to DV for a while , potentially to Jan 2027 but probably much sooner than that you will have no choice , at that point it’s DV or nothing because the PSTN network will no longer be available.

TBH your requirements are not really compelling enough to be in the last group to migrate to DV and potentially get extra assistance, you have no Telecare , fall alarm etc , but you presumably do have mobile phone coverage, and have broadband, so all the genuine reasons for a pause are not valid in your case , your issues seem to consist of nothing more than you have wired extension sockets and extension ‘bells’ than need reconfiguring to work with DV , this isn’t technically demanding, ( it’s just a rewire from wherever they currently converge to the hub ) but could be time consuming depending on what’s necessary to connect them to the hub

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:07:46 GMT

No fall alarm yet, but....my wife is becoming increasingly susceptable to random falls and her GP has already suggested that it would be beneficial to get one, which is on my 'to do' list for 2025.

Mobile coverage is erratic and can not be relied on.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:17:53 GMT

@Daedalus2000

"The current set-up works and meets our needs. Why should we be forced to move to something that appears to be inferior and inflexible?"

Because once the Public Switched Telephone Network, (PSTN), ie "traditional" telephone lines, is closed down, there will be nothing for your existing setup to make or receive calls over.

So if you do not make the switch, and you say that your mobile coverage is "erratic", you will eventually be left with no reliable telephone service.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

licquorice — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:28:19 GMT

If you carry a cordless phone or DV handset with you, the the need for loud bells is removed.

I assume you don't still have a 405 line black and white television.

Re: Renewing contract without DV

Daedalus2000 — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:44:37 GMT

>>>If you carry a cordless phone or DV handset with you, the the need for loud bells is removed.......

That is assuming that customer has the capability to do that at all times. Not always a simple as it sounds if you have someone with hearing/memory problems.

My wife has a mobile. Even with the ringer volume turned up full and the vibrate on, and the phone in her pocket, she often does not hear it. Much of the time she puts it down somewhere, then forgets to pick it up again and rapidly goes out of earshot. The loud-sounding bells are about the only thing that she is likely to hear if she is anywhere in the house other than right next to a handset, and unlike a (say) a cordless handset does not need her to rely on her memory.

IMHO the current proposals are an inadequate 'one size fits all solution'.