This topic

Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

JoeT89 — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:31:41 GMT

So I'm looking to renew my broadband contract, and I notice there's a "price promise" that I'll "never pay more than a new customer, no exceptions". Yet browsing as a new customer shows the same packages at the same address for half the price. So which is it: blatant fraud, or egregious mistake? I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, but here's a fun list of potentially relevant laws and regulations I found, just in case:

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
The Consumer Rights Act 2015
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Codes
The Competition Act 1998
The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Kimberlin — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 01:11:49 GMT

@JoeT89 Well you could of course just switch and save yourself a whole load of your own time and not have to worry about the list you have compiled. Or you could give retentions a call and spend an interesting amount of time on the phone talking to someone in an outsourced (possibly) call centre in the hope of bagging that amazing deal a brand new customer gets; and I wish you the very best of luck on that one! Have a read through some of the threads and make up your own mind on how customers wishing to negotiate a new contract have fared.

You never know though, if you log into your MyBT App and look at your ‘personal’ re contract offers, you might get that ‘new customer’ price deal that some contributors may or may not have got with zero effort. I didn’t get any such new offers when my contract was almost up except ones that were more expensive than what I was already paying, so I went elsewhere.

Best of luck whatever you do.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

gg30340 — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 06:39:12 GMT

The price promise is only in relation to the exact same package that you presently have which I presume is a Halo package as the promise if a feature of Halo and not a universal promise on all packages.

You may find that the exact same package is no longer offered and if that is the case obviously the price can not be offered.

https://www.bt.com/halo/terms

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

WSH — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 08:30:44 GMT

“So which is it: blatant fraud, or egregious mistake?”

Neither. It’s just marketing weasel words. As gg30340 said, if you are a Halo customer then it's for a ‘new’ Halo customer. (Despite the fact that, as far as I know, they don't offer Halo to new customers). If it’s an obsolete package then, of course, there is no ‘new’ price to compare it to, so they can just quote the old tariff max price.

Initiate a move to somewhere else and then look at your personal offers once that is in play. It's all a game.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

iniltous — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 08:57:49 GMT

As stated you are not comparing like for like , Halo benefits include whole home WiFi , unbreakable broadband ( 4G back up that kicks in should the landline service fail ) as well as various mobile data advantages (like double data etc ) , I’m not saying these benefits are worthwhile for the majority of customers but they have a cost …..you can’t compare a ‘bare’ service to one that includes these benefits…..I’d agree the marketing is deliberately vague , as it refers only to a Halo customer , ( won’t more than a new Halo customer ) …but that’s hardly unique to BT , it’s the same in any business or industry

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Kodikid — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:04:26 GMT

Amazed that in this time of one touch switching people still bang on about renewal pricing.

Also this isn't a BT thing.

You want new customer pricing then become a new customer with another isp.

If you expect reward for loyalty then maybe get a dachshund.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

WSH — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:10:10 GMT

@Kodikid

Been driving one of those for years. Their trade in prices are not much cop either.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Kodikid — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:18:51 GMT

spookily had you down as a Rover driver..please don't tell me you have a tweed jacket with leather patches on the elbows as well

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Kimberlin — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:57:25 GMT

Ultimately, it’s down to each customer own choice about whatever route they choose at renewal time.

We’ve read countless thread after thread of those who have been with BT for years and they’re either too ‘scared’ to move away because what they have works and they’re literally frightened witless that they’ll lose service or something will ‘go wrong’ if they switch. Or, they somehow ‘forget’ or even don’t know that they’ve been on a rolling contract for years and then realise that 100 quid a month they’re paying isn’t perhaps somehow right anymore.

Good points raised about whether one is getting ‘like for like’ when comparing packages, agreed, you can’t compare between ISPs if you’ve got equipment that others don’t offer. My mind is literally blown at the stories I read on this forum about Halo3, even worse when folks claim they can’t somehow get rid of a product they no longer want without some massive effort and life wasting time talking to someone in a call centre in Stevenage (perhaps).

Going back to OTS, it’s easy and I find it a little odd that there appears to be some negativity towards it, undoubtedly from people who have never used it. Whilst there might be an occasional customer who might have a poor experience, I’m betting the vast majority won’t.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Kodikid — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 12:21:16 GMT

maybe if the OP put his efforts into getting a better deal then making a pointless list

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

WSH — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 14:32:29 GMT

@Kimberlin I think part of the problem at present is making the switch from FTTC to FTTP. That, of course, is a significant infrastructure upgrade and hardly “one touch”. That’s certainly made it a long-winded and drawn-out exercise for me and one of the reasons I’ve put up with the price for as long as I have.

Once that infrastructure is already in place, “one touch” switch should literally mean one touch switching, so in two years time there had better be a good price readily available or I'll be off.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

gg30340 — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 18:55:15 GMT

@Kimberlin

As has been pointed out to you before, the problem with OTS is not when it goes right, the problem is when it goes wrong.

It has been pointed out to you on more than one occasion that there has always been "One Touch Switching" between Openreach network connected ISP's, which is what you no doubt used prior to the "OTS" as it is now known, being announced as the be all and end all of moving ISPs. When that previously happened there were safeguards to prevent things going wrong.

Again, as has been previously pointed out to you, Ofcom in their infinite wisdom changed this to incorporate "OTS" for non Openreach networks and when doing this they removed the safeguards to prevent things going wrong such as somebody entering the wrong address etc. which ultimately caused the "wrong addressee" to lose their connection and end up in a world of hurt.

If you do not think this is possible just send me your home address and give me permission order broadband using OTS to your home address and I will happily prove you wrong.

While I agree the vast majority will have no problem what so ever with using the OTS there is still no doubt many people that do have a problem even when they are not using OTS to move to a different provider.

As regards your statement "We’ve read countless thread after thread of those who have been with BT for years and they’re either too ‘scared’ to move away because what they have works and they’re literally frightened witless that they’ll lose service or something will ‘go wrong’ if they switch. Or, they somehow ‘forget’ or even don’t know that they’ve been on a rolling contract for years and then realise that 100 quid a month they’re paying isn’t perhaps somehow right anymore" out of the 8.8 million BT Broadband customers can you try and quantify the "countless threads" or give a percentage as to those numbers to at least give your statement some credibility?

As you have said " Ultimately, it’s down to each customer own choice about whatever route they choose at renewal time" so stop banging on at every opportunity telling people to swap ISPs until at least you know that is what they want to do!

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

licquorice — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 18:45:15 GMT

Exactly!!!

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

alexajames — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:03:26 GMT

It sounds like there might be a misunderstanding here rather than outright fraud. The “price promise” usually applies only to the exact same package you currently have. If BT has updated or discontinued your current plan, the pricing may not match what’s being offered to new customers.

You can check the full details and terms of the price promise here: BT Halo Term s.

If you believe the offer is misleading or doesn’t align with consumer protection laws, it may be worth reaching out to BT directly for clarification or filing a complaint through the appropriate regulatory channels.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

gg30340 — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 06:28:38 GMT

@alexajames

Which was pointed out in message 3.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

alexajames — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 04:11:03 GMT

@gg30340

Ah, I understand now, apologies for missing that point in message 3 earlier🙏.
Thanks for taking the time to clarify it!

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

Puma937 — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 09:31:12 GMT

Don't mention Halo or a 'Price Promise' ever again, or you will be shut down and silenced Kimmel style.

Re: Renewal prices & Hanlon's razor

gg30340 — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 11:09:58 GMT

@Puma937wrote:
Don't mention Halo or a 'Price Promise' ever again, or you will be shut down and silenced Kimmel style.

I guess you are referring to the recent thread that has been locked because it was answered and going round in circles. The thread has not been removed, it is there for anybody and everybody to read.

So what were you just going to carry on and repeat everything that has already been posted many times and get the same answers. How many times do think it needs to be explained.