BT Rolling Contract

[MrT2]

Just wondering if anyone could help confirm my understanding of BT contracts. Ive had my broadband and phones with BT for a significant time but regularly agree to a discount period which usually lasts for 12months. At the end of the period my assumption is that the discount ends and I roll into a monthly rolling contract with no discount. Grateful for any help in confirming this? Many thanks.

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

Welcome to this user forum.

At the end of your discounted period the contract is on a month by month rolling contract, and the price will revert to normal.

You can renew your contract at a discounted rate by calling UK customer options on 0800 800 030.

[MrT2]

Keith

Many thanks for the prompt reply and the welcome to the Forum. Thanks also for confirming I’ve moved onto a monthly rolling contract. I’m currently trying to resolve an issue following a visit by a BT engineer to fix my broadband. The fault turned out to be a faulty Home hub which was swiftly replaced. Both the engineer and the website noted that this would be covered by BT.

I was therefore surprised to find a £129.99 charge had been added to my direct debit. I’ve raised the issue with BT and the reason they state is that I’m no longer ‘under contract’ with BT. I’m struggling to understand the logic given I’m a very long standing BT customer and was never clearly informed my contract had expired. I was in fact unaware that my discount period had ended a few months earlier and have been paying the full amount for both my services as my wife pays the direct debit. I’m trying to resolve the issue amecably through the BT compliants procedure and awaiting a final review. If this proves unsuccessful I will look to take the case to the Ombudsman with the key issue being that I had not been clearly made aware I was not a BT customer and was out of contract. Seems a shame to have to take this action but I feel somewhat let down as I’ve ended up paying significantly more for the services but never appreciated that my contract had ended and therefore none of my equipment was covered for being faulty. Any views or comments would be welcome and I hope BT adopt a positive approach to dealing with this fairly. Thanks

[Keith_Beddoe]

See http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12439/c/

You'll be charged if the problem is caused by things like:

• Your main socket, due to damage you've caused
• Your home phone extension wiring
• The way you've connected up your equipment
• Interference from something else in your home, like your phone, alarm system, or a faulty microfilter
• A faulty BT Home Hub that's out of warranty (your Hub is in warranty if you're in contract)

Its a bit confusing, so I will ask a moderator to comment.

[wdblue]

I'm no expert but it sounds to me like you are on a contract - the contracts just last one month at a time.  And therefore, unless there are different T&Cs for customers on a fixed term contract, you should be entitled to the same services as you used to be.

[DavidM]

Hi @MrT2 and thanks for posting.

@Keith_Beddoe is correct. If you’re out of contract a faulty hub would result in an engineer charge being raised as it would no longer be under warranty. Was a replacement discussed when you reported the fault?

Cheers

David

[Keith_Beddoe]

You would of cause get a 12 month warranty on the replacement home hub.

The main charge would have been raised by Openreach, as the fault was not due to their network.

Openreach pass the charge onto the Service Provider, who pass it on to their customer.

Its not just BT Retail that would charge you, other providers do the same.

[MrT2]

Thanks David and Keith.

The key issue was that I was not aware I was ‘out of contract’ and was not made aware that the hub was no longer under warranty. Although I was made aware that there could be a potential charge if the issue was caused by the home owner eg faulty extension sockets etc.

I was also disappointed that the charge was added to my direct debit with no prior notification.

Thanks for the help on this topic.

[john46]

It is not down to BT to remind you that you are out of contract also the hub is also only under warranty as long as the contract runs

[MrT2]

John

I do think it down to BT to make it clear when I reported the fault that any issues with the hardware would be my responsibility. I also feel it is not unreasonable for them to provide details of the charges before automatically adding them to the Direct Debit. In essence it’s about being fair and transparent. Look forward to hearing from BT and hopefully resolving the matter. If not letting the Ombudsman giving a view on the issue. Thanks