Friends and Family Mobile

[richardde]

I am currently on Unlimited Anytime Plan and get inclusive landline calls and text messages. On checking my latest bill, I noticed a new entry in the "Landline - Your regular charges" section.  Without any notice, they have started to charge me for Friends and Family Mobile at £2.73 per month.  What is more, they have backdated the charge to 24 July 2020 and charged me arrears of £2.38 as well.

I thought perhaps I had started to receive a discount on UK Mobile  calls, but no, UK Mobile is still shown as "out of plan" and the rate has not changed.

So it appears I am being charged an extra £5.11 for no reason at all.  Has anyone else received this mysterious charge?

I have searched BT's website for details of this new charge, but it doesn't appear to exist. The nearest I can get is Friends and Family International, which is for international calls.

[-Richie-]

Friends and Family Mobile is an old legacy plan, which has always been chargeable, if you've not paid before then it was a glitch, have you made any changes recently ? normally a new order or change will refresh the system, it then starts billing correctly.

BT have far better calling plans now, the new ones include inclusive minutes to UK landlines and UK mobiles, you're clearly a long standing customer, give BT a ring and get a new discount in place, get a new calling plan and you'll be better off financially each month.
A new contract and discount will commit you to a new 24 month term, also ask about updating your marketing preferences to email, so any discounts or offers will be emailed, then you won't have legacy plans again in the future.

[richardde]

I have not made any changes recently and have been on the Unlimited Anytime Plan since before 2013. (HMRC do not require records to be kept for any longer!)  Over the years, I have added other services, such as Line Rental Saver, until they were withdrawn. None of these could be described as “recent”.

What I would really like to know is whether any other people have received this mysterious charge, and what exactly this charge is for? Whether BT have “far better calling plans now” must depend on customers’ needs and circumstances. 

As for giving BT a ring, on the BT Home page it gives the following warning:

Our call centres are very busy

While we’re extra busy, it’s easier to find what you need online - from viewing your bill to getting help, tracking orders and faults and more. Helping yourself online also lets us keep our lines open for vulnerable customers.
Thank you.

So, I look forward to spending hours on hold listening to awful music or repetitive announcements, only to be put through to someone who doesn’t know why I have been overcharged, but can suggest that I change to one of BT’s wonderful new calling plans where, if I pay X amount extra, I will get X amount of inclusive minutes. I just need to time every call made so that no one exceeds the inclusive minutes. How can this be better than paying less for Unlimited Anytime Plan?

[-Richie-]

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@richarddewrote:

So, I look forward to spending hours on hold listening to awful music or repetitive announcements, only to be put through to someone who doesn’t know why I have been overcharged

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You've not been overcharged, BT have not sold Friends and Family Mobile for many many years now, so it's impossible to add it on anymore, if you've had that addon then you've been undercharged and are only just now being billed for it.

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@richarddewrote:
but can suggest that I change to one of BT’s wonderful new calling plans where, if I pay X amount extra, I will get X amount of inclusive minutes. I just need to time every call made so that no one exceeds the inclusive minutes. How can this be better than paying less for Unlimited Anytime Plan?

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Unlimited Anytime Plan only covers UK landlines, the new calling plans include UK landlines, UK mobiles, inclusive callsto 0845 and 0870 numbers and have no 1 hour limit, previously people had Unlimited Anytime Plan because it was the only way to have inclsuive daytime calls, the new calling plans have no inclusive time periods.

Everyone is different with different needs but if you only use the phone a few hours per week during the day, paying 20p per minute is £12 per hour, the new 500 minute plan is £5 per month and includes over 8 hours call allowance, 700 minutes is £7 and includes over 11 hours of call allowance, anytime calls is more than £5 per month, so switching plans can be cheaper and far better with the inclusion of UK mobiles and 0845/0870