Issue with recent reduction of channels and not being able to cancel contract without returning box

[BishPatrik]

I signed up for BT Broadband with BT TV Entertainment Extra + Sport (2 boxes) on 28th November 2019 for a 24 month contract that was up and running on 13th December 2019.

A few months ago, BT increased the price for BT Sport, so I cancelled the BT sport part of the contract without charge.

A few weeks ago, BT wrote the letter to say the number of channels was decreasing and so we could cancel free of charge or switch to Now TV if we accepted a 24th month extension on the contract.  I don't think I can sign up to that, with the constant changes to the TV side of things, as it gives me no confidence in a BT contract, so I asked to cancel.

I am confident that if I were to continue with my current contract and let it run out that I could keep the boxes, as I signed before the 13th December 2019 when the terms and conditions were changed.

What I am not sure of is what I can do if BT change the contract on me and I cancel, as I can't find the terms and conditions as they were before that date.

I have had conflicting information when I have phoned BT.

About 2-3 weeks ago I phoned about it, and they said that as my contract has lasted 12 months, and I was cancelling because the product has changed that I would be able to keep the boxes.

I said I would delay as the channels would last until at least February, so I rang up today to cancel, and got told that I would have to return the boxes, even by the end of the contract.

I checked for the official terms and conditions from that period and I must be looking in the wrong place as I can't find them online, but I have a note to say if they increased the price by a certain amount then I could cancel and keep the boxes after 12 months, but it says nothing about reduction in service.

Does anyone know?

[TimCurtis]

@BishPatrik 

On the old contract terms you could keep the box even if you terminated the contract before the 12 months , although a charge could be applied.

Customer services are always telling people to return the box regardless of what the real contract terms are.

The box is yours to keep as you did sign up before the the change of contract date. This does get asked a lot on this forums and the BT mods here have been very clear about your rights.

[BishPatrik]

It does get asked a lot, but what doesn't seem to be said is what do you tell Customer Services over the phone to get them to cancel the TV service for BT breaking the contract, but ensure that you can keep the box(es) and not have to pay for it/them?  Do I just have to ask to speak to the manager, or go straight to complaints?

There doesn't seem to be any old terms written down on the website, so that I can get them to look at them and say these are the terms I signed up to, so follow them. 

[TimCurtis]

@BishPatrik 

This link mght help:-

https://www.bt.com/help/tv/how-to-return-and-recycle-your-bt-broadband-hub-and-bt-tv-box-fo 

Also message 12 by a BT Moderator in this thread confirms you don't have to return it:- https://community.bt.com/t5/YouView-from-BT/Equipment-Returns-Bags/td-p/2083000/page/2https://commun... 

[BishPatrik]

I finally found older terms, https://www.bt.com/products/static/terms/tv.html  , that either are the terms I signed up for in November 2019, or at least are a lot closer.  It's a pity that the older TV contract terms aren't included in the previous terms and conditions list on the main Terms and Conditions page, like there are for Home Phone and Broadband, and Mobile.

Paragraphs 41-43, confirm older contracts pre December 13th 2019 allow boxes to be kept without charge as long as the TV contract has been maintained at the same level for 12 months, which covers the confusion I presumably had with my 24 month broadband contract.

I have hopefully been third time lucky in  my phone calls, and my TV should be closed down without charge and with me keeping the boxes, when I lose the premium TV channels which make it no longer worth the charge I have been paying.

[TomV87]

Did you manage to cancel your tv contract? And broadband?

[BishPatrik]

I asked for just the TV contract to be cancelled, as I have had no large troubles with the broadband side of things.

I would guess I would have had trouble if I had wanted to cancel the broadband contract as well, because although BT sell them together, they treat them separately (or at least they have with me) and they have different terms and conditions.