Will I be forced into the new packages

[David500]

If you have a look at the following link it gives the channels available in "Classic Entertainment": https://www.bt.com/packages/classic/

[4KTVFan]

The problem with BT is that they are constantly chancing their packages.

I have come to the conclusion that they have been driven to do this to recoup the massive sports rights payments they have made.

To be fair, this is understandable, but what I don't like is how BT plays about with the cost of their Broadband and TV packages... let me explain.

When I joined BT, I joined with just their Broadband service, and not TV, back then, the Sports rights they had were used as a driver for getting new sign-ups to their broadband service, I would guess that their broadband service is more profitable than their TV service.

So, not actual prices, but very near, but you'll get my point...

So I signed up for BT Broadband, at lets say £30 a month, this was several years ago, which although was slightly higher in price than similar services, did include BT Sports, which I believe was valued by BT at around £6 a month, so BT Broadband AND BT Sport together as a package was better value... all was good...

Then about 6 months later I added BT TV, why not? I had their broadband, I had their sport, so got a good price for their TV, so all was good...

So, several months later my contracts came up for renewal... and this is where BT start to manipulate their prices and contracts....

So I renew... but I'm told BT Sport is now part of my new TV contract... great I think!

But think about what's happen... BT Sport has been moved from nesting inside my Broadband contract, so independent of my TV contract, to now being an element of my TV contract, so if I cancel TV, I lose Sport, don't forget, Sport WAS part of my broadband contract before... see what they done...

My new Broadband contract didn't drop by £6 a month, remember, on renewal, BT transferred my access to BT Sports from my Broadband contract to my TV contract... so now I need, BT TV AND BT Broadband to keep BT Sport, as you need BT Broadband to get BT TV...

So the £6 a month value I had from BT Sport got lost in the contract renewal, yes, they did discount BT TV, but in return I loss the flexibility of cancelling TV and keeping Broadband with Sport...

And I could go on... BT have tried various methods over the years to try and get more money out of their existing customer base, and judging by their actions, without success...

There is a fundamental problem with BT TV, and that is the simple fact that the number of subscribers to the service keeps falling year on year, I believe last year BT formally stopped reporting subscriber numbers to their TV service...

Faced with falling subscriber numbers, BT are now forced to try and monetise those existing customers harder in order to recoup the investment they made into Sports rights.

But this is a desperate and foolish measure, and not a sensible strategy for growth, there is a limit to how much a customer will pay, and BT with their latest price restructuring has in my view crossed that limit.

BT MUST grow it's TV user base, the cost of content HAS to be spread wider...

[Bobbs]

You have it in a nutshell. That’s almost word for word what happened to me except I took bt tv without bt sports, then it was added in, at no cost 🙄 but then it began to be charged and was added in with something else. I’m now paying as much as I was with Sky and I left there because it wasn’t affordable. Sadly all these wee changes they make put me right back into another 18 or 24 month contract

[duncansby]

Hi, I have the Entertainment package and the HD boost and can confirm all the channels are in HD and shows up on the TV guide

[HopelessCase]

The "just updating that" for any BT add on that then ties you to a new contract is hateful. I was fine with my package, but I had an email sent to me saying I could view BTTV on an additional tablet device. It looked great so I took it up, not realising until much later it tied me into BT for another 18 months. 

Marketing something for £5  has now allowed them to take £85 a month off of me for 18 months. Clever if somewhat underhand marketing.

[garybs29]

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@HopelessCasewrote:

The "just updating that" for any BT add on that then ties you to a new contract is hateful. I was fine with my package, but I had an email sent to me saying I could view BTTV on an additional tablet device. It looked great so I took it up, not realising until much later it tied me into BT for another 18 months. 

Marketing something for £5  has now allowed them to take £85 a month off of me for 18 months. Clever if somewhat underhand marketing.

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That's not underhand marketing, it will have told you that in the terms & conditions when signing up so if you don't read them fully it's not underhand marketing

[snmunro]

Hi, 

I wouldn't trust BT on this.  Just discovered in my latest bill that BT have changed my BT TV contract on 22 Jun 20 and there is an order on my account for it that I didn't place.  There has been no commumication from BT on making changes to my account either.  Complaint in progress.

[SpiderPig]

Hi @snmunro,

Might be worth double-checking that you have not been moved from a really old more expensive BTTV package to a newer cheaper one.  If this is the case you wouldn't have been re-contracted for your BTTV but just moved onto a new style package to save you money because the old package is more expensive than the newer alternative. 

Have you checked your bills to make sure the new tv package is not cheaper?

What was the name and price of your BTTV package on your bill before the change and after the change?

SP

[Longshanks0511]

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@SpiderPigwrote:

Hi @snmunro,

Might be worth double-checking that you have not been moved from a really old more expensive BTTV package to a newer cheaper one.  If this is the case you wouldn't have been re-contracted for your BTTV but just moved onto a new style package to save you money because the old package is more expensive than the newer alternative. 

Have you checked your bills to make sure the new tv package is not cheaper?

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Even if the new package is cheaper then, unless the contract is identical in every other respect, there should have been an opt-out opportunity.  As alluded to in the excellent post by @4KTVFan  above so many changes are being introduced that it's a challenge for the layperson to keep on top of - especially if BT doesn't tell you openly and transparently.

[SpiderPig]

@Longshanks0511

Totally agree and you would think that BT would also want to shout from the roof tops if they were making a change that would be in the customers favour than to slip the change in under the radar.

Hopefully the Op updates us on what happened.