I had two mobile phone contracts with BT Mobile. One is a 5GB SIM-only contract currently costing £13. The other started as an inexpensive SIM-only contract (under £10) which I converted to an iPhone contract in May 2022 on a 24-month term. This increased the monthly cost to approximately £25-27.
As a consumer, I reasonably assumed that after the 24-month contract ended, the price would revert to a SIM-only rate, since the phone would be paid off. However, I recently noticed my monthly bill had increased to £30.
When I contacted BT/EE customer service, the representative couldn't see any details about the phone in their system. They informed me that the contract had simply rolled over at the end of the 24-month term, meaning I was now paying the same rate (plus inflation increases) for a basic 3GB SIM plan as I had been paying for the iPhone package.
I was told it was my responsibility to contact BT to change the contract once the initial term ended. This seems unreasonable - customers are effectively continuing to pay for a phone they've already purchased. The representative stated they don't separate the phone and SIM portions of the contract, which appears misleading since the higher monthly cost clearly included paying for the device
I seriously question whether this practice is legal. Either the customer service representative is mistaken, or BT is effectively charging customers twice for a phone they've already paid off. This seems to violate basic consumer protection laws - customers are being misled about the true nature of their ongoing charges. If the handset has been paid for through the higher monthly payments during the initial 24-month contract, continuing to charge the same rate without clear disclosure or justification appears deceptive. I request urgent clarification on this matter and a review of these charges.
This is a BT residential customer to customer forum. Your post does not go to BT. The only BT staff are the forum moderators who do not necessarily read all the posts.
You would be better to contact BT Billing 0330.1234.150 and request answers there. If not happy with what information you are given then you should then lodge a complaint with BT.