My contract with BT expires 11th January 2024 so I took the plunge and signed up for Fibre 67 from EE.
I trawled around both the BT and EE websites going around in circles logging in numerous times, putting my address in numerous times and eventually realised all clicks lead to the "First Choose your plan page" without telling me anything about Fibre, Full Fibre, Halo Fibre 1,2,3... I was trying to discover the different speeds available and if Halo3+ or whatever it is called is anything special and I concluded it wasn't.
I was lost in Fibre 1,2,3 ??? which did I have don't know.
I decided Halo is an add on for bits like a free engineer a Wi Fi extension and unbreakable broadband with a mobile phone device back up should the internet fail. Mobile reception is awful where I live and I use EE WiFiCall all of the time on my mobile so I doubt any back up would work and is not worth the money. So what was the speed? The only way to find out was to ring, so I rang EE using the First Choose your plan page numbers.
Surprise surprise Hello this is BT.....? Eventually I speak to an adviser and the call lasts 40 mins. He admits it's complicated, he has never heard of the new Freely service or Manhattan set top boxes when I say I don't need BT TV anymore. He says £71.00 per month will mean a seamless transition to a new 24 month contract. I remind him I don't want BT TV or a landline in the new contract. He says this will bring the price down to £53.99. I ask him if this is Halo (or similar) and he is a little unsure so I point out EE Fibre 67 has a very similar download speed and it is only £35.99 a month and I press him to explain the differences.
He mentions the unbreakable broadband, a free engineer, full fibre to my property-eventually (FFTP if you are lost like me in the smarty talk jargon) and eventually I tell him I would like to end the landline, end BT TV and have EE Fibre 67 for £35.99 a month. He says that offer is not available to me. I ask why, he explains I have BT Sport. I don't, he corrects himself and says I have BT TV which excludes me, I say I wish to cancel BT TV he says I am not a new customer, I say OK lets wait until my contract ends 11th January I will buy a Manhattan set top box, manage without the landline and see what Broadband deals I can get.
After a short pause (was he talking to his boss?) OK he says you can have EE Fibre 67 for £35.99 . He reads out reams of contract details and asks the question do I want to go ahead...what is the difference between the BT Smart Hub and the EE Smart Hub I ask, he doesn't really know. I ask him who does he work for? He says both BT and EE and fatally I ask him am I a new customer? He says YES I am a new customer and I will have to pay a £31.00 connection fee.
I sayI have been with BT since 1986 and this is how they treat people? He sort of laughs, apologizes and admits he doesn't really understand it all.
So here we are. The YouView Box, the smart hub, the wifi extender and the unbreakable broadband back up that sat on a window doing nothing- all must be returned within 60 days. There will be interminable refunds and overpayments as the new contract must start on 2nd January and overlap with existing contracts and direct debits,
I ask him to start it from 12th January and he says to my surprise OK.
So that is it fingers crossed EE Fibre 67 will be OK?
30 minutes later my mobile rings. (MY sim only mobile was transferred from BT to EE in Spring 2023. Hello says an automated voice. This is BT advising you that THIS number will be taken over by BT from 2nd January 2024. If you are aware of this hang up if not stay on the line.
So I speak to my third BT/EE adviser of the day. She says she works for both BT and EE and reassures me all is OK and I should expect many confusing messages and emails in the coming weeks as things are cancelled and changed over and they are all badly worded with some unnecessary paragraphs about things I don't have. While she is talking I check my emails,
I have two new emails one saying my email had been downgraded???????WHAT? That's another thread?
...and the other explains I will have a new EE Smart Hub Plus which is a relief.
So if your contract is about to end and you have struggled through all of the above I hope you are better warned than I was when I began this process.
You may want to do more research and stick to your guns and don't accept the first deal you are offered.
Good Luck
