Leaving BT at End of Contract

[iniltous]

https://www.bt.com/help/account-and-billing/manage-account/thinking-of-leaving-bt

if someone left a few days before the actual expiration of the minimum term , or a few days after ( and therefore pay a few days at the higher out of contract price , those few days are likely to be a very small amount of ££, a more important thing to consider is the billing period is not likely to coincide with the date notice is served, or the date of leaving, so chances are the next full month will be paid , and the days charged for after the cessation are refunded, so don’t cancel the direct debit …..trying to leave on an exact date is not always possible but it’s hardly worth stressing over a day or two either side of the date you want , but obviously to make the last month of the minimum term and  the 30 day notice to be the same period call as close to a month before the expiry of the minimum term .

[conrad]

The problem here is that BT don't understand the concept of giving notice. There is no legal basis to insist on phoning 30 days prior to the contact ending since there is absolutely nothing wrong with ringing 45 days before to provide the notice of cancellation for the 5th Jan as the contract is not being cancelled early since it will run for its full term.

[iniltous]

At least 30 days notice is required to quit , to take that to a ridiculous length, someone could start a 24 month term and once outside any cooling off period, serve notice for service to cease in 23.5 months and expect that notice to be held and not acted upon until the 23 month ….although it may not be necessary to wait until around a month before the expiration of the minimum term to serve notice , it’s the path of least resistance and hardly an imposition……as far as what the representative said about a ‘fine’ for serving notice earlier than 30 days , that’s probably a poor choice of words , if notice to quit were given  45 days in advance but it was stipulated that the notice wasn’t to start for 15 days , there is a chance that the notice is processed immediately and 15 days ETC is automatically raised , better to be cautious and serve notice around the date that’s likely to get the wanted outcome ,  rather than arguing later that the notice should have been held in abeyance until 30 days before the minimum term expires.

[siteguru]

@iniltous has answered a follow-up question I was about to post ... my latest bill has just landed, for the period 25-Dec to 27-Jan. This is higher than the current (expiring) contract price because, well, the contract is expiring. Obviously I'll leave the DD open until mid-February as that should be when my refund happens.

What I don't understand is this - BT know I am leaving; I gave the 30 days notice by calling on 05-Dec. The bill even reflects the contract expiry date, and BT stated a termination date of 03-Jan (this Friday) when I called to notify. So why can't they adjust the billing termination date to coincide with the contract termination date? Why charge me a full month of service, and then have to refund me the excess balance, when they already know I am leaving? 🤦‍♂️

Consequently, why does my Bills page show a billing value for the next billing period, when I won't even be a customer?

[Rach_H]

Hi @siteguru 

Until your broadband has disconnected you are free to cancel your disconnection request at any point, which is why we produce a full month's bill. This means if you do decide to stay, the bill is still accurate.

Once your disconnection is processed we will produce a new bill as swiftly as possible, so this can be updated.

Rach

[siteguru]

This is just a status update for records - no assistance needed yet.

My BT service went offline yesterday morning - I could connect to the router but got no Internet. Therefore I factory reset the router, packed it up in the bag with the power supply, and handed it in at the local Post Office (getting the relevant printed receipt).

The bill that has just been paid covered the period 28 Dec - 27 Jan (not 25 Dec per my previous post - typo). As such I should receive a refund of around £28.37 at the next billing cycle on 28 Jan (or sooner hopefully), as my previous bill was charged at £35.78 but the contract price of £32.07 was still valid at the time of disconnection.

PS - I don't know if anyone else is having problems accessing their BT account, or whether its just me because my service has disconnected.

[siteguru]

An update (for records) ... I checked the tracking on the equipment I have returned and the result says:

"Pending

We're holding this item at Scottish Parcel Hub Delivery. We've received a request not to deliver mail to the property your item is addressed to today. We'll attempt delivery as per the instructions we've received, which is usually on the next working day.

Tracking number: OS76xxxxx47GB Service used: Royal Mail Tracked Returns 48"

(Tracking number masked as this forum can be read publicly).

I've no idea what that means, but I do know that there's no way on earth BT are going to try and scam any failed equipment return charge from me. (See the abundant other threads in this board on that topic).

[siteguru]

The tracking for my equipment now says:

"Ready for Delivery

Your Item was received by Scottish Parcel Hub Delivery on 09-01-2025 and is now due for delivery today.

We'll attempt delivery today unless we have alternative service arrangements with you, e.g. Keepsafe or Redirection. If a delivery timeframe is shown please be aware this is a delivery aim, not a guarantee.

Tracking number: OS76xxxxx47GB Service used: Royal Mail Tracked Returns 48

Tracking history

Thursday 09 January 2025

07:43

Due to be delivered today by

Scottish Parcel Hub Delivery

Monday 06 January 2025

14:17

Item Retention

Scottish Parcel Hub Delivery

13:47

We've received your item and its now being processed for delivery.

Scottish Parcel Hub Delivery

Friday 03 January 2025

14:34

Accepted at Parcelshop"

As it is now a week past the last update, can this be referred to a staff rep please to confirm that the equipment has indeed been received? (I'm aware of many instances of returned equipment going into a "black hole" and people being charged because "Computer Says No" - I want to avoid this path even being started).

[siteguru]

Too late to be able to edit my previous post ... I've managed to (eventually) get through the BT on the phone and the return has now been marked as received. (I've also received the confirmation text). So no further action required at this point. 🙂 

PS - another thread has a link to https://www.bt.com/help/contact-bt/account-and-billing/broadband ... I tried it and the Message Now chatbot couldn't help with this specific question.

[siteguru]

Latest bill has arrived ... -£27.50, so a refund that is 87p less than what I calculated, but I'm not going to quibble.

It currently shows as my account being that amount in credit - will this be credited back to my bank account automatically (I have after all left BT and have no services with them), or do I need to do something specific to get it paid back?

TIA.