Not renewing Contract - how to inform BT

[LadyLouisa]

OK BT sure do not make things easy!   My Contract finishes in 15 days and I do not want to continue with BT as a provider.    However, arrogantly, it appears that they assume I will want to continue and do not give me any option to cancel.   Can you please give me details as to how I can advise BT that I have a new service set up and ready to go at termination.   Many thanks.

Also, the above chose of Board to post on was the only one offered on the list!, so if I am in the wrong place, please feel free to move me to the right place.

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

You do not inform BT unless you are ceasing service altogether and not getting service from another supplier. If you are changing supplier, the gaining ISP informs BT.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@LadyLouisa 

If you are moving to another provider, then you contact them, and they will inform BT that they are taking over your service, provide you are not moving to Virgin Media, or an FTTP provider.

Do not be surprised if you lose your phone number when you move, especially when you had so many problems getting it back.

[LadyLouisa]

Sorry?  Where did that last comment come from?

[LadyLouisa]

Ok apparently I do need to inform BT Having found a number when I called a very pleasant young man advised I still had to give 30 days Notice and will be charged beyond the end of my contract.

[iniltous]

It’s always been the case that if your minimum term expires ( not your contract  ) you simply continue on a monthly contract until you advise BT differently, this can be done by migrating service to someone else that will reuse the Openreach connection that BT currently use , as already stated your  ‘notice’ of quitting is served by the new provider or you call or contact BT yourself and say you want to cease your services, if you don’t want service from any OR based provider.

I can’t think of any Telco that simply switches off services when the minimum term expires, you would get many customers who have forgot this ‘expiry’ date and are extremely unhappy to be simply cut off.

There is no arrogance it’s industry practice, and not just telecoms , most other industries too.

[Keith_Beddoe]

---

@LadyLouisa wrote:

Sorry?  Where did that last comment come from?

---

I assume you mean the loss of your phone number?

Past issue https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Virgin-owns-my-telephone-number-but/td-p/20...

[LadyLouisa]

This all seems very contradictory.   So, have I got this correct, no requirement to advise leaving at end of Contact.   Arrange new ISP and leave it up to them to advise BT.  Included in new Contract is retention of telephone number [ which for clarity was initially’lost’ when BT cancelled my original Order because they did not turn up to do installation!].  

Having read and not being entirely sure that no cancellation notifications were required I thought I would call and be doubly sure, only to be told that you DO need to phone and cancel and you will be charged for 30 days going on from date of actual cancellarion.

So had I followed advice given I would still be accumulating charges.

I understand all about continuing at the end of a Contract hence the very reason I wished to inform BT.

So for clarity which is correct?

[NigelB72]

If you just want to end your service provision from BT, you need to give notice..

However, if you want to transfer to another service provider at the end of your contract you arrange your new service contract with the new provider and they inform BT that they are taking over. 

You may lose your landline phone number though if it can't be ported across. 

[LadyLouisa]

As you have brought up the terrible problems I had at the commencement of this Contract this course of events must have ‘stuck in your mind’ so you will know the reason I wish to leave BT.  Now others will get to read why!  Thanks for the link, after suffering a breakdown at the end of all that and ending up in hospital I will at last be able to put this firmly behind me.