Pricing Query

[rbz5416]

Despite my broadband contract not expiring until December, I've started receiving nag messages to renew. Clicking through the options I'm offered an "upgrade" to the same Fibre 2 I'm already on for £2 per month less. Clicked through to checkout & all looks good with the new price except right at the death there's small print:

By taking this package you are agreeing to new 24 month minimum term for your broadband plan. If you are staying on the same Broadband plan your existing monthly plan charges will continue to apply, otherwise your new monthly charges are as shown above.

So apparently another BT smoke & mirrors attempt to get me to renew at the same price by offering non-existent discount. 😠

[imjolly]

seems very early to be sending renewal offers when not due until december.  probably get better deal waiting until closer to the time - i know I did

[rbz5416]

Last time they started nagging four months before contract end, but then wanted me to renew at a higher price. I agree with negotiating direct near the end of term, but it's a painful experience enduring long waits on the phone. Then if you manage to get through there's a fair chance of having to listen to a stream of BS about how no other provider can match BT for speed or service & that BT have special arrangements to get faults fixed quicker.

A £2 saving six months early was seriously tempting. But unless a passing Mod can confirm otherwise, it looks nothing more than a scam.

[imjolly]

my deal was better than £2 by leaving until within a month of contract end     phoned options 0800800030 and selected leaving and got someone right away no problem   quoted the deal by another ISP and after bit haggle matched deal  up to you of course

[allanraymond]

In my particular case I still had over 12 month remaining on my broadband contract when I spotted a personal offer in my account in April this year for the same package as that which I am already on. The price on offer was almost the same as that I was paying before the price increase which came into being on 31 March. Therefore the rise of CPI + 3.9% was negated by the personal offer which obviously I took up.

Personally I don't like having to go though the negotiating process for a new contract  although when I have approached customer service in the past when my contact was coming to an end they have tended to be quite reasonable in the discussions on pricing.

[ney]

I also managed to get a good deal last time 18 months ago only after I told them I had been looking elsewhere and was thinking of moving. Quoted them the price and after being put though to another person was offered FTTC 2 for the the same price as FTTC 1 as the price was back then.

I did also drop from Halo 2 to BT Halo 1  as it was back then but toke the offer .

Will try again to get a similar deal early next year and if I don't get a similar deal next time will be moving elsewhere.

[rbz5416]

Given that I negotiated a good deal last renewal & the massive increase in rates for new customers, that don't include a phone line, the £2 reduction looks quite attractive. It's also competitive with what other ISPs are currently offering, not that I could switch now anyway.

But again, unless a Mod can confirm I get the new price I will wait it out & most likely switch, as I usually do to take advantage of cashback.

[rbz5416]

In the absence of any response here (I know they're busy), I decided to raise this as a complaint. As either BT shouldn't be offering me an "upgrade" to the same service or should then not be giving with one hand & taking away with the other. I outlined exactly the issue & asked for an email response rather than telephone. Experience has shown that you should always get anything BT say in black & white!

So yesterday morning I get a call from Anne in Enniskillen, who can't see my request for an email response despite the fact I can. There then ensues a long circular "conversation" with her repeating things that have nothing to do with the issue. I then asked for the complaint to be escalated & kept open until I could get a resolution. Five minutes later the complaint is closed with a "Glad we could help you" message. BT customer service - couldn't help a fart bubble out of the bath! 😂

What's that they say about doing the same thing (contacting BT CS) & expecting a different outcome? 🤔

[gg30340]

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@rbz5416 wrote:

By taking this package you are agreeing to new 24 month minimum term for your broadband plan. If you are staying on the same Broadband plan your existing monthly plan charges will continue to apply, otherwise your new monthly charges are as shown above.

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I would suggest that you may have interpreted the above statement incorrectly and what it actually means is that if you stay on your present Broadband plan ie you do not renew your fixed term contract, the price will stay the same as it is at present. If you do take up the new Broadband plan you will be entering a new fixed term contract for 24 months and the new charges will apply.

[rbz5416]

Possibly, although I can see no reason why that would appear at checkout. By definition you're at checkout to renew. If I go to checkout with any other retailer, I don't get a warning that if I don't complete checkout I won't get the goods. That would kind of be a given. So I'm not convinced by that theory.