Switching Broadband

[CommunityBob]

Hi,

BT customer 30+ years with home phone and 900GB Fibre broadband + Halo 3. I recently retired and no longer need 900GB speed, and have been trying to reduce to 500GB fibre. 

Over a period of 4 days... 

I call BT - Guide 1 and explain my situation, he offers me 500GB at £74.00 (ish) pm, at £6pm saving I tell him I'll look around and get back.

I do some research and find Sky will retain my 900GB at £30 ish pm. 

I call BT - Guide 2 offers me 500GB for 51.99 pm. I tell him I can get 900GB pm from Sky at £30 pm. He says he cannot match it.

I do some further research and find that EE do 500GB at £34.00pm rising to £38.99 after 6 months and £42.99 after a further 12 months (more expensive than Sky but still way lower than BT without have the aggravatiion of changing suppliers).  

I call BT and explain - Guide 3 offers me 500GB for £61.00 pm. I tell him BT have already offered 500GB at £51.99pm. He says he cant match it and there is nothing else he can offer me.

(incensed at the way BT is treating me I call BT with a plan to cancel my BT contract, wait a few days, sign up to EE as a new customer and take up the 500GB at £34.99pm). 

I call BT again - Guide 4 tells me I cannot take up the EE 500GB £34.99 offer because I would be an ex customer of BT/EE and that offer is available to new customers only. I ask her what is the best offer available to me via EE for 500GB, she replies £73.99. I politely hang up.

In the space of 4 days and 4 phone calls the price for an existing customer of BT/EE for 500GB fibre has gone from £51.99 to £61.99 to £73.99.

What a way to treat a customer.

Anyone else here had a similar experience, if so how I'd appreciate knowing what you did to resolve it. 

[imjolly]

are you still in a fixed term contract or has your 24 month contract expired and on month to month.  if the former then there is no incentive for BT to reduce your contract.  there real problem is the add on Halo3 which is very expensive and with FTTP I would suggest that it is no longer required

you need to try retentions and see if you can get a new 500 broadband only or slightly more expensive (about £3/5pm) broadband with phone 08007831401  you have to be insistent that you don't want the halo 3 add on anymore

[iniltous]

As stated you are not comparing like for like , the Halo add ons are expensive, in many cases are of no real value and are seemingly difficult to have removed , but apparently it is possible, with perseverance to get this done , wether it’s worth the hassle is up to you .

[Kodikid]

The reason I'm seriously considering Sky when my contract expires next month is they don't rise the prices annually.  BT/EE are now charging £4 extra every March. 

[Kimberlin · Accepted solution]

@CommunityBob 

You could still stay within the BT ‘Family’ and look at Plusnet.

Your explanation of what you experienced is mind boggling ridiculous. I switched from BT to PN and it was the easiest most straightforward thing ever, I even used One Touch Switching, all done in 5 working days without having to speak to anyone. The only thing different, is I no longer have IpV6, but that is coming (eventually). I’m on 500mbps which is more than adequate.

[Kodikid]

Plusnet 500mbps is currently £30.99  with the seemingly obligatory £100 gift voucher. But again come March it increases by £4

[Kimberlin]

@Kodikid 

I believe you’re not supposed to promote rival prices hence why I never mentioned it.

No one is ever going to evade the March increase, you deal with it for two years your contract comes to an end and you switch away and pay virtually exactly the same price as you did 2 years before. It’s a stupid game.

Of course you can choose to stay within your current provider, become oblivious to how much you’re paying monthly 10 years down the line, suddenly wake up from your out of contract coma and realise you’re paying 4 times more than your neighbour for a similar product.

[Anonymous]

@Kodikid 
Sky do increase prices but haven't yet subscribed to the Ofcom requirement of a fixed price. As a consequence, you can leave without penalty when they do.

@Kimberlin 
Plusnet have no telephone service.

@CommunityBob 
You already know the answer, vote with your feet. Use a cashback site's comparison tool & you'll not only get a significantly lower monthly price, but cashback &/or a voucher too. Then in two years time, you do it all again. Drop me a PM if you need further advice.

[imjolly]

@Kodikid 

although SKY don't have annual increases they do increase their broadband package annually (average 6.2% this year) but you do have the option to leave instead of agreeing to the SKY increase

[Kimberlin]

@Anonymous 

PN, no home phone, totally get that, but does @CommunityBob still actually need one? So many households no longer have a landline and some of those that do, apparently, never actually use it; the only time it rings, is when the spammers call.

We all know that there are some great deals out there as long as folks can get past their apathy.