Unable to downgrade from BT Halo no matter who I have spoken to

[sgr25]

Being out of contract for my Broadband service in January 2025 I expected it to be relatively straightforward to downgrade away from a "Halo" package to a more basic package at a cheaper price.

My circumstances mean I cannot afford to pay the Halo price anymore.

I have been speaking to various people at BT and EE sales and also loyalty since November, and was advised this should be possible once out of contract but not before.

Sadly no matter who I speak to even since out of contract in January all I get offered is an EE "all rounder" package at maybe £1.50 a month cheaper, and a push to try and move my mobile to EE.

I am astounded that BT/EE will not offer me a simpler package instead of trying to force retention on "Halo" or the EE "all rounder", for a customer who says they cannot afford to pay for these anymore. It's publicly clear that they would offer an essentials package to a new customer at a much reduced price.

Even if the new customer price was not matched, BT/EE are just not willing to take away the "Halo" or "All rounder" factor for me, to even offer a price without that.

Therefore after 25 years or more I am about to start the cycle of disconnecting from my BT email address and move to a different BT provider who - at least price wise - appear to value my business as a customer much more that BB/EE now do.

I am posting this here as much to make it a reference for any other customers experiencing the same issue in 2025, and know that the advice on other posts or via the chat service to please reach out on 150 is really just a waste of your time and patience.

[chrisjp]

I'm afraid that BT doing all it can to stop customers downgrading from Halo is very much the norm.
Halo is a device invented by BT so that existing customers can be charged about double what new customers are offered, while still being able to claim that "existing customers will never pay more than new ones".
That's true only if the existing customers have resisted offers of Halo "upgrades" in the past, which BT initially made attractive and then slowly raised the price. I got caught this way several years ago. It's a very dubious commercial sharp practice in my view.
Some people have managed to downgrade but you have to be VERY forceful and raise a formal complaint to achieve that.

[sgr25]

@chrisjp - how would you advise is best to raise a formal complaint?

[edbostan]

I am on Halo and my contract expires in a few months time and I want to cancel Halo as I don't use the benefits.

You need a strong hand and refer the agent to Ofcom rules which are available to read on their website. Providers should offer the cheapest deals and provide the price for new subscribers for comparison.

[sgr25]

@edbostan I wonder what you mean by "a strong hand"?
I was actually told by one advisor on the phone on 04 Feb that there was nothing more anyone could do for me, I could not be downgraded from Halo, and that if I did not like the offer on an EE "all rounder" package at about the same price as current Halo package then switching provider may be what is best for me.
This suggests to me that either some of the people I've spoken to since November are "mistaken", BT/EE don't really care about customer loyalty, or both of the above.
It mildly amuses me that all calls are apparently recorded, as the calls I've experienced on my account alone offer contradictory messages depending on who I have spoken to, and they cannot possibly all be true. Either way, all have the same outcome. I.e. no offer to remove Halo, or as EE term it "all rounder".
The most promising team I spoke to was based in Newcastle, the least promising was in Falkirk.
I do wish you the best of luck when you try to cancel Halo!!

[edbostan]

I have cancelled my EETV package and always willing to discuss further matters they wanted me to recontract my broadband with Fibre 500. I declined as I want the price rises to filter through first. The other problem I have is that I only have fibre up to the cabinet.

[orozz]

BT/EE are a business, you pay a lot for loyalty  

[sgr25]

I want to offer an update as to the resolution of my situation.

I emailed BT Consumer Resolutions with a complaint and it was in fact responded to with a phone call 6 days later.

Someone in the Doncaster team was very helpful, and keen to help. After placing me on hold and verifying for themselves that there was no way calling / transferring me to 150 would ever resolve my situation satisfactorily, they managed to process an offline resolution for me.

The result was that Halo was removed from my BB account, my speeds otherwise remained the same, and my BB monthly price was reduced by 29%. As such I have remained with BT.

The conclusion therefore is that if you are indeed very persistent, take a note of all of your interactions and conversations, and probably go so far as to raise a complaint if the teams behind 150 are continually fobbing you off, there is a way to have Halo removed to downgrade your account.

The person from Doncaster that I dealt with was a breath of fresh air and restored a lot of faith in the fact that there was still a part of the company that does care about me as a customer.

[gspearson]

I've never undestood what "Halo" is - and I don't have it.

[edbostan]

The agents who I deal with are always distracted by re-signing you up for another 24 months. I was cancelling my TV package and they mentioned I could re-contract my broadband package which expires in May. Currently I am on Fibre Halo 3 paying £49 per month but I was offered Fibre 500 for £44 per month but the price rise would bring me up to what I am paying now so illustrating that leaving Halo is possible. I have downloaded the price tariffs for BT and EE and the maximum prices are insanely high.