BT cloud closing.

[somniac]

I note in the T&Cs that if the customer cancels the service before the end of contract, a penalty is payable but if the provider does the same, it is tough cookies.

[Pete31]

Personally, I'd seen the writing on the wall, when the service stopped being offered to new customers it looked pretty likely to be at the very least, neglected and more likely withdrawn. I'd already budgeted for extra portable hard-drive backup.

My contract was due for renewal about now but I'd already committed myself to not counting on BT Cloud as part of the deal. The advantage of ignoring it was that I could look at what other providers were offering and grab a better deal elsewhere if needed.

As it happened, BT surprised me and offered me a deal which was not only cheaper than I had been paying, but also a better deal than any competitors as well.

So there is a convenience factor but its reliability was always a bit uncertain - were things being backed up automatically or not? Half the time they were not, so it's no great loss as far as I'm concerned.

[ianjack]

Quite clearly this is a breach of contract. Whether BT consider it to be a free service or not is irrelevant; it was part of the package that users signed up to, and removal of that part is a significant decrease in value of the package.

I have no doubt whatsoever that a small claims court would rule in favour of anyone who cited this a a reason for ceasing the contract.

[harleydee]

Thanks Pete 31, unfortunately my BT Cloud it is not listed there or anywhere on my details. BT help line insist they can not see why my BTcloud will be deleted as I have broadband and thats all I need to qualify but agree it is not listed anywhere in MyBT...... worrying, will have to see what happens after 30 days, have backed it up just incase I loose it.

[ianjack]

Forget talk of this being justified by small print in the contract. Companies cannot ignore the rights of consumers because of small print; that just means the contract is doubly invalid.

[gg30340]

@ianjack 

Please keep us updated how you get on at the Small Claims Court.

[Anonymous]

I assume neither of you seen this thread?

BT Cloud is closing in October 

I haven’t had an email either to confirm closure, but that is par for the course when it comes to BT.

[licquorice]

---

@ianjack wrote:

Quite clearly this is a breach of contract. Whether BT consider it to be a free service or not is irrelevant; it was part of the package that users signed up to, and removal of that part is a significant decrease in value of the package.

I have no doubt whatsoever that a small claims court would rule in favour of anyone who cited this a a reason for ceasing the contract.

---

Please explain how this can possibly be a breach of contract when you agreed to the terms and conditions which clearly state the service can be withdrawn with 30 days notice?

Diabolical service, yes, breach of contract, no.

[harleydee]

No I have not seen that email stereohaven, thats bad news but 150 must not know either as I spent 20 mins on the phone to them last week trying to find out if my BT cloud was going to be deleted as it is no longer in myBT products. The person who I was dealing with twice went off line to speak to the supervisor, at the end of the call she reassured me it was not getting deleted. When I renewed my contract last week I specifically asked if I would be keeping my 1TB BTcloud as that would influence me to stop with BT for another 2 years, I was told I wolud not loose it so I renewed for a 2 year contract. I am still in the cooling off period so will phone them and epcifically ask them about your email and if it is going to be cancelled will look at cancelling my contract.

[Paul608085]

How successful you would be at the Small Claims Court would probably depend on how they viewed the significance of BT Cloud in terms of the overall package.

For example, Virgin Media occasionally drop TV channels from their packages, (as well as adding new ones). Their Ts & Cs give them the right to do this, and losing an odd channel here or there would not be considered "significant", even if it was one of your personal favourites.

However, a few years ago, Virgin Media had a dispute with UKTV, (a broadcaster), and quite a few channels were removed overnight. This link gives an indication of how many and which channels are UKTV's:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKTV#Channels

ISTR that someone took Virgin to court, claiming that the loss of those channels was "significant", and the court agreed that the contracted package had materially changed.

So I guess the question is, does the loss of BT Cloud from what is essentially a broadband internet service, constitute a significant "material change" in the package being paid for?

FWIW, I have no view either way on that.

.