BT Cloud no longer in My Products after renewing contract.

[Anonymous]

@harleydee If you still have the opportunity to get out of the contract, take it. 

[Dave-Helston]

The way I'm reading all this is the service "broadband" was offered at a price, that price included the service BT Cloud as a "Value added service", aka part of the package, which is only of value if it exists.  That value needs to be taking into account when deciding to purchase or not and if not, should "clearly" indicate, not in small print, that no one reads, but in the advertising as you buy or deciding to buy.  You can then base your decision and compare with all the facts.

I'm not that bothered it's going, more bothered on the method, if this has been planned for some time, why was I able to contract just over a month ago with BT Cloud, why are BT Cloud customers not allowed to simple expire their BT Cloud at the end of their contract.

So think BT could have done this better!

[ianjack]

The cost of 200GB cloud storage is £2.99 per month from Apple or Google. So it would be very easy to successfully argue that this is not an insignificant extra. It's part of the package that BT advertised and many signed up for. Again, I don't think they would have a leg to stand on if someone argued this as a reason to terminate their contract without prejudice.

Arguments about Terms & Conditions and small print are irrelevant. In the UK companies cannot deny you rights by  unfair conditions in their T&Cs. More usually applicable with regard to warranties, but equally applicable to withdrawal of services that have a monetary value. Fiddling the prices by claiming it's a "free" service changes nothing. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

[licquorice]

Terms and conditions are not irrelevant. Just because you can't be bothered to read them doesn't mean they don't apply.

There is no 'fiddling of prices', BT cloud has always been a free extra with no discount for those not taking it. Agreed it was a perk of the service but perks can be withdrawn at any time.

Bearing in mind how dire it was, I'm surprised anybody used it anyway.

[Dave-Helston]

Not sure where 200GB comes from, but my package had 1TB BT Cloud.

[ianjack]

A link that may be of interest:

• Contracts must be clear. Terms, including hidden charges, can no longer be tucked away in the small print: they should be up front and clear. The Act states that they must be “brought to the consumer’s attention in such a way that an average consumer would be aware of the te.... In addition, they must be written in “plain and intelligible language”
• ...
• The communications regulator Ofcom's ‘General Conditions’ for providers require that if changes are to be made to your existing contract that may be of ‘material detriment’ to you, your provider must give you at least a month's notice of this and allow you to exit your contract without penalty.
•  

[David500]

@Dave-Helston  You got 200GB with broadband which was increased to 1TB with Halo.

[gg30340]

@ianjack 

At what point are you going to start your "Breach of Contract" in the Courts so that those following this thread will know if it is worth them going down that route because until you or somebody else does that what is being posted is just conjecture and speculation.

[Geoffhailz]

Sadly, we probably all recognise that the potential cost of going to court will far outweigh the cost of buying someone elses' cloud service.  BT know this,  which makes their behaviour nothing short of despicable bullying.  

I know some people have referred to the Cloud service as a perk - but at contract renewal time it was being positioned as an integral part of the service provided.  I just share a screenshot of my account:

I

It quite clearly says that  BT Cloud is included in my BT Broadband - not an extra, not an addon ... but "included".

So, they have done the dirty on us,  and presumably taken a commercial view that the moeny they save by discontinuing the service will be worth the loss of any disgruntled customers.

Not really the behaviour of a trustworthy business ... but thats what it is

[gg30340]

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@somniac wrote:

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.

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That is correct because as you may be aware as an example of the Power of T&Cs, Ofcom informed all the ISPs that they must make the consumer aware of mid term price rises by including the prospect of them in their Terms and Conditions. This was to ensure that the consumer is aware of this possibility when they signed up to the broadband contract. 

Previously if the ISP did not included this in the T&Cs in the event of a mid term price rise the customer could leave their contract without any cancellation fees and this was frequently taken advantage of by disgruntled customers who wanted out of their contract for various reasons.

As a result of that Ofcom ruling, all the ISPs now include it in their T&Cs which allows them to still have mid term price rises but it has effectively prevented customers from leaving mid contract without penalty because they were aware of the possibility of it happening.

Ofcom apparently have not heard of "good intentions with unforeseen consequences"