All I want is a replacement settop box - but forced to get digital voice?!

[shamblesTB]

"Yes. Exactly that. Not value for money at all, which is why it was recommended last year that you switch."

Thanks - it does seem terrible value for money to pay a fee to enable paying another fee, and then get told to go to ebay to get the service the final fee is paying for. 

Is it possible to check the post a few above in terms of contracts so we are all on the same page on that front? 

[DarrenDev]

I believe you'll be on the oldest T&Cs listed, valid for contracts started before 1 June 2022: https://www.bt.com/terms/post1stsep2020tv

[shamblesTB · Accepted solution]

Update! SUCCESS - TLDR - Ignore the ‘experts’ on here and keep pushing until you find someone who knows how BT systems work as there are ways around things. 

New set top box on way, new 24 month contract for broadband/phone/tv as-is …. with NO digital voice.

Longer version on how the impossible has happened... 

This afternoon I spoke with advisor and laid out situation again, who this time helpfully offered two solutions in a massive contrast to this thread and two hours last night.

A >> Standard renewal of contract, likely cheaper broadband and TV, to include Digital Voice, … but with a battery pack addition provided by BT to allay power cut concerns/issues etc.

B >> He had an idea… He opens up manage TV on his system, picks to remove Entertainment / TNT Sport etc and then readds TNT only triggering a new 24month contract for that primarily - and *everything* gets pulled along with it. That does NOT change any telephony/broadband provision and does NOT activate a Digital Voice move. 

Either scenario means we are then under 24 month term, and therefore *loaning* us equipment that works to use the services paid for would be allowed.

We arranged a call back and we went for Option B. 

Once that order was processed inside about 30mins and marked complete I rang back again as tech team then allowed to issue new hardware.

Result? New Pro set top box on its way, (so up from DT4000). NO Digital Voice. Bill is about 16.5% a month cheaper as well (saving £448 over the 2 years).

Interestingly I also had a call back from the Complaints team in the middle of the above - I relayed the general issue and was again told no, impossible to do it unless renew contract etc and 100% will require Digital Voice when you recontract no other way to do it. Sorry, tough luck, we don't make the rules.  

I explained to Complaints how the Option B was being worked… and the person said oh yes, thats a workaround and will/does work… ! 

Complaints are calling me back in a few days once it has all settled down as currently I am about 3hrs down on the phone in the last 24hrs, a £135 set top box off ebay on its way I now dont need (anyone want to buy one?!), been called a liar and multiple BT people telling me the solution that one of them sorted was impossible. 

Thanks though to this forum for informing me that the £14.80 fee to enable the £18.88 fee add-on was defunct, as that has opened the door for that discussion with someone more laterally minded at BT! 

I would love to hear from @DarrenDev why the option that worked was not one he had considered / suggested.

Should it be this hard? Nope. 

Has this been a good experiance? Nope. 

Is incorrect info confidently provided by lots of BT people? Yup. 

I agree with @rbz5416 about the contempt some BT staff appear to hold their customers in, @jac_95 hopefully this updates that guidance as it is not triggered on 'any' renewals it seems.

(ps. top comment on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRmcJyLoyGc )  

[DarrenDev]

Re-read my posts @shamblesTB - you've done exactly what I said you needed to do.  i.e. you've taken a new 24 month contract with Sport as your base pack, and you're receiving new hardware that will be fully supported, at a cheaper price.

You've managed to get away without being forced to DV at this point (I wasn't even aware it was being forced on renewals until it was mentioned on this thread).  You'll need to move eventually, but you'll be contacted at a later date about that.

I'm glad you've managed to find a solution you're happy with.

[shamblesTB]

Incredible response, but not unexpected going off your previous replies.

• This is not what you said would happen. This is NOT a new phone/broadband contract with the big discounts one would enable still £94pm bill. 
• The phone and broadband contracts are specifically the same and entirely untouched - there are no 'actions' triggered on the system if you look. 
• In your view we would be getting 'more content' - we are not. We are getting the same. 
• Your solution would have seen a “better voice product” , this is specifically not changed, it is exactly the same. 'Better' is your opinion, that does not mean it is factual nor right. 
• You said it would be ‘better to switch’ to Digital Voice now. We are not moving to Digital Voice. 
• You now say you were unaware renewals were being forced onto Digital Voice as if that was an unknown part of the problem, with that being the core issue - my fault for not putting it somewhere obvious like the thread title.

Four pages to be 'thats what I said!' is impressive though. 

I mean I would have started with "Ring up, get them to check if they can do anything on packages not attached to broadband/phone as that allows a recontract without altering the phone/broadband packages that triggers the Digital Voice".  Je ne suis pas un expert. 

Obviously you knew all that, and was the best route to solve the problem, just didn't actually say it out loud. 

This feels like some kind of mystery novel where the murder was solved on the page with a printing error. 

Top work! Thanks for your help though. 

[Hunter2660]

Actually that's exactly what he said, minus the Digital Voice...... Did I misread something.

[DarrenDev]

We're back to the definition of "contract" again.  Your phone and broadband contracts have been renewed to the same 24 month minimum term as per your new TV contract, but without changing product.

I said "You could switch to a current sport-only package for less money, or have entertainment+sport and gain access to a LOT more channels."  You chose the former.

I mentioned DV in my first message and you said you weren't interested in discussing the objection to it here.  Thus I didn't.

You had already spoken to the helpdesk, so I wouldn't have encouraged you to potentially waste your time by calling again unless I knew that it would work - I didn't know that.  You managed to get it without needing DV, which you yourself said was being forced.  I didn't say or know that it would be - I just took you on what you'd said of your experience so far.

The only thing I've been advising on here is the TV packages - that's my area of expertise.  You took the option I suggested.

I'll leave it at that.  You've got the service you wanted, even if it took a whole day to get there.

[edbostan]

My BT 4000 box played up in August and got a replacement pronto. No new contract.