Bt box return (again)

[FrancisKE]

Hi @NeilO ,

I am in a similar situation @Trummy in that I have had my DB T2200/BT/DF HD set top box since well before 2019, but did renew my contract with BT in 2019 without receiving any new hardware. I am leaving BT and have had an instruction to return my set top box. What is the process for avoiding a charge from BT for retaining this box? Any help is much appreciated.

[JohnC2 · Accepted solution]

Hi @FrancisKE, welcome to the forum and thanks for posting.

You'll find information on the returns policy at: How to return and recycle your BT equipment for free | BT Help

I've sent you a Private Message so you can get in touch with the Mod team and we'll be happy to clarify your position.

Cheers

John

[TimCurtis]

@FrancisKE 

If you renewed your contract before 13/12/2019 then the new T&Cs don't apply regardless.

When you received your Youview box at some time before 2019 it was supplied on the basis that it was yours to keep and a recontracting at revised T&Cs cannot change that. So even if you renewed your contract after 2019 you were renewing on the basis that the Youview box you were using was yours already.

As an aside when you recontracted did that include BT TV?

[FrancisKE]

Hi TimCurtis

I have now trawlled through the history of my BT account emails and can see that I first took out an Infinity 2 account in 2013, and then altered my contract in April 2020. Somehow I could pay vastly less for the same service! I know that the Youview box is 'ancient' because it has over the years developed a particularly painful lag when operating Amazon Prime. I expect newer samples have faster processors. However it is good as a freeview box and I can use a Roku box for everything else.

I totally agree with the view that once the title for goods pas passed to the subscriber, this title cannot be reassigned by a new contract, but clearly BT have my set top box serial number in their records and have sent an 'instruction' to return it. Sadly all the historic contractual small print is in electronic email hyperlinks which will now be long dead so I cannot 'wave' the relevant text at BT. I would like to avoid a protracted battle with the accounts department at BT over something I can probably order on ebay for £10-£20. I have been PMed so I will see what can be done without the ebay route.

TV packages: I have only ever subscribed to BT sport but that was before it went from being cheap to being a significant addition (eg £10 pcm), but I have never subcribed to any other packages as Prime, NowTV and Netflix have at various times always seemed more than adequate and better value. I can see a note from the April 2020 contract renewal stating that I had been given a BT sport re-credit for 2 months due to no live sport being available during covid, so I assume I would have terminated it in June 2020. At £10 pcm, the week and day passes on NowTV were better value.

@FrancisKE