BT Cancellation Help Needed!

[dedhandi]

Hi,

 

I've tried to scan through previous posts so as not to duplicate anything but didn't find anything relevant, apologies if I missed something!

 

I moved into a new flat in April this year and immediately signed up with BT with the intention of switching to TalkTalk (I've never had a problem with them, apart from them always trying to find something new to sell to you when you contact them). Shortly after, I signed up with TT and they obviously did the arrangements to cancel my BT line rental etc.

 

I've since received letters from BT (now up to the Debt Recovery Unit letter as I've left it so long) telling me I owe some £104 for early cancellation of contract. When I made the call in the first place I was quite clear about my intentions, indeed why would I sign up for a 12 month contract when I intended to defect to TT?

 

I've just spent an hour on the phone this evening being transferred between 6 different departments to finally get the answer that it would have been a verbal contract with written confirmation of the contract. I asked to hear a recording of the call I made, apparently all details of that initial call have been deleted as the employee I spoke to no-longer works for BT. Given that I didn't cancel on receiving the confirmation letter (did I receive it? did I even open it?) they assert that I've accepted the terms.

 

I may well have read the letter and done nothing about it, but I'm certain that I made myself clear as to what I wanted, which was definitely not a 12 month contract! Surely with no record of the original call, it can't just hinge on a letter I may or may not have received, let alone even read and accepted?

 

Is there anything I can do, or should I accept this as being my fault?

[buzby]

It wouldn't matter. BT have never provided connections under 12 months, unless you specifically request a 'temporary' line, and the line rental for this is rather high.

 

Looking at it logically, if you wanted TT to provide you with service, then ask them to arrange the line. Since they cannot, you have to fit in with BT's contract - irrespective of YOUR intentions, as you are quite entitled to leave when you wish - paying the balance for any minimum term.

[dedhandi]

I specifically made it clear I had no intention of staying with BT... without me asking for a "temporary line" I wouldn't expect that the only option would be to sign up for a 12 month contract. In fact this isn't the first time I've signed up with BT to then switch to TT... the first occasion in 2006 was painless in fact and I certainly wasn't asked to enter a contract or charged once it was broken.

 

Since TT aren't able to open new lines for people (admittedly not BT's fault), how on earth would I have gone about signing up with them without involving another provider? I'm sure there's probably an answer but surely not one that is clear to the average consumer?

[buzby]

BT and their predecessors Post Office Telephones and the GPO have since I first came in contact with them (in 1960) have always required a 12 month minimum term - so it is hardly a 'new' condition to their terms of service.

 

Indeed, I cannot think of ANY utility that can be provided formally that allows for no commitment as part of the sign-up process (gas, electric, cable etc) so I'd contend that it would be unrealistic to contend there shouldn't be such a commitment when everyone else has implemented one.

 

OTOH, why should BT provide a discounted connection to their network, only to have you up sticks and go to a johnny-com-lately wannabe and lose the revenue you once might have earned from them? If TT had their own network, I might be sympathetic - but they don't, they simply cherry pick. Even cable companies are able to refuse customers should they want to switch to TT.

 

The only way I would agree with your view is if BT imposed a 12 month condition on the line after you asked them you wanted to switch, but as they didn't, they've done nothing wrong.

[mwisby]

We have exactly the same problem however we DID sign up for a 12 month contract.

 

We requested our MAC code and switched to Be Unlimited with no problems, no warning was given that they thought we were on an 18 month contract, however we recieved our final bill to see that they had charged us £140 for cancelling the contract.

 

We complained and they said we could pay £10 for tapes of the original sales call to prove that we agreed to an 18 month contract, however they couldn't provide these but said we still need to pay the fine and they are correct.

 

We are 110% certain we opted for a 12 month contract but feel like BT have bullied us into paying up for 18 months. What can we do now?

[mwisby]

Just to add:

 

We started the Broadband on 15/10/07

 

Migrated to BE on 16/10/08

[scedminc]

If you have a brand new line provided by BT then there is a 12 month minimum term but if you want to activate a disconnected line that is already present then there is a 3 month minimum term. It is all too typical of BT advisors to no be in compliance with regards to telling you the terms etc and i have heard of many occasions when letters do not actually get sent out.

[bach]

Hi

 

Here's a contact number for Ian Livingstone Cheif Executive office, It will be his secretary nd she is on 0131 448 3675

 

We had a masive problem with BT, but she has responded and now we have a full refund.

 

Hope this helps you all with BT problems,

 

Lynn

[RedVixen]

Glad I read this before I went and shouted at BT - I had a £29 bill issued when I switched to sky which was for about 6-8weeks today I got one for £156 which I am not paying if they claim its for 12 months I will fight back as it was a reconnection of an existing line

[buzby]

Depends what you mean by 'reconnection'. If after non payment of a bill, then there is no minimum term, but if you mean service was provided on a line that was reconnected, then the 12 month minimum service applies. Do also remmeber that BT report to CRAs,

[flyingdoc]

I went with bulldog - as they were the only ones I could find that I did not need to sign up to a BT line to get service with.(no cable in my area)

 

I HATE BT with a passion that is almost unsurpassed.

[RedVixen]

The line was disconnected after my mother died as the council had provided it. I reconnected it because Virgin were messing me around - when I had it changed to sky they asked about whether it was a 12 month contract with BT which I said I didn't remember so they said it was unlikely - I will be talking to both as the Sky sales people would have known BT operate a minimum contract and fudging that was a bit sneaky when I made it clear it was a new line. I am not paying 2 contracts because of a mess up by Sky they already had my custom for Broadban and Digital TV so getting this wrong is unacceptable

[RedVixen]

As for reporting to CRAs - with all the other stuff I have going on it won't make one jot of a difference

[buzby]

Whilst I can see your moral argument, the fact Sky 'should have known' the policies of another company is unrealistic. They could just as easily argue that they have no knowledge of the arrangements entered into with another supplier, and would be unlikely to refuse any business because there might be a problem. The onus is always on the consumer to know (or at least find out!) what they've actually agreed to.

 

Good luck anyway!

[RedVixen]

Arguments aside Sky do know - they would have to to protect themselves from complaints like this one since as far as I know they always use BT lines

 

And as the house is wired for both BT and cable I will make sure the Sky contract isn't renewed once the 12 months is up if they don't co-operate in some way

 

As far as BT is concerned the latest bill is just a huge figure over and above the previous one with no breakdown so they will have to rebill or send me details of what they are charging for.

[scedminc]

Just to clear things up. If you have a new line provided then there is a 12 month contract for the line. If the line is a reconnection i.e the line already exists therefore not a new line being provided then there is a 3 month contract. The reason for a 12 month contract on providing the new line is for the engineer to come and install the line. The reason for a 3 month contract is for the cost of reconnecting the line. However I would say this charge may have been reasonable when it was done manually however it is done by computer now and most reconnections go through with no problem so no need for manual intervention.

[RedVixen]

Thanks Scedminc.

 

In which case BT will be reducing the bill though when I looked on their web site I couldn't find a difference between reconnection and new line but to be fair with all the technological improvements stuff I was expecting tho say they would need to put a new one in but didn't. I have no problems with paying three months worth and expected that as they bill three monthly