BT charge £125 to reconnect?

Soldato
Joined
29 Jul 2003
Posts
7,663
hi guys

I got BT phone line with bethere broadband ISP, with virginmedia rolling out 50MB later this summer.

if i switch over to VM, and go back to BT in few years later. will i have to pay £125?

copy/paste from BT website:

Important information

* If there's a working BT line in the property connection should be free of charge, but if the line needs to be reconnected to BT or a new line is required, a connection charge of £124.99 will apply. Minimum term of 12 months applies.

my friend told me last night, his brother would like to have BT phone line (even there is BT phone line/master socket already installed), BT said he'll have to pay £125.

cheers
 
Permabanned
Joined
18 Jan 2005
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1,108
Yep, correct. One of the reasons I refuse to go back to ADSL, on the basis that any cost would have to include £125. So I stuck it out with Virgin media, and I have to say I'm glad I did as I'm happy with my package now. Not happy with some of the things they are doing though, like illegal download policing, Phorm, price increases in the summer (only slight). On the plus side, im getting upgraded to 10mb for free this month and 5mb becomes available this year for some.
 
Soldato
OP
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why £125? too much for few clicks on BT's end?? or have to send out an engineer to disconnect the BT phone line (phyiscally)?
 
Soldato
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The Voice Of Football
I had this exact same problem when I moved in november. The occupants before us helpfully decided to have the line fully disconnected thus costing us £125.

If they had simply said they were moving property, the line could have remained active and saved me the cash.

Article about it in the Guardian here from last year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/oct/27/internetphonesbroadband.moneysupplement

It's a total scam by BT to get more cash out of customers.
 
Soldato
Joined
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10,369
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London
similar thing here: i wanted another line and they want to charge me 125, so instead ill go with a VOIP line or a mobile deal with loads of mins thrown in instead.

BT just dont make it inviting to go back to them.
 
Associate
Joined
4 Oct 2003
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835
its a rip off, it was totally worth it thou for me, just to get away from sky. I also went as far as removing all the line from my house and the box from the wall before they came, so I go new line routed exactly where I wanted it and the box in the exact location I wanted it (right next to my sky cables and network points). So I made them actually do some work for their £125, if I hadn't of removed stuff they would have flicked a switch in the cabinet and I would be stuck with a box in my hallway rather than front room.
 
Associate
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Armagh, Northern Ireland
It's only £125 if the phone line is disconnected. If it hasn't been disconnected then it is free. When cancelling make sure you tell them you will be starting it back up in a few months, and that you don't want it completely switched off.
 
Soldato
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Peterboro, Distro:Ubuntu
The problem is NTL or whoever they are called this week disconnect that line.

My sister in Law had the same issue but pleaded dumb and they reconnected free.

( she was on NTL but wanted to change over to Sky broadband.. you need a BT line for that)
 
Soldato
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In our house, the previous occupants had has NTL. NTL "hijacked" the line and completely trashed the wiring. The guy came out expecting just to flick a switch and not charge us (we're the only BT house on my road, that may have had something to do with it). But he had to rewired it from scratch. He kept saying "I really shouldn't be doing this for free". And took the hint, and gave him a small bribe.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Sussex
Yeah, apparently £125 is if they actually have to send someone out to physically reconnect the line.

If its just stopped then its free.
 

Kol

Kol

Man of Honour
Joined
8 Jan 2003
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14,201
Location
London
Yeah, apparently £125 is if they actually have to send someone out to physically reconnect the line.

If its just stopped then its free.

Try arguing that with BT. Many people are still forced to pay, despite an engineer not even coming out.
 
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