Ever since M’s old copper wire phone service died, and he was transferred onto a new package, there have been issues with his bill. I thought I’d got it sorted then found his bill for last month, just ringing me every night, was over £200!!!
An hour and a half of emailing to and fro with someone utterly useless, then another half hour to someone else. I’m so fed up with people who don’t understand that you can’t have POA from someone lacking capacity, and they can’t “just come and email..” because he can’t read or write at all.
@bowlingbun , does it tell you on the bill how much a call is costing and how long M is on to you? I don’t know if BT breaks the bill down for a person? I know a lot of people went from BT to other phone company’s as the bills got silly. They are not charging him for something he does not have with them? like Sky tv or the internet. It is just a thought with everyone going to use the same things as you get the internet what hidden charges there could be and they don’t tell you about it. I hope you can get it sorted.
He’s supposed to be on the lowest tariff for those in receipt of benefits and an unlimited call package. To start with they denied he was on benefits at all, ignored my offer to send evidence. Then they didn’t make it a package with calls, which he’d always had previously. Hence £200 worth of calls, in one month, just to have a chat with me. I’ve already supposedly had it put right, twice, only it wasn’t. It’s pathetic, but what was even worse was the fact that they didn’t understand the practicalities of M having severe learning difficulties. I’ve just had another email from them, another “lash up”, I just can’t face reading it properly until tomorrow.
@bowlingbun are you saying his package has changed since the digital change over, and before that his package was ok. If so you need to ring them up and tell them to put him back on the package he was on before. Just because the old copper wire phone service has been replaced does not mean you have to change the package you can stay on your original package they just change your phone line to digital.our haven’t changed yet. The women from bt has filled a form in to make sure that my phone line is changed before the deadline so that I do not end up with no phone line. She said nothing else will change ,and that she has also wrote that on the form. I hope that helps.
Also another thing I thought about is there internet at M s house .people who don’t have the internet can get a cheaper phone line because they don’t have internet and have a call package with it. There used to also be a package called home serve something like that and it was just the phone line and unlimited call package but no internet.
@Michael_1910123 i think BT charge 20p a minute if you don’t have a call package that is what it used to be I don’t know if it’s gone up or if that includes vat.
It’s the changeover from one to another that mucked things up.
Rest assured I will get it sorted. I have represented local residents against major planning applications round here and never lost a battle yet!
When I started mentioning the Disability Discrimination Act, the duty to make reasonable adjustments and a formal complaint to Ofcom their attitude changed!
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@Bowlingbun as M has a BT landline are you sure that his carers aren’t using to make personal calls ? That could rack up the bill considerably !
My landline is with Virgin Media along with my internet and TV. The landline was changed over a couple of years ago now and I’ve not had any problem (touch wood !) - my “talk anytime” was transferred over and my package stayed the same. The also gave me (and installed) a battery operated back up telephone for emergencies if the internet went down or there was a power cut. I believe that all the other telephone providers (Sky, EE, PlusNet etc) have the same system.
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@bowlingbun I have found these for you I don’t know if M has broadband at his house because the carers use it or not .these are the social tariffs.
Home essential packages for customers on specific means tested benefits
Home essentials call only package. £10.00 a month includes line rental and unlimited calls
Home essentials unlimited broadband (16 Mbps) £15.00 a month including line rental and unlimited calls **
Home essentials unlimited fibre essentials plan(no income 36Mbps) £16 a month including line rental and unlimited calls.
Bt home essentials prices from 21/05/2025
** this plan will only be available where fibre broadband is unavailable.
Exactly, so how did M end up with £200 worth of calls in a month. Earlier this evening I was sent some adjusted accounts which ignore all the money they’ve taken unlawfully!
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Sorry, I didn’t answer your question about who uses the broadband?
M can’t read or write but loves Facebook. It’s a huge contradiction, I know but he often sees things about steam engines in general, and our engines in particular. He has become friends with our steam friends and they share things. Recently he found a photo of my husband and I driving the steam roller at a show, taken before we had children! Our eldest will be 50 next year!
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They are itemised, all calls are made to me. Discovered even more. Will update things on my proper keyboard tomorrow.
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@bowlingbun that is fine. I understand about M. I wasn’t sure if he had broadband. So I wrote the prices with and without broadband. I’m glad he likes Facebook. He notices things he’s interested in .has got used to seeing them and so picks up on them that is good .its nice that he has interests and has made friends with people who like steam engines to like he does.the prices above that is all he should be paying round about that. I know it says 2025. Social tariffs it says do not go up every April with inflation the prices stay the same for people on benefits and low income. You want to ring Bt and ask to speak to a manager explain how M is, and they should put him on one of these social tariffs with unlimited broadband and unlimited calls, and refund all these charges they have charged him it’s not fair. It is a good job you noticed this was happening.i hope you get it all sorted tomorrow easily.