Result -- negotiating with BT Broadband
Discussion
I recently realised—entirely down to my own negligence—that my out-of-contract BT broadband bill had drifted completely out of line with the market.
They were charging me over £70 a month for standard fibre. This is on me and only me - so please no "why didnt you check your bill?" - see other posts from me as to why this may not have been a priority.
Yet, a new BT customer pays £27.99, and sister companies EE and Plusnet are also in the high £20s. My BT account portal offered £58.99. I get the commercial logic of acquisition, but that gap is way off.
I rang BT retentions. The guy was perfectly professional but bound by his script. The best he could do was £58.99 from BT or a move to EE with an unnecessary backup dongle for around £38–£39. When I asked to escalate it, he said it wasn't possible. No drama—I ended the call politely.
Later, slightly irritated, I did something I always tell others to do but rarely bother with myself: I emailed the CEO’s office. I kept it short, calm, and factual, just pointing out that it felt that as a loyal customer I was being penalised, and that I could leave BT and go to Plusnet, with all the same underlying infrastructure and the same service.
The next morning, a senior resolutions manager called me. He actually listened, asked what I needed (just basic broadband), and within minutes matched the "impossible" £27.99 price. Fair play to BT in the end. Frontline staff are following script / corporate rules, but if you bypass the maze and go straight to the top with a polite, factual argument, then things might become possible.
TL;DR: My out-of-contract BT bill hit >£70/month while new customers pay £27.99. Retentions couldn't match it, so I sent a polite, factual email to the CEO’s office. The next morning, a senior manager called and gave me the £27.99 rate.
They were charging me over £70 a month for standard fibre. This is on me and only me - so please no "why didnt you check your bill?" - see other posts from me as to why this may not have been a priority.
Yet, a new BT customer pays £27.99, and sister companies EE and Plusnet are also in the high £20s. My BT account portal offered £58.99. I get the commercial logic of acquisition, but that gap is way off.
I rang BT retentions. The guy was perfectly professional but bound by his script. The best he could do was £58.99 from BT or a move to EE with an unnecessary backup dongle for around £38–£39. When I asked to escalate it, he said it wasn't possible. No drama—I ended the call politely.
Later, slightly irritated, I did something I always tell others to do but rarely bother with myself: I emailed the CEO’s office. I kept it short, calm, and factual, just pointing out that it felt that as a loyal customer I was being penalised, and that I could leave BT and go to Plusnet, with all the same underlying infrastructure and the same service.
The next morning, a senior resolutions manager called me. He actually listened, asked what I needed (just basic broadband), and within minutes matched the "impossible" £27.99 price. Fair play to BT in the end. Frontline staff are following script / corporate rules, but if you bypass the maze and go straight to the top with a polite, factual argument, then things might become possible.
TL;DR: My out-of-contract BT bill hit >£70/month while new customers pay £27.99. Retentions couldn't match it, so I sent a polite, factual email to the CEO’s office. The next morning, a senior manager called and gave me the £27.99 rate.
Did a similar thing recently but over much less money but was initially more for clarification than complaint.
Booked a Travelodge for a night out.
Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
Emailed customer services 4 times to clarify & each time got an answer to a question different to the one I asked.
Decided to email a few addresses I found & 1 turned out to be a top manager.
Got an email back within 48 hours saying the room was reserved no charge, an very nicely explaining the IT issue & that the Customer Services chimp was being "re-trained" in how to better deal with customer enquiries.
Booked a Travelodge for a night out.
Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
Emailed customer services 4 times to clarify & each time got an answer to a question different to the one I asked.
Decided to email a few addresses I found & 1 turned out to be a top manager.
Got an email back within 48 hours saying the room was reserved no charge, an very nicely explaining the IT issue & that the Customer Services chimp was being "re-trained" in how to better deal with customer enquiries.
The BT one is very apt at the moment.
Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
Dan_1981 said:
The BT one is very apt at the moment.
Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
Price up Vodafone Broadband Xtra. My parents use that and it s something like £27 (extra £2 for Openreach vs Cityfibre) for 150Mb broadband, unlimited phone, a free Apple TV thing you can keep and 3 months of Apple TV +, albeit you need to pay after the 3 months.Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
Dan_1981 said:
The BT one is very apt at the moment.
Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
Here is what I sent.Trying to negotiate my old mum's account for her.
Her monthly bill was now £99 for broadband, phoneline & unlimited calls.
Advised her to phone up and see what they could do.
She called me that evening and happily announced they'd reduced her package to £88 per month... but she'd now got Now TV and the entertainment package! (she doesn't watch much TV)
I called on her behalf and managed to cancel this change within the cooling off period but again as per your post the best they could offer for boggo 75mb broadband and pay as you go land line calls for £58.99
We may try the email route!
To: Nick.Lane@ee.co.uk
Subject: Escalation: Unfair broadband pricing for long‑standing custome
Dear Mr Lane,
I am writing to request a review of my broadband pricing from your executive support team/customer services. Summary below for clarity:
Situation
BT customer since XXXX; current broadband contract since XXXX
Currently paying £XX + per month for ~73 Mbps FTTC (inc voicemail)
Market comparison as a new customer for a basic FTTC service
BT (new customer): ~£27/month for similar service
EE / Plusnet : £20–£25/month (averaged)
BT retentions best offer for BT: £58.99/month for Fibre 2 (a little lower for EE but required a SIM commitment)
Escalation attempt unsuccessful; no manager available
Concern
Loyal customers charged significantly more than new customers and BT-owned alternatives
Creates incentive to leave BT entirely
Underlying infrastructure and guarantees are the same; the BT offer does not bring more capability or service levels vs competition for thiis product
No plans by Openreach to install FTTP to out street (due to legacy ducting issues)
Requested Resolution:
Adjust pricing to align more closely with new customer offers (~£25–£30/month range) and recognize, rather than punish customer loyalty
I would prefer to remain with BT, but the current position is not commercially reasonable.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Vaud
A/C GBxxxxxxx
Ceoemail.com is very useful.
I’ve also used it to praise good service.
Enterprise hire went above and beyond for me so I emailed the Uk MD and he replied personally at the weekend, complete with spelling mistakes so I am sure it was him and not an EA.
Same for Screwfix - our local one is fantastic - very helpful, give good advice (eg get this one, it’s a £1 more but metal, or this one as it’s the same but cheaper if you need 3, etc)
If they don’t know then they will say and google it with me. Or for a small job (eg plumbing and it’s busy they will call out in the store if there is a plumber and often they will help)
The CEO replied, and sent it to his area manager. The CEO emailed the store, and the area manager visited with a letter of commendation for the team, etc. he emailed me a photo of the team with it as a follow up.
Sure, it’s just a letter (don’t know about any other reward) but in a world where people are generally very quick to complain, I like to think that it is as easy to compliment. Also execs must like it for a change…
(I’ve worked retail and everyone should have to - like national service…)
I’ve also used it to praise good service.
Enterprise hire went above and beyond for me so I emailed the Uk MD and he replied personally at the weekend, complete with spelling mistakes so I am sure it was him and not an EA.
Same for Screwfix - our local one is fantastic - very helpful, give good advice (eg get this one, it’s a £1 more but metal, or this one as it’s the same but cheaper if you need 3, etc)
If they don’t know then they will say and google it with me. Or for a small job (eg plumbing and it’s busy they will call out in the store if there is a plumber and often they will help)
The CEO replied, and sent it to his area manager. The CEO emailed the store, and the area manager visited with a letter of commendation for the team, etc. he emailed me a photo of the team with it as a follow up.
Sure, it’s just a letter (don’t know about any other reward) but in a world where people are generally very quick to complain, I like to think that it is as easy to compliment. Also execs must like it for a change…
(I’ve worked retail and everyone should have to - like national service…)
I wonder what's happened here?
I renew ours with BT every 2yrs, calling just before the contract expires and I always get the rate they're advertising with no great drama. Just did it again a couple of months ago.
The guy was noticeably arsy that I dropped the landline and calls this time though and didn't want anything else bundled in.
I renew ours with BT every 2yrs, calling just before the contract expires and I always get the rate they're advertising with no great drama. Just did it again a couple of months ago.
The guy was noticeably arsy that I dropped the landline and calls this time though and didn't want anything else bundled in.
alangla said:
Price up Vodafone Broadband Xtra. My parents use that and it s something like £27 (extra £2 for Openreach vs Cityfibre) for 150Mb broadband, unlimited phone, a free Apple TV thing you can keep and 3 months of Apple TV +, albeit you need to pay after the 3 months.
I wonder if the price varies by area - I don't see the Openreach / Cityfibre choice - it's £33.50 for my address. Still pretty good for unlimited UK calls though, if you wanted that.It also looks like a big bump up if you want a Wi-Fi extender - BT sent us two FOC when we moved to fibre so Wi-Fi works fine anywhere around the house.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Saturday 13th June 09:11
E-bmw said:
Booked a Travelodge for a night out.
Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
How does that work then? If you have booked a room, why do you then need to reserve a room? You have a room, its the one you booked, surely?Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
(I understand the online check in part however,).
Sheepshanks said:
alangla said:
Price up Vodafone Broadband Xtra. My parents use that and it s something like £27 (extra £2 for Openreach vs Cityfibre) for 150Mb broadband, unlimited phone, a free Apple TV thing you can keep and 3 months of Apple TV +, albeit you need to pay after the 3 months.
I wonder if the price varies by area - I don't see the Openreach / Cityfibre choice - it's £33.50 for my address. Still pretty good for unlimited UK calls though, if you wanted that.It also looks like a big bump up if you want a Wi-Fi extender - BT sent us two FOC when we moved to fibre so Wi-Fi works fine anywhere around the house.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Saturday 13th June 09:11
Just some similar with Toob (via City Fibre)
Had a great service with them for 2 years, 900mbps @ £29 a month
Renewal £29, but I noticed that new customers get it for £22
A quick call, they couldn t give me that. But gave me the next 3 months free instead.
So works out around £25 a month over the 2 years.
Happy to stay
Had a great service with them for 2 years, 900mbps @ £29 a month
Renewal £29, but I noticed that new customers get it for £22
A quick call, they couldn t give me that. But gave me the next 3 months free instead.
So works out around £25 a month over the 2 years.
Happy to stay
Edited by RotorRambler on Saturday 13th June 16:57
alangla said:
Argh, sorry, it was £27 or so for the broadband plus £10 for the Xtra (ie the calls and the Apple TV box). I can t get the Cityfibre vs Openreach difference either as my street doesn t have it, but if you re in a Cityfibre street then they do (or did) offer a differential between that and Openreach. If you re being offered Broadband Xtra for £33.50 that s a great price.
There's nothing to say it's a special offer but is does say unlimited UK calls included at £0, usually £8, but I think that just means included in the Xtra package. Broadband only is £25.50 (all 150Mbps).snuffy said:
E-bmw said:
Booked a Travelodge for a night out.
Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
How does that work then? If you have booked a room, why do you then need to reserve a room? You have a room, its the one you booked, surely?Days later went into the booking to reserve room/pre check in.
Price was £4.00 so went ahead, when it gets to the actual payment it was double.
(I understand the online check in part however,).
E-bmw said:
I am a light sleeper, so when I saw a link in an update after booking to reserve a specific room, I thought I would have a look to see how much to get a room on the top floor & away from the street. Otherwise it is just getting a random room alocated on arrival.
I see. A bit like selecting a seat on a plane I suppose? either you get a random one on check-in, or pay and select your own with more leg room or whatever.vaud said:
I rang BT retentions. The guy was perfectly professional but bound by his script. The best he could do was £58.99 from BT or a move to EE with an unnecessary backup dongle for around £38 £39. When I asked to escalate it, he said it wasn't possible. No drama I ended the call politely.
I did similar a few months ago.Broadband was with EE and prices were going up in March and looking at their website they were offering nothing cheaper, but looked at BT's site (yes I know they are the same) and they were offering prices far cheaper.
Tried to put through an order on the website but it wasn't having any of it, so phoned and got a helpful lady in Plymouth who told me that I couldn't use the website to put in an order as an existing customer of EE but would I like to make a complaint and then she would see what she could do.
The results was she couldn't do the cheaper BT website price at the 500Mbs speed I was on, but she could do it at 900Mbs for the same price.
davek_964 said:
I thought some rule / law had been brought in that meant companies couldn't offer better deals to new customers than existing customers.
Did that not happen?
Only applies to car and house insurance and only applies if you are buying through the same route.Did that not happen?
vaud said:
I recently realised entirely down to my own negligence that my out-of-contract BT broadband bill had drifted completely out of line with the market.
They were charging me over £70 a month for standard fibre. This is on me and only me - so please no "why didnt you check your bill?" - see other posts from me as to why this may not have been a priority.
Yet, a new BT customer pays £27.99, and sister companies EE and Plusnet are also in the high £20s. My BT account portal offered £58.99. I get the commercial logic of acquisition, but that gap is way off.
I rang BT retentions. The guy was perfectly professional but bound by his script. The best he could do was £58.99 from BT or a move to EE with an unnecessary backup dongle for around £38 £39. When I asked to escalate it, he said it wasn't possible. No drama I ended the call politely.
Later, slightly irritated, I did something I always tell others to do but rarely bother with myself: I emailed the CEO s office. I kept it short, calm, and factual, just pointing out that it felt that as a loyal customer I was being penalised, and that I could leave BT and go to Plusnet, with all the same underlying infrastructure and the same service.
The next morning, a senior resolutions manager called me. He actually listened, asked what I needed (just basic broadband), and within minutes matched the "impossible" £27.99 price. Fair play to BT in the end. Frontline staff are following script / corporate rules, but if you bypass the maze and go straight to the top with a polite, factual argument, then things might become possible.
TL;DR: My out-of-contract BT bill hit >£70/month while new customers pay £27.99. Retentions couldn't match it, so I sent a polite, factual email to the CEO s office. The next morning, a senior manager called and gave me the £27.99 rate.
Whilst i admire your persistence, why bother?They were charging me over £70 a month for standard fibre. This is on me and only me - so please no "why didnt you check your bill?" - see other posts from me as to why this may not have been a priority.
Yet, a new BT customer pays £27.99, and sister companies EE and Plusnet are also in the high £20s. My BT account portal offered £58.99. I get the commercial logic of acquisition, but that gap is way off.
I rang BT retentions. The guy was perfectly professional but bound by his script. The best he could do was £58.99 from BT or a move to EE with an unnecessary backup dongle for around £38 £39. When I asked to escalate it, he said it wasn't possible. No drama I ended the call politely.
Later, slightly irritated, I did something I always tell others to do but rarely bother with myself: I emailed the CEO s office. I kept it short, calm, and factual, just pointing out that it felt that as a loyal customer I was being penalised, and that I could leave BT and go to Plusnet, with all the same underlying infrastructure and the same service.
The next morning, a senior resolutions manager called me. He actually listened, asked what I needed (just basic broadband), and within minutes matched the "impossible" £27.99 price. Fair play to BT in the end. Frontline staff are following script / corporate rules, but if you bypass the maze and go straight to the top with a polite, factual argument, then things might become possible.
TL;DR: My out-of-contract BT bill hit >£70/month while new customers pay £27.99. Retentions couldn't match it, so I sent a polite, factual email to the CEO s office. The next morning, a senior manager called and gave me the £27.99 rate.
Like yourself we were with BT Fibre for ages, out of contract, on a really s
t deal as it happens.Rang them up - nope, sorry best we can do is £59 (or whatever it was). Ok, fair enough. Went to PlusNet Fibre 500 for £32 a month (best deal at the time). They sent us out an identical box to the BT one we had (i think its actually stamped BT on the back) only white instead of black, no downtime, completely seemless, all handled by them.
We got a Fear of God email from BT talking about how they'd the highest rated customer service, uptime, etc, etc, and implying potential doom if we left them but bearing in mind its the same fibre and the same box (only white) i'm pretty sure we'll see no drop in service.
Definitely didnt feel any urge to fight with them to get the deal other providers were doing with no hassle?
Deep Thought said:
Whilst i admire your persistence, why bother?
Like yourself we were with BT Fibre for ages, out of contract, on a really st deal as it happens.
Rang them up - nope, sorry best we can do is £59 (or whatever it was). Ok, fair enough. Went to PlusNet Fibre 500 for £32 a month (best deal at the time). They sent us out an identical box to the BT one we had (i think its actually stamped BT on the back) only white instead of black, no downtime, completely seemless, all handled by them.
Was this very recently? Repeating myself, I've never had any problem getting the same deal as new customers - I even once got the new customer cashback debit card. Last renewal was only a few months ago.Like yourself we were with BT Fibre for ages, out of contract, on a really s
t deal as it happens.Rang them up - nope, sorry best we can do is £59 (or whatever it was). Ok, fair enough. Went to PlusNet Fibre 500 for £32 a month (best deal at the time). They sent us out an identical box to the BT one we had (i think its actually stamped BT on the back) only white instead of black, no downtime, completely seemless, all handled by them.
I find if you don't get what you want from an organisation, it sometimes works to just end the call and try again with a different person.
Did you return your hub to BT? We have two black BT wifi extenders and I believe these don't work with the PlusNet router, but you can continue to use the BT one. However I haven't seen anything that assures the extenders will still work. My guess is they might be OK if they stayed connected but you wouldn't be able to reconnect as the BT app would stop working.
Similar for me.
BT broadband on about £80/month. Was out of contract for about 9 months. Kept checking new deals but nothing amazing.
Eventually cancelled and went with another provider at £30 for same service. A few days later, on my BT account online, a price came up for £30/month, same service. So I took it and cancelled the new provider before they had chance to install it. I was wondering if it thought I was no longer an existing customer (having cancelled my service with them) and offered me the new customer deal?
Bit of a faff behind the scenes apparently as balls had already started rolling to do the cancellation but they got there in the end.
BT broadband on about £80/month. Was out of contract for about 9 months. Kept checking new deals but nothing amazing.
Eventually cancelled and went with another provider at £30 for same service. A few days later, on my BT account online, a price came up for £30/month, same service. So I took it and cancelled the new provider before they had chance to install it. I was wondering if it thought I was no longer an existing customer (having cancelled my service with them) and offered me the new customer deal?
Bit of a faff behind the scenes apparently as balls had already started rolling to do the cancellation but they got there in the end.
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