Shortening BT contracts?

[Ken Sington]

I need to get a telephone line and broadband connection into a house that I will be shortly moving into temporarily and hopefully for a relatively short period of time. Once I move out, I will have no need for that line or to transfer it elsewhere. BT seem to only offer a minimum 18 month contract now, and if you terminate the line early, the penalty payment is equivalent to the monthly charge x the number of months remaining on the contract, or at least that is what Gupta in Mumbai tells me.

Does anyone know of any alternatives?

[Simpo Two]

Maybe TalkTalk?

[Chrisgr31]

Simpo Two said:

Maybe TalkTalk?

Needs a BT line doesn't it?

[Jonboy_t]

You'll probably find that BT will be your only option and a discussion with them to explain the situation will be the only way around it. I seem to recall that you HAVE to have a BT line for x number of months/years in order to join any other 'telecoms provider' (i.e. talk talk, pipex etc) and to get into one of the shorter contracts.

(IIRC, BT are the ones that provide and activate the phone line into your house, not who necessarily provide your service, so you are paying them to have the ability to use a phone, not to send you a bill).

[Monochrome]

Virgin would install phone line and broadband, not sure about the short contract though.

[Simpo Two]

Chrisgr31 said:

Needs a BT line doesn't it?

I think ALL lines are actually owned by BT, but they have to subcontract them to other providers. The contract would be with TalkTalk etc not BT, and might be more favourable.

[TheD]

Don't touch PissTalk. BT are a pain but don't even compare to these guys. BT will cut you a deal if you explain.

[fizz47]

I'm was in exactly the same position as you a few weeks ago.

Use the Post Office. They do a telephone line service

http://www2.postoffice.co.uk/broadband-phone/home-...

They do a rolling 1 month contract so you can cancel at anytime and best of all their line rental is cheaper than BTs!


Also I have found BE Broadband pretty good as they do rolling 3 month contracts.

[E36GUY]

Presumably you only need a phone line cos you need broadband and that you have a mobile phone for phonecalls.

So what about one of those pay as you go mobile broadband dongles from the mobile companies? No BT line required and you top up as you need to. Voila. Unless you live in the arse end of nowhere with bad signal of course!