bigjohn wrote on Jan 5
th, 2006 at 11:28pm:
What about Talk Talk ,Post Office Home Phone, Toucan, and Homecall to name but four of the providers now providing line rental.
I've just been handed a leaflet at the Post Office promoting
HomePhone and offering £50 'cash back'.
It claims:
- "Line rental from only £9.95 [Direct Debit] per month. Lower than BT."
- "And don't worry, other call features are charged at exactly the same price as BT charge you now. (Excludes BT calling feature packs)."
So I called them (freephone) and asked, "Does this mean that Caller ID (BT Privacy) is free?" Answer: "No, it's £1.70 per month." (Had to call them 'cos I couldn't find calling feature charges on their website.)
So, as I suspected (and discussed in other messages on this forum), comparing, like with like, line rental inclusive of Caller ID: BT £11.00; PO £11.65.
While the PO might get away with claiming "Cheaper line rental than BT" (the basic charge is cheaper if you don't want Caller ID), I don't think they should get away with claiming "call features are charged at exactly the same price as BT charge you now".
I see a complaint to Advertising Standards coming on ...
I also asked them whether one can use alternative carriers (e.g. 1899, etc.) - and again, not surprisingly, the answer was "No".
So, to rydaway and others looking for an alternative line rental provider - be careful about what alternative you are buying.