Looking at BT’s marketing material, you’d think they were wonderful and all their competitors were useless, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, BT charges more than most other Internet service providers for a service that’s no better in any way that really matters. Yes, they provide ‘pebbles’ which allow customers to continue accessing the Internet when their landline-based broadband installations stop working, but it would be a lot easier to provide a reliable service and a very quick repair if anything does go wrong. However, BT is a giant lumbering corporation, not nimble or responsive.
Although the starting price for new customers is £27.99 per month, BT broadband’s normal price is £35.99 a month, and they think it’s worth every penny! No, BT, it isn’t. It’s a rip-off. So please spare us your TV adverts about ‘penny-pinching’ customers who have tried to save money with Wendy-house home offices and DIY exercise bikes, but have for some reason decided to stay with BT for their expensive broadband. Thank goodness they were sensible enough to stick to BT and pay a huge price, rather than saving money with a more reasonable provider who runs at least as good a service. If expensive meant better, choosing BT might make sense.
Like many other massive companies who used to be virtually unchallenged in their fields, BT plays on people’s fears, uncertainties, and doubts. Their strategy is to frighten customers into staying where they are. Would you get the same level of service from another Internet provider? Well, if you have a problem with BT’s Internet speed, they promise to sort it out within 30 days or give you a £20 voucher, which works out at just under £0.67 of compensation for each day of unacceptable service. So their commitment isn’t saying much, other than they’re likely to be very slow fixing things and when they fail, their compensation is so paltry that it isn’t worth having. There are alternative providers who give better service, but BT tries to make out that their competitors aren’t as reliable.
Another thing is that every March BT will increase the price by CPI plus 3.9%. Why isn’t the CPI increase enough by itself? Why the extra 3.9%? Because, like most large companies, they’re very greedy! BT usually compare themselves with ‘other large providers’. Of course there are smaller providers who perform better, but they’re not ‘large’ so they don’t count as far as BT is concerned. Even so, they provide a good broadband service, are more responsive, and care about keeping their customers. What make large providers so wonderful? Nothing really, so don’t get exploited.
Plusnet is not really a small provider, but they’re considerably cheaper than BT. In case you didn’t know already, they’re owned by … wait for it … BT! So you would be getting a decent broadband service at considerably less cost. They’ll still increase the price by CPI plus 3.9% every March, but you can’t have everything, and these days who can afford to pay through the nose for anything that’s available cheaper elsewhere?
Let me know if you need any help switching from BT to another provider. It’s not that complicated, and you’ll probably be eligible for a special ‘new customer’ deal if you move.