BT drops extra charges

Following pressure by Ofcom, BT has dropped plans to charge a £5 penalty to any customer switching to an alternative provider.

The phone company has also decided not to increase the charge for barring outgoing calls from a landline from £11.50 to £17.50.

Karen Darby, CEO of SimplySwitch.com said: "BT is a very innovative company and is always trying to find ways to make more money. Consumers looking to a find a better deal were set to be unfairly punished and in today’s competitive market a penalty for switching would be seen as grossly unfair.

“Scrapping the extra cost for barring outgoing calls from a landline will benefit the most vulnerable households, who are most likely to request the service.

“However, from May, BT is still set to charge customers an extra £4.50 per quarter if they pay their bills by cash or cheque and late payment fees will increase from £5 to £7.50. These punitive charges give customers yet another reason to leave and will undoubtedly push many people away. The good news is that there is no penalty for changing suppliers. Switching phone companies is quick and easy and doesn’t mean you lose your phone number or need new phone lines installed.”