Home Talk Plus newbie - fed up with BT!

I'm looking at moving my phone (not broadband) to Zen's Home Talk Plus package.

BT's January 2014 price rises have made me look around and I've been disappointed they've been unwilling to make any effort to keep me as a long term (30 years this year) loyal customer!

I'm currently using their Anytime package.
So in Jan this would cost £15.99 (line) + £7 (calls) and £1.75 for caller id.
(I've just bought an answer machine to avoid the 1571 Answer £1.75 fees)
Total: £24.74

Looking at Zen's package £17.35 (line + 5000 minutes) and 90p for caller id.
Total £18.25

All looks good, can anyone say if I've missed anything?

Does anyone know if Zen are just about to increase their prices for 2014?
Also is it guaranteed that moving my phone provider to Zen won't break my existing broadband which uses a different ISP? (via normal BTw line)

Thanks for any advice.

Edited by b4dger (Mon 16-Dec-13 17:23:27)

2 years ago, I migrated to Zen's ADSL, and also took the same phone package too.
I also asked Zen to arrange a new master socket to be fitted, and it was cheaper than if we'd ordered it through BT.

The phone package with 5000 minutes is a very good saving over BT, and far from BT doing anything to save a very long term customer, they merely sent us a dire warning that if we didn't pay our final bill, we'd be in trouble!
Can't recall the exact wording, but it could have been quite alarming to some people.
We always paid our bills online and on time, so they'd have no reason to think we'd do any other when we left them.

I've certainly heard nothing about price increases for phone packages with Zen.

In reply to a post by b4dger:

£1.75 for caller id.

It needn't! You can sign up for free BT Privacy + Caller Display (which you presumably had before or you wouldn't have had free Caller Display) for 1 year.

As you have been with BT a long time, why are you not paying £5.15 pm or less for legacy Anytime Calls? The £7 pm is for new custs joining in the last year.

I fancy that where BT goes today others will follow within weeks.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Tue 17-Dec-13 00:14:43)

I have the same 5,000 minute package at not much more than BT line rental. Faultless. No contract tie in and any chargeable calls such as Mobile calls, no call connection fee and per second billing. Top award winning UK customer service. No brainer, especially with Freeola.

Edited by professor973 (Tue 17-Dec-13 00:18:42)

Thanks TrishaH and prof for the replies - sounds good

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by b4dger:

£1.75 for caller id.

It needn't! You can sign up for free BT Privacy + Caller Display (which you presumably had before or you wouldn't have had free Caller Display) for 1 year.

Check again - ALL BT CALLER ID SERVICES will be charged at £1.75 there is no free caller ID service any longer. BT realised that too many people where using the privacy option rather than paying the full CLID service so they got rid of it. As of Jan 2014 you will have to pay for caller ID and 1571 answer.

You check again, m8!

In reference to www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?top...:

BT Privacy with Caller Display will cost £1.75 a month from 4 January 2014, but existing customers of the service can pre-register to continue getting it free for 12 months°. Find out more and register at bt.com/freecallerdisplay. BT Privacy with Caller Display will remain free for BT Basic customers.

And in my Calling Features options:

o BT Privacy with Caller Display free for 12 months ............................................... £0.00
Includes the option to register for the Telephone Preference Scheme (TPS) to help prevent unwanted sales calls. A new 12 month line rental contract applies

If BT really got rid of it, as you allege but provide no evidence for, they would need to write to me withdrawing their offer.

BT are running an offer where if you sign up to a new 12 month contract they'll give you 'caller id' for free.
You would still have to pay another £1.75 if you wanted to keep 'Answer 1571'.

Existing customers will be given 12 mths 'free' caller ID if they claim it before next month. Snag is that the claim ties you into a 12-mth contract. In fact any extra service eg upgrading from 10Gb to Unlimited also ties you in for further 12 mths. I'm happy with BT service but given current price rises I wonder how many of us are planning to move on as our contracts run out?

In reply to a post by Malwaremike:

if they claim it before next month.

How do you know that? Where's it insist on that? Won't the 12 m start from whenever you take up that offer and you'll pay £1.75 pm for the months before you do so? What's to stop me selecting that option in my Calling Features after the 4th. Jan?

Are you confusing it with the deadline, 6 Dec, for pre-registering for it, which turned out to be a non-event (& the promised email acceptance never materialised) as the 'free for 12m' option turned up on our Calling Features anyway.

Just curious, as I intend to select it on about 1st Jan in order to the longest period free.