link to BTopenworld

anytime to be restricted to 150 hrs month
surftime to be restricted to 120 hours per month

it appears all customers will get an email about this. I'm not sure what my usage is but luckily now at work again I'm not logged on alot in the day -I used to log on then go off and do other things ;)

My first reaction was there is NO way I could use this many hours per month - my 2nd reaction was actually I could !!! Must start to monitor my usage and see how much of a "nerd" I am :rolleyes:

that's only 4/5 hours a day, not that long when you think about it. Glad I left them ages ago. Ingrid

I may well be leaving them too Ingrid BUT I wonder how long before other ISP's follow suit ?

Mmmmm I think Freeserve are doing this without actually tell you:D
It's been really troublesome lately and I was just beginning to think I'd change but may be not;)

I can't believe how much I do use it though, it's probably best I don't add it up

Notice there is NO mention of a price reduction?

This is designed to get people to use broadband. I would LOVE to have broadband ...but BT in their wisdom have decided to set our towns user interest limit at 700!! Most towns are set at 250-500. Therefore I have NO alternative.

On the site you mention there is a very small *complaint* icon ..I have filled this in with a bitter complaint and a notice to BT that I am going to complain to OFTEL. I suggest that ALL BT Internet users follow suite

Melody

When I left BT a year ago they told me I was having problems connecting because of the high useage on my PC (4 users in the house) and told me I would be better off with broadband. Ok fine, I'd love broadband, heard it is so much quicker at downloads etc. Sorry not available in the area and now a year later we still don't have it, and everyone I know who has signed up[ to BT recently is still having the same problems I was then. I changed to Tiscali and apart from a few minor problems when they updated the server in January it's been great, if I do get cut off it allows me straight back on. Ingrid

Hi Ingrid - what sort of account do you have with Tiscali ?

Hi Joyce, I have Tiscali Anytime, £14.99 per month for unlimited access. I'm really miffed at the moment, they have a special offer on broadband for £19.99 a month till the end of October and BT haven't upgraded our exchange yet so I can't have it. Ingrid

DO YOU HAVE THE WEB ADDY FOR TISCALI?

CAN YOU TELL ME HOW I GO ABOUT COMPLAINING TO OFTEL PLEASE MELODY, AS I AM SO MAD ABOUT THIS I COULD SPIT.

I don't know about oftel but when I complained to bt they just said fine --feel free to cancel your subscription at any time !!hows that for valued custom ;)
Liz

I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF RUNNING BT ARE ALL COMPLETE TWERPS AND I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THEY MANAGED TO KEEP MANY CUSTOMERS.

Buffy ...can you please take CAPS LOCK off on your PC? It makes reading your posts quite difficult :)

Type OFTEL into a search engine (Google.com) and you should be able to get the address from there . Alternatively , phone BT , I believe they have to give you the info if it is requested

The reason *I* will be complaining is that they have effectively cut my access to the internet by over 50% and yet are charging me the same price. I believe the reason to be the introduction of Broadband ....if I could get broadband then I would have it , but there is no way my small Lincolnshire market town will see broadband in this decade :(

Melody

no problem melody caps off :o sorry

AOL have restricted theirs to 30 hours of free time a month (1 hour perday).....not amused !! Then its 1p per minute...will cost me a fortune..:D

Nat

I have dial up surf unlimited package with cable, Blueyonder, as far as i know there are no time restrictions, as I have never been thrown off.

I don't seem to have the trouble getting connected, just redial a couple of times, that friends of mine have who are with Virgin.

I wish MY days had 30 hours!!!
:)

I'm on AOL and I haven't been notified of any changes. What type of account do you have?

I was just going to say that too I know AOL increased their charge by £1 a month a while back. Nat, haven't you got the one fee ~ unlimited access?

I got kicked off Surfanytime because I was online in excess of 120hrs per week and there maximum usage is now 150hrs per month! So much for unmetered 24/7 access!!

I'm now with AOL and haven't had any real problems at all.

Fiona
x x x

Im with BT and thinking of going elsewhere as I too got the e-mail saying only 150 hours per month.

Karen

i think iam going now to
has anyone got onetel its a real good deal
sam xx

Hi Lynn & Leigh.,

I used to have the unlimited time., I use AOL 7., but they notified me by e mail to say that was going to change from 1 Oct (I think) and that I would only get 30 hours per month free time. :(

Was not impressed !!

Nat

Nat,
I have just looked up AOL's pricing lists on their site, and their is no mention there of restricted hours on their flat rate 24/7 package. They do have other packages with free time and charges per minute. Have you got one of those? You can check by going into Keywords and then Pricing.

Jean

I'll have to have a look Jean...

Nat

hi nat
i am with aol and have been told the same that you will only have 30 hrs a month free.
then pay extra for any time over that.
totally agree with you "not impressed"

I've just signed up with AOL and haven't heard that at all. I'll go mad if that's the case - it'll cost me a fortune :(

Fiona
x x x

Fiona I think it works out to 1 hour a day :( and totalling you 30 hours per month. Anything over that I think is 1p per minute....

AOL will be raking it in from any champdoggers !!! :D

nat

I spoke to AOL this morning. It depends who your telephone service provider is. BT is unaffected. She also mentioned NTL and Telewest, but I wasn't sure if she was just listing other providers or other ones where they have an agreement, as they do with BT.
Lynn x (a relieved BT user)

So are these changes going to be across the board then Lynn, if you don't use AOL with BT?

I explained to the AOL person that a couple of people I "knew" had been informed their unlimited usage accounts were to be changed to 30 hours, and she said it depended on the telephone provider. She said BT was unaffected because they have an agreement with BT. She also mentioned NTL and Telewest, I think implying they also have agreements and should not be changing. I presume that any other provider will be changing to a limited usage account. You're probably best checking directly with them, on 0800 376 5432, their Member Services Helpline. It's open from 8am till midnight. After the initial couple of pick-a-number routines I got straight through to a human!
Lynn x

Just had a 'chat' with AOL and they have confirmed that the new price structure will not affect existing customers using NTL either.

Phewwwwwwwwwwwwwww :rolleyes: Panic over

Added: Thanx Lynn, we both posted at the same time :-)

Because I am based in Jersey I don't use the usual lines as someone would do if they were in the Uk...

So looks like my phone bill will be going up shortly :(

Nat

:-(

Natasha,
You could always pretend you're in Alaska or Hawaii....they have the same relationship with 'stuff' as you have there in the Channel Isles :rolleyes: :) Everything costs more because they're outside the Continental USA ;)
I look at it this way, if Mama Military moves us there, the allowances are if we are stationed outside the country, like we are here in Germany :D :D :D And Anchorage is only 90 minutes away by air from Seattle :)

Anybody with NTL? I'm with them. I have a package where I use a BT phoneline but route my calls through NTL. As long as my calls total £15/month, I get free, unlimited internet access. So in other words, if my calls only total £12, I've still got to pay £15.

It's a package that suits me because my calls usually are anything from about £13 so I'm really getting net access for free. I've never seen anything saying the hours are restricted and now that I've found Champdogs I can be on a while :) I'd love Broadband but just can't afford it because I'd need to pay for it on top of phone calls!
Dot

Dot ...last I heard NTL were on the verge of bankruptcy so there may be a change in the air there too??

Melody

Melody,
Oh dear! I hope not :( I haven't heard anything but they did change some of their packages a few months back. As far as I knew, they bought Telewest who are the cable TV suppliers in our area so I wonder if that affects Telewest.

I forgot, they do chuck you off after 2 hours but you just log back on again.
Dot

ntl and Telewest - the reality is that both these cable companies have invested very heavily and are in the red. They are not however in immediate danger of going bust. The worst that would happen is that they merge - but both are doing fine with broadband and their subscriber packages. There is no evidence to suggest that any merger or closing down is on the cards - far from it - they are both developing new technologies, both have gone broadband and both are holding steady at the mo.

Digital television and internet provision are both volatile areas with dial up ISP being the most risky which has been the case for the past two/three years.

Pam n the boys

I live down the road from the NTL main officers and customer service base. For the first time in nearly 3yrs they aren't recruiting staff - they usually advertise every couple of weeks.

There are loads of rumours round here that they're in trouble :( Hope not, most of the people in the village will be out of work.

Fiona
x x x

:( I have bt anytime, and they have cut me down to 5 hours now? We want broad ban but they wont put it in around here?

Julieann

hi Julieann
were on bt and we're going to go to freeserve at the end of the month 13.99 unlimited access 5hrs is just not enough for us all
Liz :)

Hi Sara Was in Tesco this morning and don't know the ins and outs of the package but the advertising over the tills said £12-99 month unlimited access. Perhaps this would be a better deal for you. Hadn't seen it before today.
tangle

Yes ..I have just paid 50p for the TEsco disc and will have a look at it later this month ..BT are paid up until November ..but I reckon 12.99 is an okay price

Melody :)

I AM APPALLED THAT BT ARE CUTTING THE USAGE HOURS YET AGAIN, IT IS GROSS MISREPRESENTATION.
I WILL BE COMPLAING TO OFTEL ALSO AND CHANGING MY ISP AS SOON AS I CAN FIND ONE SUITABLE.