BT compensation court case - do I need to apply and how much money could I get
More than three million BT customers could be due up to £400 thanks to a new class action trial which is due to begin today.
The case argues that customers should be owed compensation following a previous Ofcom ruling. Back in 2017, Ofcom found BT had consistently increased its prices, even as its own wholesale costs were falling.
This led to BT subsequently agreeing to reduce the price of its landlines by £7 a month. However, campaigner Justin Le Patourel is taking the issue to the Competition Appeal Tribunal as he believes the telecoms provider owes compensation, arguing that many customers were vulnerable and were owed refunds.
The case was first given the green light in September 2021. If the case is successful, then how much you could get depends on the length of your contract.
Mr Le Patourel said: “We believe BT has been systematically overcharging millions of customers over many years, and those customers could be owed hundreds of pounds each. Time really is of the essence. More than 40% of our claimants are aged over 70, and over 150 of them are dying every day. It really is vital that BT should refund every one of them as soon as possible.”
UK's first drone 'super highway' to make 165-mile corridor to cut lorry numbers
A BT spokesman said: “We take our responsibilities to customers very seriously and are dedicated to keeping our customers connected, while helping those who need it most. This claim relates to a technical landline pricing issue which was resolved by Ofcom in 2017. We do not accept that our pricing was anti-competitive back then, and as such are committed to robustly defending our position at trial.”
Who could be owed money from BT?
You could be entitled to compensation if you had a BT landline without broadband between October 2015 and April 2018. Again, it depends on if the court case is successful.
You may also be eligible for compensation if you had both broadband and landline with BT, but not together as a package, between October 2015 and December 8, 2023.
There are some exceptions though. Customers who took a BT landline service aimed at business users are not included in the class action, along with BT Basic or BT Home Phone Saver households.
How much could I get in compensation?
If the court case is successful, compensation is likely to range between £300 and £400, with some potentially being eligible for even more than this. It all depends on how long your contract for BT lasted.
You could still be eligible to be part of the claim even if you are no longer a BT customer. The trial is likely to last eight weeks and a judgment is expected this year.
Do I need to apply for compensation?
Everyone who could be affected is automatically included in the claim unless they choose to opt out. This means you don't need to do anything right now.
However, if the claim is successful, you will need to provide certain information in order to receive the compensation. You can register for updates on the CALL (Collection Action on Land Lines) website.
The deadline for opting out was on January 26, 2024. However, if you have opted out, you may be able to bring your own separate claim against BT for the same issues.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
