United Kingdom: BT Home Essentials broadband for people on specific benefits

https://www.bt.com/exp/broadband/home-essentials

I've just moved to this. It looks like the speeds will be no less than my current plan.

Who can get BT Home Essentials?
New or existing BT customers can apply. You’ll also need to be
receiving one of these benefits to qualify:

• Universal Credit
  (all claimants)
• Pension Credit
  (Guarantee Credit)

• Employment and Support Allowance
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income Support

Don’t forget you’ll need your National Insurance number
when you order, so we can check you’re eligible.

 

Shame PIP is not on the list.

 

I tried this a few weeks ago using the online application method and I kept getting a message at the end that there was a technical error and to phone their customer services. Trying to do this on the phone is beyond my cognitive capacities (I struggle with verbal communication) so at the moment I am staying with EE.

Were you an existing BT customer? If not, did the online application manage to complete without any error messages?

 

Ah sorry to hear that. Perhaps worth trying again as maybe they were having teething problems?

No, I am with NowTV broadband (until tomorrow).

 

I may get my daughter to phone for me. I moved from BT years ago due to the difficulties and hours spent on the non UK customer helpline (even my very patient daughter got driven round the bend with their inability to deviate from non helpful scripts). I see now they have a UK based customer service, so this is the only reason I'm considering moving back to them.

 

I looked at earlier and for me it's vastly overpriced.

Advertises 67mbs

When I put in my address this changes to 3-7mbs, for the same price.

My current supplier charges me £45 for 200mbs, this is £15 for 3mbs.

Fairly sure the problems are obvious.

 

Presumably there is no BT fibre broadband to your flat then.

In my area BT are the only company offering fibre broadband lines. When I went with EE, EE had a contract with BT to use their lines. Since then EE have been bought by BT but are still being run as a separate company with independent contracts and pricing.

 

It's certainly overpriced in the circumstances you describe, but not—as in my case—if the speed guarantee is 32Mb, which is slightly higher than what I get now for £25 a month.

 

It would be a considerable saving for me as I have to pay £38 a month for the £15 36 Mb package (guaranteed to be about 27 Mb, the same as I get now as it will be via the same fibre line). EE were (and I think still are) cheaper than going direct to BT for the equivalent package (inclusive landline and UK mobile calls).

 

"If you are in receipt of only contributory based Employment and Support Allowance then you are not eligible for BT Home Essentials."

 

It’ll be because it’s for income-only based benefits, and neither New Style ESA or PIP are based on income. The first is on your NI contributions and doesn’t take your savings into account, and PIP isn’t means tested and available to people in work too. Most discounts like this are only usually given to people on income based benefits like UC, JSA and income-based ESA.

 

Ofcom links all social tariff broadband and phone deals here, https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-tel...or-consumers/costs-and-billing/social-tariffs

12 deals are listed, from 10 different suppliers. It also says "* Each company has its own list of eligible benefits, but all include Universal Credit. Other benefits may include Pension Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, and Care Leavers’ Support.", this applies to seven of the ten suppliers.

 

Money Saving Expert now includes social tariffs as an option in the broadband comparison tool.

"Compare social tariffs and standard tariffs side-by-side in our enhanced tool. In the main, social broadband deals are for those on universal credit, though most also allow those receiving pension credit. And a decent number also include those on jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, disability living allowance and personal independence payments.

To see the deals in our comparison tool, check the 'Show social tariffs' box and enter your postcode, and we'll now show you those with near-national coverage (plus each provider's eligibility criteria) alongside all standard deals available to you, so you can compare. You can also see our full social tariffs list which includes smaller firms too."

 

If it he1ps anyone considering changing, do check whether you can get any 'add on' packages you may need first.

It doesn't say anything on the re1evant web pages, so I had to contact BT direct1y to find out that their socia1 package b1ocks premium and internationa1 ca11s. Apparant1y (I have been assured by someone in their technica1 team) it is possib1e to get these unb1ocked and purchase add on options.

I needed to know (haven't yet swapped to any socia1 tariff) that I cou1d purchase the internationa1 add on or the internationa1 friends and fami1y option in the future as my e1dest daughter is hoping to spend a year teaching in New Zea1and starting sometime 1ater in this year or the next (she has c1ose fami1y there on my ex's side). I won't be surprised if she decides to emigrate there, teaching in Eng1and now has become unsustainab1e (60 hour weeks, being a fu11 time socia1 worker on top of a c1ass teacher, a massive drop in the rea1 va1ue of sa1aries etc.) so I'm basica11y preparing myse1f for this.

 

Not me persona11y. I don't do phone tech or anything that resemb1es socia1 media. I don't use my smartphone for anything except my banking apps. I on1y use my 1aptop for basic things too, no apps.

I on1y use my phone for immediate fami1y, even then, on1y rare1y. I can't make 'norma1' phone ca11s without having an autistic me1tdown due to my verba1 1anguage processing prob1ems.

I definite1y won't be doing video ca11s - I remember a11 the stress this put on Wonko to 1ook ha1f presentab1e!

Edit - I shou1d add, I don't read body 1anguage and my own isn't 'neurotypica1'. I find it very distracting and other peop1e a1ways seem to read mine in a way that contradicts my fee1ings and intentions.

 

Making a WhatsApp call to NZ would be no different to making the call on a mobile, though. You just press a different square on the screen.

If someone else had dialled up the call and then handed the phone to me, I wouldn't be able to tell you which I was using. The only reason I might choose one over the other is that I have fewer contacts in the WhatsApp list, so if that person's in it, it's much easier to find; however, if I'm calling a number that's not in the WhatsApp list, it's easier to dial using the phone's own app.

(I risk sounding as if I make phone calls all the time...I avoid it whenever possible but sometimes there's no alternative, specially when I'm out doing wildlife surveys.)

ETA: sorry, cross-posted with @NelliePledge.

 

I don't use my smartphone for making ca11s, it's too difficu1t to ho1d and I'd risk dropping and breaking it (a1ready smashed 2 1aptops in the 1ast few years due to dyspraxia combined with the ME musc1e weakness). There's no way I cou1d afford to rep1ace my iPhone so I keep it in a bedroom drawer and on1y take it out when using it for banking, p1us the battery no 1onger keeps much charge. It's difficu1t enough trying to keep at 1east 1 of my 3 cord1ess 1and1iine handsets charged, sometimes none of them are despite my best efforts (around ADHD, poor memory etc.). At 1east they are 1ightweight and ergonomic to ho1d.

A1so, my broadband's not that re1iab1e (rare1y have a week without it going off intermittent1y) and due to 1ack of mobi1e signa1 anywhere in my house I have to use the mobi1e via the internet. So for me, I need a 1and1ine option for both domestic use and internationa1 ca11s.