BT Broadband - Capped; what to do??

JCBeastie · 3 May 2010 at 21:30

Myself and my flatmate recently saved the pennies to get reconnected to broadband, hooray!

We'd purchased BT Talk and Surf Unlimited: Broadband Option 3 and Anytime Calls.

"Talk and surf without limits! Get unlimited UK calls at any time and up to 20Mb, wireless broadband with unlimited downloads."

Well we very happy to recieve about 16Mb/s, we've both reinstalled Windows recently, patched it up to modern standards, bought and downloaded games, watched Youtube, iPlayer etc... all perfectly normal stuff, usually between 5pm and Midnight.

Well apparently we have used over 100Gb of bandwidth inside April and so we have been capped to 1Mb/s downloads for the next 30days! I am frankly ******! What's the point in buying the top package with the most bandwidth and high connection speeds if you can't use it? I'm aware that the Fair Usage Policy exists, I was under the impression that most ISPs would let it slide for the first month or so! I don't see how they can get away with claiming 'Unlimited' bandwidth when it's clearly 100Gb a month! If we had used this within a week or two I could undestand it being deemed as abuse, but a one off heavy usage month and now we're not recieving the service we've paid for!

I want to know if there's anyway I can get the cap removed, or the duration reduced as I sure don't feel like giving them any money after this!

muon · 3 May 2010 at 22:20

Read the T&Cs next time?

You are still allowed to download more right? Hence unlimited.

Talktalk simply don't want customers who download loads. At their prices, I can understand why.

JCBeastie · 3 May 2010 at 22:46

ghost101 said:
Read the T&Cs next time?

You are still allowed to download more right? Hence unlimited.

Talktalk simply don't want customers who download loads. At their prices, I can understand why.

Firstly I read and understood the T&C and Policies, secondly I am limited, to 1Mb/s, I can't be bothered to do that math but that means there is an effective daily limit to the data I can download.

Thirdly, I'm on BT, not TalkTalk.

I am disputing the fact that we have been limited in our use after our first month connected, when according to the Fair Usage Policy:

"If you exceed your monthly usage allowance your service won't stop working; advisory emails will be sent to your BT primary email address if you reach 80 per cent of your usage allowance each month and further notification if you then exceed your allowance in a particular month.

If you exceed your usage allowance for two months in a row, we'll charge you £1 for each extra GB you use (rounded up to the nearest GB) starting from the second month you exceed your allowance. We'll continue charging if you keep exceeding your allowance in the following months. These charges will appear on your BT bill."

Now on a lower usage package we would be billed for excess, however on the heavy use package you are instead limited:

"BT Total Broadband Option 3 offers unlimited usage at no extra cost. Please note a Fair Usage Policy applies which means very heavy users will find their speeds restricted, at peak times only, in order to safeguard the online experience for the vast majority of customers."

It seems to me that you should only then be billed/limited after 2 months of 'excessive' use not 1.

Also qouting from their package guides:

Ideal for heavy users:

Download movies and music
Play games online
Listen to the radio

Available on BT Total
Broadband Option 3 and
BT Infinity Option 2

Apparently the 'ideal' package for us... considering this is the first time being connected to the internet for almost a year, I'm not surprised we ate the bandwidth with all the Windows and Software updates, game patches etc.

Hotwired · 3 May 2010 at 22:48

It does say "Fair usage policy applies" when mentioning unlimited downloads and also:

BT Total Broadband Option 3 and BT Infinity Option 2 allow unlimited downloads and uploads within the monthly rental price, so customers on these products will not be charged for over-use. However, this does not preclude BT from reducing your speed if you are a heavy user in order to protect the experience for the rest of our customers.

Doesn't say anything about a time period specifically for option 3. Just option 1.

So you are getting what you paid for, even if that isn't what you thought you paid for.

Did you ask BT when you found out you'd hit the limit if they could do anything?

Amp34 · 3 May 2010 at 22:51

We had a warning this month too.. and apparently a few people from my mums work have too (she works with a load of women), just shows how far 100GB goes nowadays (in fairness I reinstalled my computer this month so have downloaded a lot more than I usually would). Still I didn't realise you would be charged if you go over for a second month!

JCBeastie · 3 May 2010 at 23:07

Their Fair Usage Policy is extremely vague, especially as it varies package to package and there is no definitive document on their site. You have to search through about 3 different pages to pull snippets of info together and it's still not clear then.

When we received our first '80%' bandwidth used warning via email (which BTW is the first time you recieve notice in writing that there is 100Gb cap on the FUP) we added up our combined upload/download totals from the bandwidth monitor on McAffee SecurityCentre, which BT priovide with the package and it came to about 67Gb...

I have serious doubts to the accuracy of their monitoring, since they obfuscate their policies and advise you track your own usage. from BTs email:

"You can keep track of your usage by downloading a free, independent, usage monitor from the web and installing it on your PC. This will only report the usage driven by that machine but it will provide an indication of your usage levels."

Why they don't provide their own tools or allow u access to view your bandwidth I don't know. I can only assume they penalise the heaviest users to free up usage overall. I also recently learned there is no limit to how much bandwidth BT Vision customers can use, I can't help but feel the two are connected.

muon · 4 May 2010 at 01:45

JCBeastie said:
Firstly I read and understood the T&C and Policies, secondly I am limited, to 1Mb/s, I can't be bothered to do that math but that means there is an effective daily limit to the data I can download.

Thirdly, I'm on BT, not TalkTalk.

Sorry. Don't know why I read talktalk.

I am disputing the fact that we have been limited in our use after our first month connected, when according to the Fair Usage Policy:

"If you exceed your monthly usage allowance your service won't stop working; advisory emails will be sent to your BT primary email address if you reach 80 per cent of your usage allowance each month and further notification if you then exceed your allowance in a particular month.

If you exceed your usage allowance for two months in a row, we'll charge you £1 for each extra GB you use (rounded up to the nearest GB) starting from the second month you exceed your allowance. We'll continue charging if you keep exceeding your allowance in the following months. These charges will appear on your BT bill."

Now on a lower usage package we would be billed for excess, however on the heavy use package you are instead limited:

"BT Total Broadband Option 3 offers unlimited usage at no extra cost. Please note a Fair Usage Policy applies which means very heavy users will find their speeds restricted, at peak times only, in order to safeguard the online experience for the vast majority of customers."

It seems to me that you should only then be billed/limited after 2 months of 'excessive' use not 1.

Also qouting from their package guides:

Ideal for heavy users:

Download movies and music
Play games online
Listen to the radio

Available on BT Total
Broadband Option 3 and
BT Infinity Option 2

Apparently the 'ideal' package for us... considering this is the first time being connected to the internet for almost a year, I'm not surprised we ate the bandwidth with all the Windows and Software updates, game patches etc.

My interpretation is that they will limit speeds in any month with excess use, if they wish, from what you've written. I haven't read the full T&C, but is there actually an implication that you recieve warnings for 2 months before on option3?

Option 3 is a rip off as well, surprised they can't be more lenient.

JCBeastie · 4 May 2010 at 08:48

Aye, I'm stunned by how draconic they've been, it's almost like they resent your custom.

Need to pursuade my mate to phone the FUP team as I'll be at work while the lines are open, but he's not the best negotiator.

Amp34 · 4 May 2010 at 12:35

There used to be a usage monitor online in your btyahoo pages, not sure if it's there any more though.

EDIT: Just looking at the broadband page it shows

If you go over your allowance two months in a row on BT Total Broadband Options 1 and 2, you'll be charged £1 per Gigabyte (GB), starting from the second month (rounded to the nearest GB). Option 3 doesn't incur any excess charges. Our Fair Usage Policy applies to customers on all Options.

So in fact we won't have to pay any extra money if we go over their "limit" again (total broadband).

Swifty55 · 4 May 2010 at 13:13

Unlimited just means no cap on your usage limit, but doesn't mean they won't cap your speeds.

You've downloaded 100gig in a week, that shows to BT you're a heavy user thus they've capped you...

That's what you get for joining the crappest ISP on earth...

XeNoN89 · 4 May 2010 at 13:31

Protip: Leave BT, go somewhere good like Be.

JCBeastie · 4 May 2010 at 17:37

Swifty55 said:
Unlimited just means no cap on your usage limit, but doesn't mean they won't cap your speeds.

You've downloaded 100gig in a week, that shows to BT you're a heavy user thus they've capped you...

That's what you get for joining the crappest ISP on earth...

I downloaded a 100Gb in a MONTH, not a week.

Also if you take a minute to think about how bandwidth works you'd realise that a capped download rate is no different to a total cap. I could sit down with a calculator and work out how many Mb/s I would pull in a month but frankly I can't be bothered (I'm also rubbish at maths so I'd get frustrated!).

I won't argue about BT being awful though, they're not doing a lot to secure my custom. Considering Sky offer better speeds and a genuine unlimited bandwidth, I'd say BT have to keep up with the times; advertising a package for heavy users and then throttling you for heavy use makes my head spin!

Azuse05 · 4 May 2010 at 17:55

The irony is if you were on talktalks top package you could have downloaded 100Gb in a week *hugs Be* line*. All you've done is discover what most of the country could have told you if you'd asked first, there's a reason so many people choose other isps. Heck you've not had it bad, try reporting a fault out with your property (something you could never cause yourself) and BT will try billing you for the repairs

The only reason they've not gone to the wall is because so many isps needed a bt line, but thankfully that era is ending and they'll have to make the effort other companies do or die.

Phoenixdancer · 4 May 2010 at 17:58

Why on earth did you pick BT interet?

Have you got an O2 phone? If so for £5 you can have truely inlomited internet with a BT landlane.

O2's Fair useage is 350Gb per month

Tweaker · 4 May 2010 at 17:59

This happened to me a couple years ago, i called up and they removed the cap. I think for most people 75GB is the max, for computer savvy people, its just isnt enough. I am at 6GB already today, i couldnt live with restrictions like BT impose.

kmufc77 · 4 May 2010 at 18:03

yeah im on BT option 3 and in my eyes its clever advertising and the average user thinks he/she is getting a unlimited download service,however BTs top package (option3) is capped at 100gb per month.

Ive had emails last 2 months warning me im at 80GB plus and to watch what i download or i will be capped to 1mb.

100GB per month to a PC Enthusiast is nothing and we all know this can be used up in a matter of days.

Many many ppl have complained about this advertising from BT especially on there forums.

Amp34 · 4 May 2010 at 22:01

But it's not just BT tbh, most ISP's are just as bad/worse. The ones that offer a greater than 100GB download allowance are pretty rare.

We are on BT as my parents don't want to lose their email account, and we had a good discount on the line anyway (pretty much the same as the top O2 cost).

oli356 · 4 May 2010 at 22:05

Amp34 said:
But it's not just BT tbh, most ISP's are just as bad/worse. The ones that offer a greater than 100GB download allowance are pretty rare.

We are on BT as my parents don't want to lose their email account, and we had a good discount on the line anyway (pretty much the same as the top O2 cost).

On VM you can download as much as you want.. just traffic management slows you down by 75% -ugh-
Even though i hate the living hell out of that thing i would prefer it then a damn limit..

Azuse05 · 4 May 2010 at 23:06

Amp34 said:
But it's not just BT tbh, most ISP's are just as bad/worse. The ones that offer a greater than 100GB download allowance are pretty rare.

We are on BT as my parents don't want to lose their email account, and we had a good discount on the line anyway (pretty much the same as the top O2 cost).

Not true, and every other isp, even talktalk, has the numbers of the fup avalible readily. People have phoned bt and been told the only reason they'd need more than 100GB (assuming they've actually got someone who knows what the limit is) is for piracy.

Oh and virgins 50 meg has no limit, the lesser packages are quite clearly labelled rather than an ambiguous fpu hidden in a wall of text.

The ops complaint is not, chiefly, about the limit but rather that way BT treats him and it's other customers. You can't even vote with your wallet when almost every llu isp uses a bt line :mad:

Amp34 · 5 May 2010 at 01:16

oli356 said:
On VM you can download as much as you want.. just traffic management slows you down by 75% -ugh-
Even though i hate the living hell out of that thing i would prefer it then a damn limit..

Well yeah, but with option3 that is all they do too. Go over the 100GB limit and they lower your speed at peak times (5pm-midnight) to 1Mbps.

Azuse05 said:
Not true, and every other isp, even talktalk, has the numbers of the fup avalible readily. People have phoned bt and been told the only reason they'd need more than 100GB (assuming they've actually got someone who knows what the limit is) is for piracy.

Oh and virgins 50 meg has no limit, the lesser packages are quite clearly labelled rather than an ambiguous fpu hidden in a wall of text.

The ops complaint is not, chiefly, about the limit but rather that way BT treats him and it's other customers. You can't even vote with your wallet when almost every llu isp uses a bt line

Exactly, even the mighty Virgin has succumed (the 50meg is ok at the moment as it's their premium product). Personally i'd rather have an unshaped cap than shaped traffic.

You can vote with your wallet too, BT is split into two parts, Wholesale (who deal with the actual phone lines) and Retail, which sell to the public. Wholesale can't actually give any preferential deals to retail over other providors so essentially they are two seperate entities.

Still, the limit is a bit annoying, but TBH we are unlikely to hit 100GB again any time soon so...