12 February 2007
BT is to charge home phone customers who do not pay their bills by direct debit £4.50 per quarter from May.
The charge has also been coupled with an increase to the late payment charge, which will rise from £5 to £7.50.
The news coincides with the announcement that BT's share price reached a five-year high, with a 13% rise in third-quarter profits.
Steve Weller, Head of Communications Services at independent price comparison and switching service uSwitch.com, described the charges as "heartless".
Mr Weller said: "These new charges are especially likely to hit BT's long-standing elderly customers who prefer to go to the bank to pay their quarterly bill and may not read the small print.
"Increasing the penalty for late payment seems equally heartless. It's likely that the customers who pay their bills late are already in financial difficulties, so it's a hard swipe to increase their charges even more."
He also pointed out that a recent uSwitch survey examining home phone customer satisfaction had revealed BT to be bottom in the value for money category.
With all the different suppliers you could well be paying over the odds for your home phone. Visit uSwitch.com to make an impartial home phone comparison Compare home phone deals and see which deal suits you best. Switch for free – it only takes a few minutes.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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