BT tops my list of 2015’s most annoying companies for its call display fees

Hundreds of Independent readers discovered they were needlessly paying out for what they assumed was free call recognition on their home phones

It’s time to hand out my festive prizes to those companies that have annoyed you most this year.

Top of the tree – in terms of number of complaints – was BT. At the start of the year hundreds of you wrote in after discovering you were needlessly paying out for what you assumed was free call recognition on your home phones.

When you contacted BT to complain after we alerted you, the company compounded the problem by inconsistency, with some readers getting refunds and other being refused. Reader Michael Bryant’s comment summed up my own feelings. “Their response strikes me as ridiculously convoluted and indicative of no clear policy,” he said.

The company eventually attempted to clear things up, telling me: “BT customers can get Caller Display free by signing up for the 12-month free Caller Display offer, which also renews their line contract. Customers can renew their free offer after 12 months to continue to receive it without charge.”

Is that clear? If you haven’t read it closely I reckon it means you need to sign up for the free caller display every year, which means you probably need to do it now to avoid being unfairly charged again.

By June, the communications giant was trying to sneak through another unexpected charge. It wrote to its broadband customers who’d got used to getting BT Sport for free to tell them: “If you do nothing, your BT Sport Pack will cost £5 a month from 1 August.”

John Haigh’s response was typical of readers. “For any organisation to send an email ‘notifying’ me that they will start taking money from my account unless I tell them not to is alarming,” he said. I agree. We’ll wait to see what BT’s next charging cock-up is!

s.read@independent.co.uk

twitter: @simonnread