BT increases prices for call blocking

The Fair Telecoms Campaign has accused BT of “capitalising” on concerns about nuisance calls, following the announcement of price increases for call-blocking services.

BT plans to increase prices on 4 services that can help to deal with nuisance calls:

• BT Privacy at Home with Caller Display
• BT Answer 1571
• Choose to Refuse
• Anonymous Caller Reject

These changes will be implemented on 4th January 2014.

The BT Answer 1571 service is offered as a simple means of filtering calls. It has also been widely adopted as an alternative to a physical answering machine and many customers now rely on it to retrieve their voicemail messages. Whilst it is currently a free service, it will be subject to a charge of £1.75 per month from 4 January 2014.

In addition, two services which are specifically offered to assist victims of nuisance calls – Choose to Refuse and Anonymous Caller Reject – will also have their prices increased.

“BT plays a leading role in working groups looking at ways to address the issue of Nuisance Calls. Perhaps it sees this as a market of vulnerable people, ripe for commercial exploitation,” said David Hickson of The Fair Telecoms Campaign. “BT’s contribution will be noted by the Culture Media and Sport Committee and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuisance Calls, both of which are conducting formal inquiries.”