Personally, I don't think that the USO paid for only by BT customers is sustainable.
It should be contributed to by all telco customers equally, that way the pool would be big enough to pay for the marginal things that people complain about it not covering (this is the second such complaint on a ng in a week)
Not much can be done about people lying is there?
But their call costs are still higher than BT's
tim
The BT Light User documentation states that they would like everyone to stay in touch "including those who don't use the phone very often or find that affordability is an issue". I am certainly in the former, plus times have moved on and you can now buy a mobile PAYG phone for very little and still be less well off.
Fine, they can use that as their 'keep in touch' phone then.
tim
got to agree there. If the govt want poor people to get phone service they should issue vouchers or some such. If I was a BT shareholder I'd be pissed that BT were a charity nota business.
Yes, alter the criteria so they are less susceptible to such simplistic evasion.
irrelevant if you never make a call, or indeed if the credit in the phone was placed there by someone else, both likely criteria for granny's emergency-use-only phone
Think of it as a scheme for those who are "light users" of the BT local loop (and not by choice i.e. use of mobiles).
If it required BT to check people were claiming benefit etc. it would cost a lot more to administer.
Regards Sunil
No the rental on a PAYG can be far lower than the lowest LUS costs. Normally a minimum of one paying call every 6 months?
Line rental and call costs are two different things.
tim (moved to sweden) wrote: ...
Not if you're talking about the 'little old lady' calling from town to get a relative's help. That's if she could even /find/ a useable public call box.
Zero if you get a Virgin Mobile, that's what I have for that very reason, it's costs nothing if I make no calls and there is no requirement to make any calls at all. I don't have to ever 'top it up' either, it's on Direct Debit.
I was not talking about a call box.
tim
Bit of a crap way of finding out of the person asking for the LUS is simply asked if they have a mobile. I can see a benfit fraudster will easily get around this security by simply answering 'no'. What an utterly ridiculous system.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required