- Original Poster
- #1
Hello, I recently had an issue with my business broadband and called XLN support, I was advised over the phone that if an engineer came out and found a fault within the premises that I would have to pay the BT Openreach charges, I had to agree as I needed the broadband fixing, the engineer did find a fault within the premises and XLN have issued me with an invoice for £198 which is yet to be paid, I since noticed a charge on my monthly invoices for "business assurance" and called XLN who told me that the business assurance only covers faults up to and including the master socket, I found the letter that XLN sent me back in 2013 with regards to the business assurance ( text pasted below) and it clearly states that I will never have to pay Openreach charges, I have raised a complaint with XLN and am awaiting a response, my question is, can I ask them not to debit my bank account for the payment until the issue is resolved?, also would this so called "business assurance" be covered under some sort of financial services regulation?, given that there are no policy documents available just the letter that I received (text below)
Many Thanks.
Important information regarding your phone bill & BT Openreach engineering & fault charges
As you may already know, BT Openreach is responsible for maintaining the phone lines of all XLN customers - they provide the
engineers that fix problems when a fault occurs on the BT Network.
Over the last two years we have seen a significant increase in charges raised by BT Openreach for the repair of faults which they
have determined are not their responsibility. If the issue lies with your own equipment, your sockets, or your internal network they
will pass any charges on to you.
This applies to the entire network on which your telephone and broadband internet services are carried. Even if they are damaged
by accident or vandalism YOU have to pay and it's not cheap; the minimum charge is £211.60 inc. VAT and £97.75 per hour
thereafter! We've had customers getting charged simply because their handset is faulty or because of a loose wire in a terminal
box. Below I have included some examples of the many complaints regarding this practice.
BT Openreach will not even come out to look at your fault unless you agree to the charge in advance, and once they are onsite you
have no choice but to pay if they decide it is your responsibility. Miss the appointment and you pay anyway.
XLN Telecom has decided to do something positive to safeguard you from unexpected engineering charges. While unfortunately BT
are not willing to drop or lower these charges, we have been working with customers to find a solution as it has threatened to put
some out of business. A bill of hundreds of pounds is very unwelcome, particularly in this difficult economic climate.
So to give you peace of mind we have introduced a fair solution for all customers that makes sure you will never have to pay BT
Openreach engineering charges. For just £1.95 a month for each line we guarantee that all faults will be fixed free of charge and
you will never get a bill from BT Openreach – XLN will pay it for you. Just one BT Openreach engineering call-out is equivalent to
16 years of XLN protection, so this is a sensible, low-cost solution to a growing problem. We are the first telecom service provider
in the UK to protect customers by completely covering these charges.
We are introducing this protection immediately and the £1.95 charge appears on your invoice as "Business Assurance".
Our standard line rental charge will remain at £11.99 per month and as an added benefit you will also receive all the services
included in our Business Support Standard package at no extra cost.
BT Retail continues to charge £17.20 per month for line rental, but will not offer any protection against Openreach engineering charges.
I trust you will find this innovative approach to be of great benefit and will appreciate the length to which XLN Telecom has gone to
provide you the highest level of service and peace of mind.
Should you wish to discuss this please feel free to e-mail us at or call us any time during business hours
Many Thanks.
Important information regarding your phone bill & BT Openreach engineering & fault charges
As you may already know, BT Openreach is responsible for maintaining the phone lines of all XLN customers - they provide the
engineers that fix problems when a fault occurs on the BT Network.
Over the last two years we have seen a significant increase in charges raised by BT Openreach for the repair of faults which they
have determined are not their responsibility. If the issue lies with your own equipment, your sockets, or your internal network they
will pass any charges on to you.
This applies to the entire network on which your telephone and broadband internet services are carried. Even if they are damaged
by accident or vandalism YOU have to pay and it's not cheap; the minimum charge is £211.60 inc. VAT and £97.75 per hour
thereafter! We've had customers getting charged simply because their handset is faulty or because of a loose wire in a terminal
box. Below I have included some examples of the many complaints regarding this practice.
BT Openreach will not even come out to look at your fault unless you agree to the charge in advance, and once they are onsite you
have no choice but to pay if they decide it is your responsibility. Miss the appointment and you pay anyway.
XLN Telecom has decided to do something positive to safeguard you from unexpected engineering charges. While unfortunately BT
are not willing to drop or lower these charges, we have been working with customers to find a solution as it has threatened to put
some out of business. A bill of hundreds of pounds is very unwelcome, particularly in this difficult economic climate.
So to give you peace of mind we have introduced a fair solution for all customers that makes sure you will never have to pay BT
Openreach engineering charges. For just £1.95 a month for each line we guarantee that all faults will be fixed free of charge and
you will never get a bill from BT Openreach – XLN will pay it for you. Just one BT Openreach engineering call-out is equivalent to
16 years of XLN protection, so this is a sensible, low-cost solution to a growing problem. We are the first telecom service provider
in the UK to protect customers by completely covering these charges.
We are introducing this protection immediately and the £1.95 charge appears on your invoice as "Business Assurance".
Our standard line rental charge will remain at £11.99 per month and as an added benefit you will also receive all the services
included in our Business Support Standard package at no extra cost.
BT Retail continues to charge £17.20 per month for line rental, but will not offer any protection against Openreach engineering charges.
I trust you will find this innovative approach to be of great benefit and will appreciate the length to which XLN Telecom has gone to
provide you the highest level of service and peace of mind.
Should you wish to discuss this please feel free to e-mail us at or call us any time during business hours
