Contract Automatic Renewal Issues

Question

Hello,
We took a connection in January, 2009 (a 12 month contract). I am not able to find that plan anymore. Basically, we had Unlimited Broadband, Weekends Call Free.
That contract is supposed to have ended by December 31, 2009.
Is BT supposed to send us a reminder/information on the bills that the contract is to end and if you do not explicitly inform BT, we will automatically renew your contract and you will be part of another 12 month contract?
Thanks,
Tom

Answer 1

I am currently trying to get out of my auto renewing landline contract ( I think it is actually for the free evening and weekend calls that they tag on for "free"). I did know that it was auto renewing, and rang up to ask how long to go as I knew it was around that time and had seen a good offer from sky, I was horrified to learn it had only just been renewed so had another 12 months to go. Like I said,  I knew it was around this time of year for it to be renewed, but I definitely never received a letter telling me a month before. I told this to the helpful (ish) lady on the phone, and firstly she offered me a reduction to £10.90 a month  to continue. As I told her It was not the line rental that was an issue (though that has just gone up??) it was to get a better broadband deal , to get the best deals you have to give them the line rental too. She again seemed quite helpful and said she would put me through to customer services to see if a letter had been sent, and if not, would let me cancel without penalty. I was even considering at this point taking her up on the offer to stick with BT, with the £3 saving on line rental the move to sky was not saving me all that much. But decided to keep my options open and let her put me through to "customer services", I knew it wasn't going to be so smooth from now on once I heard the  Asian accent and the line quality had dropped. Though the 1st lady said she would leave notes on my account to assist whoever took over, I was told that I had to ring back in a couple of hours as the system was down. Gobsmacked that the 1st person was not aware of this, I reluctantly hung up. But now I have been thinking and the blood is starting to boil and I have to say that it is downright disgusting that a company with the supposedly stature of BT, would result to such practises, something a back alley outfit would do in tying you into a ongoing contract, when there is actually no benefit to be gained by the customer for doing so (I have a unlimited use mobile so no need of the free calls, and most other providers provide this service anyway). They can come back with what they want, they may admit that a letter never got sent (again why should a company as BT need to resort to putting the onus on customers to cancel something rather than working to keep them) but I will never use BT again (I know technically even with sky BT are providing the line), and I intend to give them as little of my money as possible, ever again. I have another 1hr before I can call back, but how I feel at the min I feel like just cancelling my DD and let them sue me and prove I am in the wrong, but they have me over a barrel as I am sure they will just cut the line and leave me without broadband (even if I do move to sky)...
I will update this post (I created an account just to vent some steam) when I am thinking more clearly and hopefully have things resolved.