Fair usage policy yet again - the latest interpret...

Question

Like many others, I found what was on BT's web site concerning FUP quite unclear in parts, particularly the paragraph that reads;
If you exceed your usage allowance, you'll be charged for additional usage in units of 5 gigabytes (GB), at £5 per 5GB. Charges will apply from the second month you exceed your allowance and will be shown on your BT bill.
The confusing part was the reference to being charged from the second month.
Now, before the terms and conditions were changed last year it was possible to exceed usage in month one and, providing you didn't exceed usage in the next month, you wouldn't be charged. There would be no charges unless you exceeded your allowance in two consecutive months. Apparently, that is no longer the case and the reference to charges applying from the second month refers to the month the charges will appear on the bill.
Now, you will be charged for any month and all subsequent months that you exceed your allowance.
However, and I can find no reference to this anywhere on the web site, you are allowed to exceed your allowance once each year without charge. This runs from January to December but after one month over the limit, you'll be charged for every month you go over.
How did I find this? By spending 40 minutes on the 'phone, 30 of them with an exceedingly patient call centre lady who didn't quite understand it either then, after being quite insistent, speaking to a manager who apparently had to be dragged out of one of those meetings that they are always in when you try to get a query escalated!
He's promised to get the 'off-line' team to look into getting the FUP page on the web site updated but I shan't hold my breath.
To be fair to BT, although their overseas call centres come in for some stick, I've no problem with them and, as on this occasion, can usually get the information I want using nothing more than politeness and patience. Well, why not? Can't be an easy job sorting out people like me!

Answer 1

Or maybe not...
Further developments.
As it happened, I did go over my usage allowance last month (by a very annoying 0.01GB!) but wasn't particularly concerned as I'd already been assured that I wouldn't be charged if I did go over that month.
Imagine my surprise to get an email today telling me that I was to be charged £5 for that 0.01GB of overuse.
Well, I was only on the 'phone for 38 minutes this time and have now got another interpretation which, on the evidence available, seems to be how this works.
The system now is, you get one warning and after that you'll get charged. No one warning before being charged in each 12 month period, just one chance and that's it for life.
Now I don't have a problem with there being rules about this, let's get that straight, but it would be nice to know what they are and I defy anyone to find that out from BT's web site and even calling them doesn't appear to guarantee a correct answer.
The supervisor I spoke to this time promised to pass the problem on to those who look after the web site but I shan't be holding my breath but if I feel in danger of going over my allowance in the future, rest assured I'll make quite sure it's for more than 0.01GB!