Law firm bids to claw back £500 for ‘overcharged’ BT customers

A LAW firm is launching action on behalf of BT customers claiming they were overcharged for landlines.

Mishcon de Reya has filed claims at the Competition Appeal Tribunal which it says could result in payments of up to £500 each for more than two million BT customers.

BT said it “strongly disagreed” with the action, adding it had offered discounted landline and broadband packages for years.

The claim is being made on behalf of Justin Le Patourel, the claimant representative and founder of Call (Collective Action on Land Lines).

He said: “Ofcom made it very clear that BT had spent years overcharging landline customers but did not order it to repay the money.

“We think that millions of BT’s most loyal landline customers could be entitled to compensation of up to £500 each, and the filing of this claim starts that process.”

Natasha Pearman of Mishcon de Reya added: “This is a specialist claim that will be heard before the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

“It will take time to gather evidence and bring it to trial.

“But we are very confident that eventually millions of BT’s most loyal customers – many of whom are older and potentially vulnerable – will receive a significant rebate.”

In a statement, BT said it “strongly disagreed” with the claim.

The statement added: “We take our responsibilities to older and more vulnerable customers very seriously and will defend ourselves against any claim that suggests otherwise.

“For many years we’ve offered discounted landline and broadband packages in what is a competitive market, and take pride in our work with elderly and vulnerable groups, as well as our work on the customer fairness agenda.”