Lede
A simple return and close account turned into a time tax.
Worst service ever — avoid at all costs
I’ve had enough of BT’s circus. I placed a simple request to return their useless 4G Mini equipment — the one they asked me to send back — and somehow they managed to make it a nightmare.
When I tried to cancel, they told me I couldn’t until after I’d done the return. What kind of backwards logic is that? You ask for a return, they confirm it, then refuse to close the account until you repeat the same thing again.
Every call takes at least 20 minutes of hold music and script-reading. No proper option in the account, no quick button, no clear process. In 2025, this should be as simple as one click, not a full-time job chasing a company to take back their own kit.
BT, your “service” is stuck in the Stone Age. I wouldn’t recommend you to anyone — not even my worst enemy.
What does not make sense
- You approve my return, then block account closure until after the return. Classic loop.
- No clear button in the account to cancel or close. 2025, yet no basic UX.
- 20 minutes on hold per call. Every time.
- Your own pages say the kit can be posted with a pre-paid label, yet staff push more calls.
- I ask for final closure. You ask for another call. Then another.
Sense check / The numbers
- Ofcom ordered BT to refund or credit GBP 18m on 29 July 2025 after enforcement over missing contract info. Process fixes still needed. [Ofcom]
- BT’s broadband complaints-handling satisfaction showed no improvement from 2022 to 2024, while others improved. [Ofcom Customer Service 2025]
- In Ofcom’s 2025 tracker, 23% of broadband users had a reason to complain; BT customers were lower at 20%, but BT landline customers showed higher dissatisfaction with complaint handling at 15%. Mixed picture, still pain on phones. [Ofcom Customer Service 2025]
- Latest complaints data published 30 Oct 2025 shows issues persist sector-wide; faults and service quality lead the reasons. EE tops complaints this quarter, but the point stands: complaint churn is a norm. [Ofcom Q2 2025]
- BT’s own help pages promise easy, pre-paid kit returns and credits even after charges if returned within 2 years. The promise is simple. The lived process is not. [BT Help]
The sketch
Scene 1: MyBT dashboard. Big tiles. No cancel button. Tooltip reads: “Please contact us by phone.”
Scene 2: Call centre queue. A screen blinks: “Estimated wait 20 minutes.” Customer: “I want to close the account.” Agent: “After return.”
Scene 3: Post Office counter. A small 4G Mini box slides across. Clerk: “Pre-paid label. Sorted.” Caption: “If only the closure was this simple.”
What to watch, not the show
- Process vs policy: public pages say easy returns; frontline scripts add friction.
- Complaint handling flat at BT while rivals trend up. Culture change not complete.
- Phone dependency: higher landline complaint-handling pain suggests legacy workflows.
- Regulatory pressure works, but it is reactive. Customers pay the time cost first.
The Hermit take
Count the minutes, not the marketing.
A cancel button is cheaper than a queue.
Keep or toss
Toss.
Keep the pre-paid returns label. Toss the cancel-by-phone obstacle course. Add a clear Close account button and a single, written final confirmation in MyBT.
Mini recommendation: Do not use BT. Worst customer service, no in-account cancel even when out of contract, and phone queues to close an account. Pick a provider that lets you cancel inside your account and confirms in writing.
Sources
Ofcom — Latest telecoms and pay-TV complaints, Q2 2025:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/latest-telecoms-and-pay-tv-complaints-revealed-q2-2025
Ofcom — GBP 18m in refunds and credits for BT customers, enforcement update, 29 July 2025:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/18m-in-refunds-and-credits-for-bt-customers-following-ofcom-enforcement
Ofcom — Comparing customer service 2025 (complaints handling, satisfaction, first-contact resolution):
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/phones-telecoms-and-internet/comparing-service-quality/2025/comparing-customer-service-report-2025.pdf
BT Help — How to return and recycle BT broadband hub and BT TV box, credits after charges, returns within 2 years:
https://www.bt.com/help/tv/how-to-return-and-recycle-your-bt-broadband-hub-and-bt-tv-box-fo
BT Help — Learn about the 4G Mini Hub and how to return it:
https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/getting-set-up/bt-halo/learn-about-the-4g-mini-hub-for-bt-halo-customers
