Rip-Off Britain
S.M.M.T Disclaimer:- Under Section 15, Subsection 8 of the Freedom of Speech Act and Sections 23-59, Subsections 12-194: “Any Company or Trading Body which, through discontentment and Disagreement of a Constituted Service which has been settled in financial completion (Paid in Full) to the said Company that has caused such Discontentment or Disagreement with the Company that it was providing said Services to, has the right to ‘Air’ the ‘Views’ and provide any additional information ‘Where applicable’ so as long as that ‘Additional Information’ is of ‘Truth’, and does not cause any unnecessary ‘Malicious Damage’ to the said Company that the Disagreement concerns.”
A STERN WARNING TO SMALL BUSINESSES SETTING UP.
OK, so you have set up everything – or almost everything – for your new business; Business Premises, Website, Wholesale Accounts and a hundred and one other little titbits that will need a little fine tuning along the way to becoming successful. The Direct Debits are set-up in the Company name, the Company name is above the doorway as the first Customers start to trickle (Or Rush, if you’re lucky) into the Shop that you pay Weekly/Monthly Rent for, and now the only thing you have forgotten is “Communication”.
Your Company will need to keep in touch with the Customers – as well as the Wholesalers, too – but surely you can do this from Home! No, you are going to need a Telephone (and Broadband Connection) if you are to keep up with the day to day business deals that the Customers would rather expect. You have a Mobile Phone on O2, but even that would cost the Customer enquiring about that £2.99 product an arm and a leg to speak for just a short while. So you phone around.
Know this as FACT, not as FICTION, as so many Companies would have you believe, OK. Knuckle down and check out your “Market Research” before thinking that what we are about to tell you is a whole lot of baloney, because the last laugh will not be yours if you think that this hasn’t been researched and finalized. BT aka British Telecommunications OWNS the Airwaves; Masts, Telegraph Polls, the whole shebang, BT OWNS it all – except of course Fibre Optic Communications (And believe it when we say that they are now working on OWNING that, too – which is why “Residential” and “Business” Line Rentals and Tariffs are increasing. When you find a deal with TALK TALK (And please don’t, read HERE for more info), the “Landline” is under the OWNERSHIP of BT. In fact, when you go through ANY Telephone company that means you keeping your Telephone Junction Box fixed to the wall of your House or Business Premises – BT OWNS IT AND – the Telephone Company you believe you have a great deal from PAYS British Telecom after you pay the Charges to that Company you got the deal from. It is only because the Phone Company buys up the Line Rental in Bulk, that the real cheapness starts to show on YOUR BILL. But that is if you’re a Residential Telephone Customer and NOT a Business User.
FAT CAT’S BLEEDING SMALL COMPANIES DRY.
When Storm Multi-Media Technologies took out a Telephone/Broadband Business Package with BT (British Telecom), it was EMPHASISED that it was a Start-Up Company that needed to keep its Overheads low until it became established enough to run alongside the other great Multimedia and Technology Companies out there on the Market. “No problem,” said the Salesman from BT on the other end of the telephone, “We have the perfect package for you and other Small Businesses that Connect to us here at BT.” So, the Telephone offering 10p for 1 hour 17 minutes, and 5p for 1 hour 17 minutes was taken up (10p for 1 hour of Chit-Chat on a Mobile Phone couldn’t be beaten by anyone else, as the 5p for one hour of Chit-Chat on a Landline certainly couldn’t (unless you count 24/7 free calls week and weekends) Total cost £62.00 per month for the Telephone Line Rental. Then there was the Broadband, with 24/7 Internet Protection at £5.50 per month, then the “Up to 20 MB Download Speed” that would only cost the Company £100.00 per month, which in total came to £162.00 per month. But then came the crunch, as it does with all these Companies sooner or later, and that crunch was the 2 Years Contract that was Legal and Binding in the eyes of British Telecommunications.
ALWAYS READ THE SMALL PRINT.
Set up and ready to go – four weeks after the original contract was agreed because of the bad weather and snow conditions which stopped the BT Engineer calling over to the “Exchange” and flicking a switch to ON – The Company has been running smoothly, though it could be running better, and finally came CONDEMS RECESSION, the DOUBLE-DIP RECESSON and the Dog Eat Dog, Claw as much money back from the Customer as we can tantrums. Double-Taking Bills, the Downtime, The Oops, we slipped and made a mistake syndrome, and pisspotticle excuses that only large Corporate Companies can get away with these days came settling on my ears, in letters and even in my Personal Email Inbox. Whoopee bloody do.
When Storm Multi-Media Technologies first started out, it was classed as a big mistake to TRUST certain Wholesalers knowing the Master Plan of what Sales were going to be and what the Strategic Plan was to be played in the Battle Field of Technology Retail. It came to pass that S.M.M.T learnt its lesson quickly and moved on, but there was still the problem of the CONDEMS RECESSION looming in the darkness and creeping up on everyone. With this it was decided to DOWNSIZE, but to do this the Company had to pass it by GOD itself, who turned round and said for £500.00 Storm Multimedia Technologies can walk away with “No Harm, No Foul”.
With 14 months left on the Contract, British Telecom would not budge, even when it was declared that the Premises had actually been handed back over to the owners and no further access could be gained.
“What if someone takes on the premises and plugs in a telephone?” I enquired.
“Then YOU are responsible to PAY that bill that they run up.” BT told me.
“But I no longer have a Lease on the property and I have no access.” I added.
“You are responsible to pay any usage charges on the Telephone and Broadband Line by anyone, whether or not you are residing or leasing the premises or not.” They informed me.
“What are my choices?” I asked with dread in my voice.
“Well, the good news is, you can transfer the package over to your home…”
“I cannot do that, I am in an 18 month Residential Contract with BT already.”
“Ah, OK, then, not to worry, you can cancel the package and only pay the outstanding contract term of £500.00.”
The words seemed to just roll off her tongue like it was a normal everyday thing and easy for all Customers to pay up on the spot.
CONSEQUENCES.
Left with the £500.00 bill to pay (Once the disconnection has been activated) when after the two weeks to switch off everything takes place, the consequences have left Storm Multi-Media Technologies no choice other than to place British Telecommunications on “The Black List”, and hope that in the future they will realise that not all Companies are as well off or established as a Company that is neither British, nor in a position to shout the odds about “Good Business” and “Caring for other businesses” out there.
So, where did it all go wrong? Well, without placing a Political Spin this whole affair and true “Rip-Off Britain” example, Margaret Thatcher is where it all went wrong, as well as all the Corporate Snakes that Leech and Burden other’s with their “New World Order” Master Plans. Is S.M.M.T becoming a Target by bringing this forward to the Public Domain? I think not, I know not and definitely believe not. With the access to the “Internetwork” and other Technology in today’s world, the future is bright for Small Businesses and damned for the large, as one by one they fall like Dominoes into the Abyss where they belong. Soon all others shall follow, and I feel that S.M.M.T will be around long after they have all eroded and faded into thoughtless memories.
1982 – 1984: Privatisation of British Telecom
On 19 July 1982, the Government formally announced its intention to privatise British Telecom with the sale of up to 51 per cent of the company’s shares to private investors. This intention was confirmed by the passing of the Telecommunications Act, 1984, which received Royal Assent on 12 April that year. The transfer to British Telecommunications plc of the business of British Telecom, the statutory corporation, took place on 6 August 1984 and, on 20 November 1984, more than 50 per cent of British Telecom shares were sold to the public. At the time, this was the largest share issue in the world.
The new legislation had to enable British Telecom to become more responsive to competition in the UK and to expand its operations globally. Commercial freedom granted to British Telecom allowed it to enter into new joint ventures and, if it so decided, to engage in the manufacture of its own apparatus.
The company’s transfer into the private sector continued in December 1991 when the Government sold around half its remaining holding of 47.6 per cent of shares, reducing its stake to 21.8 per cent. Substantially all the government’s remaining shares were sold in a third flotation in July 1993, raising £5 billion for the Treasury and introducing 750,000 new shareholders to the company.
The 1984 Act also abolished British Telecom’s exclusive privilege of running telecommunications systems and established a framework to safeguard the workings of competition. This meant that British Telecom finally lost its monopoly in running telecommunications systems, which it had technically retained under the 1981 Act despite the Secretary of State’s licensing powers. It now required a licence in the same way as any other telecommunications operator. The principal licence granted to British Telecom laid down strict and extensive conditions affecting the range of its activities, including those of manufacture and supply of apparatus.
1983 – 1991: Open telecommunications
The BT Centre, completed in 1985.
The next major development for British Telecom, and a move towards a more open market in telecommunications, occurred in 1991. On 5 March, the Government’s White Paper, Competition and Choice: Telecommunications Policy for the 1990s, was issued. In effect, it ended the duopoly which had been shared by British Telecom and Mercury Communications in the UK since November 1983 and the build up to privatisation. The new, more open and fairer policy, enabled customers to acquire telecommunications services from competing providers using a variety of technologies. Independent ‘retail’ companies were permitted to bulk-buy telecommunications capacity and sell it in packages to business and domestic users. The White Paper was endorsed by British Telecom, the new policy enabling the company to compete freely and more effectively by offering flexible pricing packages to meet the needs of different types of customer.
1991–2001: Rebranding
On 2 April 1991, the company unveiled a new trading name, BT, a new corporate identity and a new organisational structure. This structure focused on specific market sectors, reflecting the needs of different customers – the individual, the small business or the multinational corporation. The reorganisation was named Project Sovereign to reflect the company’s commitment to meetings customers’ needs – ‘the customer is King’. Together with a succession of strategic alliances with telecommunications companies worldwide, these changes gave BT the means to expand into overseas markets.
