BT heads to court as £1.3bn class action case begins
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BT heads to court as £1.3bn class action case begins

BT new HQ May 2022.jpg

BT is heading to court today, facing £1.3 billion class action over allegations it overcharged its landline customers – many of whom are elderly.

The case begins today at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on behalf of over three million customers.

More than three million people could receive £300-£400 if Justin Le Patourel, the man representing the consumers in court wins the case.

In 2017, Ofcom said that BT charged too much for home phones since 2015 and the company were made to lower their prices after that.

Le Patourel said: “We believe BT has been systematically overcharging millions of customers over many years, and those customers could be owed hundreds of pounds each.

“Time really is of the essence. More than 40% of our claimants are aged over 70, and over 150 of them are dying every day. It really is vital that BT should refund every one of them as soon as possible.”

BT has denied that the pricing at the time was “anti-competitive” and would be “robustly defending our position at the trial”.

Recruitment drive

This news comes as the firm announced it would recruit more than 500 more UK apprentices and graduates in 2024 – up from 400 in 2023.

The roles will span across areas such as engineering 5G, FTTP, customer service, applied research, data analytics and cybersecurity.

The new roles will be spread across a number of UK locations including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, London, Manchester and Sheffield.

“As one of the largest private sector employers of apprentices and graduates in the UK, we continue to recruit and attract brilliant people into our business and we offer unparalleled opportunities to those who join us,” said Elaine Bergin, director of colleague experience at BT Group.

“As we build a better BT Group, we’re developing a pipeline of future talent to help grow our business, deliver great outcomes for our customers and to help underpin economic growth in the UK.”

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