BT to Start Charging £50 if You Keep your Router!

In the earlier days of broadband and subscription packages, it wasn’t uncommon for an ISP to either charge you for your router or want it back when the contract ended. Admittedly, this wasn’t for reasons beyond them simply wanting to recondition it for the next customer, but still, it’s been a long time now since I heard of a Broadband company who wanted their router back.

I mean, literally just last week my provider sent me a new one and asked no questions about the old one.

In a report via the BBC, however, BT is set to charge either requesting the return of their router (at the end of a contract) or they will charge customers £50.

BBC Wants Their Routers Back

While initially being introduced into contracts back in late December, BT is making it clear that they want their routers back if you end your contract with them. Failing which, they’re going to hit you with a £50 bill.

Although currently only affecting BT specific customers, it’s believed that a similar policy will be brought to their EE and Plusnet subsidiaries in the very near future.

Overall, however, they’re making it abundantly clear. BT wants its technology back from now on!

Is This Fair?

BT has confirmed that they want the routers back to specifically refurbish them. Albeit, likely not for ‘reuse’ in this country. It seems more than likely that they’ll simply sell them onto other companies or countries. In addition, a recent focus on technologies’ impact on the environment has highlighted items such as routers (and old phone chargers) as being a significant problem.

In a similar policy, those who don’t return their BT YouView set-top box could be charged between £60 and £115.

The good news is that BT isn’t expecting you to keep the original packaging. All they want is the main technology back. In addition, this will only apply to new contacts. Still… if you were thinking about maybe hanging onto that BT router, you might just want to double-check with them. You won’t, after all, want to get one final (and nasty) bill!

Oh, by the way, BT has also said that if you want to, you can send any old ones back. You know, just in case you have some that have been living in your closet for years. Albeit they haven’t said if they’ll cover the postage cost for those. In that regard… I have my doubts.

What do you think? If this a fair policy? When was the last time your provider asked you to return your old router? – Let us know in the comments!