BT to Charge People £50 for Keeping Old Wi-Fi Routers
In the News
Broadband provider BT will charge new customers up to £50 if they do not send their router back at the end of their contract, in an effort to reduce waste.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51294395
I doubt very much if they would refurbish them, because if it was cost effective surely they would be doing it already? So all I think it means is that they will throw it away instead of the customer BUT they get to charge the customer who inadvertently gets rid of it themselves. (Who will monitor what they do with the old ones anyway?)
I'm sure it is a way of BT just trying to make more money. I have returned an old router to EE when I left them, but due to the appalling way TalkTalk just treated me when I had a audacity to dare to sell my house (and charged me over £100 to get out of my contract) there was no way in hell I was sending their router back to them. It took seven phone calls to sort it out and they kept trying to add more money on. I would be seething with rage if I had to find their router in whatever box it is in and send it back to them. I kept my old BT router from back when I was with them and didn't want to return it because it didn't work properly, hence why I left them. I told them and told them it didn't work. They didn't care. Refused to send me a new one which worked. I had a full on screaming match with one BT call center idiot and slammed the phone down on him. What would BT do with that router? Palm it off onto some other poor person?
Exactly that, palm it off an some other unsuspecting customer.
You have my sympathies over your changing suppliers.
We have just changed supplier too - only to get a cheaper rate for the appalling speeds we get round here (less than 2mb's). 
tumblespots There is absoutely nothing wrong with a properly refurbished router, it is common practice to refurbish equipment which is technically only on loan to customers. Things such as cables and filters will usually be recycled.
tumblespots Explains why my router from BT didn't work right. It had a loose wire somewhere in it. I couldn't get it to switch on. Had to sit with it turning it on and off, trying to get it to come on. Then once on, it could turn itself off. I work from home so there I would be working and there goes the internet again. BT didn't care. They said it was working fine and no, I could not have a new one. I thought it might be reconditioned. It probably was!
ShellyAnn Sounds as though it did belong to someone else before and they probably hadn't done anything to it before sending it out to you. They are untouchable! It is so wrong.
They do say they will refurbish them (Refurbishing goods is very cost effective): The company told the Financial Times that it would "refurbish" the returned equipment so that it could be reused.
As the routers still belong to BT - I can't see anything wrong with them asking for them back, they supply a return package. They're not much use to the EX customers, even with all the flashing coloured lights they're no match for real Christmas tree decorations.
Other broadband providers ask for routers back (or charge), just because they're usually provided free, they're not cheap.
As I mentioned above we have just changed supplier and haven't been asked for the old router back, in fact we have never been asked for it back when making a change. I am skeptical about them refurbishing them though!
tumblespots The reason for that is probably because the routers you've had were "outdated" - I am not in the slightest skeptical about "refurbishment". But it's only used for things that are considered suitable for refurbishment, others (usually outdated) will be recycled.
I often buy refurbished electronics, never had any problems,
davidstockport If it is outdated when we only moved here and got a new router 10 months ago, at what age is a router young enough to be considered suitable for refurbishment?
tumblespots Usually when a newer router has been introduced, not sure if you're moving from BT but if you are it is only NEW customers (when they're no longer in contract - or should they wish to leave) who will be asked to return their routers, perhaps other providers are doing likewise.
Looks like a moneymaking scheme to me not good at all how do we know what with what they do with them?
I cannot see what is "money making" about paying for the return of a router that belongs to them, it is money saving (to remaining customers) because they'll not have to absorb as much of the cost of routers into their package charges.
I don't think too many realise how expensive modern routers are when they have to be bought, as not part of a package. They can cost over £400 although those supplied as part of packages are somewhere between £70 and £120.
If I had to buy my own router I'd probably settle for a good "refurbished" one.
This is a tip for anyone haggling over price of new contract with an existing provider; mention to them that as an existing customer they'll not have to supply you with a new router, although if it's with TalkTalk don't trust them to honour any package they offer, they will increase the price (by starting charging for things that were offered as part of package) when your cooling off period has expired.
Its the same as sky now asking for the sky q boxes back or charging and not allowing them to work for freeview when the contract ends.
I haven't had sky for about 20 years now. I can't spend money on something non-tangible when I don't like most of the programs anyway, although I know people who willingly pay £100 per month for it! It's no wonder they don't quibble about the BBC Licence Tax!
tumblespots i cancelled mine about 4 years ago because it was the same stuff all the time. Havent missed it at all 
KirsteyJames I agree they just rotate the same old stuff. I won sky for a year 3 or 4 years ago and it was mostly the same programs that I had seen 20 years before. We were glad when the year was up!
After being with BT for quite a number of years , I have recently changed provider.
They told me that they would send me a postal bag so that i could return my old router.
I have never received this and I have emailed three times asking for some method of returning it.
I have been given an address but I would have to pay for the postage.
They really cant be that bothered about getting their old tech back can they?
I'm guessing It's all just a PR thing to make them appear more environmentally friendly . In the meantime I will keep blowing the dust off their old router until the spider and dust bunnies decide to claim it!!
Nasty - i had to send back my virgin superhub 3 but i sneakily kept the virgin tivo 6 and took out the 1tb hard drive - its now in my laptop lol
Most routers are useless anyway there is always a new better one out there but some are good for modding and sticking something like tomato or ddwrt on that way you can create your own wifi repeater / bridge or hotspot or use it for nefarious purposes at your local coffee shop or airport lounge - not that i have any experience of that just asking for a friend lol
Seems the right thing to return the router although I do wonder if it’s a very old model I doubt they’ll ask for it because they’re liable for recycling it.
But is it just a con to charge more? Do you really see them sorting through all these old routers and then spending time on refurbishing them? As you say many of then are really old and certainly ineffective.
I've got a few old routers as I tend to switch contracts as soon as the old contract expires. They don't seem to have much value but sometimes the case or PSU is useful for something else. I've thought about fitting a raspberry pi inside one.
Surely they must have to actually ask for it back before handing out random bills?
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