Splitting up is hard enough—especially when it comes with the dreaded admin of untangling shared finances.
But for one man, what should’ve been a simple task—canceling a broadband contract—turned into a months-long nightmare that nearly cost him his first home.
After breaking up with his girlfriend and moving out of their shared house in late 2024, B.S. found himself in an infuriating loop with BT, trying to cancel their broadband service.
What followed wasn’t just inconvenient—it was a financial mess with serious consequences.
Stuck on Hold, Over and Over Again
When B.S. first contacted BT to cancel the account, he was told there was a mysterious “issue” preventing closure.
No one could tell him what it was. Worse still, he was put on hold… and no one ever came back. This didn’t just happen once.
It happened repeatedly—from December 2024 into early 2025.
Frustrated, he tried a bold move in February: he canceled his direct debit, hoping that not paying would finally prompt a reaction.
It did—BT sent him a letter saying the service would be shut off. At last, some progress?
Trying to Settle Up… But Still Blocked
B.S. called BT again, ready to pay what he owed: £296. This included charges for unused months and the fee for exiting his contract early.
But even then, BT said they still couldn’t close the account.
Again, no explanation. Again, left dangling on hold.
Then, things got worse. A month later, B.S. got a letter saying BT had sent his account to a debt collector.
Despite yet another call, in which BT agreed to write off the balance and close the account as a goodwill gesture, nothing changed.
The Final Blow: A Rejected Mortgage
Here’s where it went from annoying to devastating. As B.S. prepared to buy his first home—with a £50,000 deposit saved up—he was rejected for a mortgage.
The reason? The unpaid BT debt that should’ve been cleared.
Aside from this BT blunder, his credit score was excellent.
But this one unresolved issue derailed his plans and nearly cost him the home he’d worked so hard to secure.
A Telecoms Tangle with Real Consequences
Helen Crane, from the “Crane on the Case” column, stepped in.
She called out BT’s failure loud and clear: it’s unacceptable that a £33-a-month contract snowballed into a rejected mortgage application. B.S. had done everything right—offered to pay fees, explained his situation, and even tried to return the router (which got lost in the move).
But BT strung him along for months with vague excuses and no action.
It raises the question: was this stalling a tactic to keep people locked into long contracts?
The Risk of Cancelling Direct Debits
While it’s generally not wise to cancel a direct debit without notifying the company—because it can trigger debt collection and damage credit—Helen empathized with B.S.’s decision.
After months of paying for broadband no one was using, he felt he had no other option.
Eventually, someone at BT acknowledged this and agreed to wipe the debt.
But nothing happened, and the damage was already done—his credit report took the hit.
Finally, a Resolution (Sort Of)
After Helen got involved, BT finally took real action.
They cleared the debt, contacted the credit agencies to fix B.S.’s report, and—good news—he’s since been approved for a mortgage with a different lender.
He’s now moving ahead with buying his new home.
But two major issues remain: BT never properly explained what the original problem was, and they offered just £100 in compensation.
That barely scratches the surface considering the higher mortgage rate and £1,000 arrangement fee he now faces. Still, B.S. is relieved to be moving on.
BT commented:
“We’re sorry B.S’s experience with us fell below the high standards of service we always strive to deliver.
We’ve canceled the debt, closed the account, and offered a gesture of goodwill.”
A Gift Card Goes Missing—and a Laptop Appears
Now for another case that raises eyebrows. A woman named A.H., from the West Midlands, organized an office collection to celebrate a colleague’s new baby.
She used the funds to buy a £120 John Lewis gift voucher and emailed it to him.
But months later, he discovered the voucher had been drained.
When they contacted John Lewis, they were told the balance had been used in February to buy a laptop—which was later returned.
Suspicious? Definitely. But John Lewis claimed it was just “human error” and refused to refund the balance.
A Web of Digital Fraud?
Digging deeper, Helen found that the gift card balance had been rolled into another card—alongside funds from four other vouchers—totaling £500.
That card was then used to buy a laptop. Sound fishy? Very.
Helen has written about gift card scams before—especially with physical cards—but digital ones like this should be safer.
In theory, John Lewis’s e-gift cards are secure, requiring both a long number and a pin. But how did this one get compromised?
One idea is that a hacker accessed the recipient’s email. But A.H.’s employer—a company handling sensitive data—found no evidence of a breach.
And as A.H. pointed out, if there had been a hack, a gift card would’ve been the least of their problems.
Could Bots Be to Blame?
Another theory: gift card fraud bots. According to Norton, some scammers use bots to rapidly test millions of number/pin combinations until they find active ones.
These details are either used directly or sold on the dark web.
This type of scam was seen in the Nectar card fraud scandal.
If that’s what happened here, Helen argues, then John Lewis’s security failed—and a refund should’ve been issued.
Still No Real Answers
When asked for clarification, John Lewis stuck to vague statements.
They confirmed that only the recipient has access to gift card pins and that their staff cannot view them.
They also walked back their original “human error” explanation.
Voucher Express, the company that operates the scheme, said the issue had already been handled.
But no one has clearly explained how this voucher was hijacked—and the money remains gone.
Helen is now calling on others to share similar stories, hoping a pattern might emerge that finally gets retailers to take online voucher fraud seriously.
If you’ve had a similar experience, she invites you to get in touch at helen.crane@thisismoney.co.uk.
Crane on the Case: Still Fighting for Fairness
Whether it’s a botched broadband cancellation or a vanished gift card, Crane on the Case remains a lifeline for consumers caught in red tape.
Sometimes it takes media pressure to get big companies to admit when they’ve failed—and Helen Crane is making sure those voices are heard.
