1. Ofcom have introduced a new legal requirement for the establishment of codes of practice in relation to the sale and marketing of telephony services to residential or "small business customers". The requirement applies in circumstances where customers transfer their calls service over ordinary ("narrowband") fixed lines (not over cable or broadband-enabled lines), and/or transfer the lines themselves, to or from BT, or between other providers.
2. All providers, including BT, who supply these calls or lines must have their codes in place, and comply with them, by 26th May 2005. Each code must reflect certain mandatory guidelines laid down by Ofcom. However, individual providers are free to adopt standards of behaviour that are over and above those required by Ofcom- and that is what BT has done.
3. Ofcom is empowered to take enforcement action in cases where:
a provider has no code in place at all;
a code does not adequately reflect Ofcom's mandatory guidelines; or
a provider breaches those provisions of its code that reflect the mandatory guidelines
Ultimately, Ofcom may impose financial penalties on the providers concerned.
4. This Code sets out the standards of behaviour that BT, and agents acting on our behalf, will adhere to in marketing and selling our services to our residential and small business customers. In addition to applying to transfers of customers' calls services and/or lines as described in paragraph 1 above, BT's code applies when we provide you with a new or additional line - and also when we provide you with a new broadband-enabled line, or transfer your existing one to BT.
5. As well as setting out the standards of behaviour you can expect from us whenever we contact you for sales or marketing purposes, this Code also describes some of our internal procedures regarding the recruitment and training of BT salespeople, including our agents (please refer to Annex 1 for detail).
