Reducing waste and co2 imprint (and penalising customers financially, so speak)

[EddyIceshack]

Hi,

Thank you for your time and hard work.

I am sorry to say that I disagree with your current strategy to reduce waste by asking me to return my kit under threat of a monetary penalty.

Indeed, although I agree that industries should try their hardest to reduce the impact they have, in this occasion you could do better. Your approach would be a good one in general. But,  with a little more effort in reaserch and communication, you would have a much better approach. It would be friendlier for your customers, and the planet. Also, I suspect it would be better financially for you, in the long run.

The free router you (BT, I mean, before they sent me to you) provided me worked with Sky broadband just as well as it did with you. And, I suspect that someone in your industry knows this. I can't possibly imagine that a business as commited to reduce it's impact on the environment (as you stated in the email yoi wrote me to thank me for returning my kit) could choose to ignore such an issue just because this would mean that they might not get money from people they charge for not returning their kit (and possibly end contracts with industries linked to the current model). So, I wander what is the reason to have us return the kits that work with our new broadband providers (which means adding more CO2 emissions via the courier, and more again once the kit is being refurbished or recycled).

I look forward to your honest, ethical, corporate answer.

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

E.

[XRaySpeX]

There is no such thing as a free router with EE. Any router you get from EE/BT now is only on loan. It is not yours! You have no legal title to it. Hence the reason you are seeking here.

[EddyIceshack]

You didn't even read the full message...sad.

You can do better. I made the important part in bold (edited).

Try again

[XRaySpeX]

I did! I read your full msg! I did not address your self-evident bolded sentence as many routers will work on many ISP connections, esp. on FTTP. But that doesn't mean you should do as it doesn't belong to you & by doing so you are breaching your contract with EE.

[JimM11]

@EddyIceshack And the connection change is only to keep the lights switched on for a period, and connected, plus functionality is not 100% like the ISP supplied hub/router! Just so you know!

[Northerner]

Hi @EddyIceshack 

Some returned routers maybe kept for spares/customer replacements but others are likely recycled and melted down for their metals/plastics for resale. 

Same as mobile phone and many other consumer electronics.

@XRaySpeX said these are on loan and are built to standardise the network  and are branded accordingly. If all networks used the same router then how do they differentiate their offering. My recent provider (as others are doing) use eero as they are not bothered about branding until you log into the app which says " provided by". 

The Carbon point doesn't stack up becase of the use of renewables, electric vehicles and you're forgetting the carbon footprint in delivery, fitting of your service. Most people who complain about returns have sold their routers on eBay becase they didn't read the terms and conditions. 

You should be given the option at point of sale and if you use your own router receive a discount on your bill. This would be a more carbon friendly approach.

Thanks 

[EddyIceshack]

Sorry.

I made the issue obscure.

The issue isn't about legality. My issue is why return a hub that works for the next provider and then get another hub from them ?

I would rather you worked out a way to only have us swap hubs when it's absolutely necessary rather than just continue producing more just for the sake of pushing consumerism (which is the real cause for the destruction of our planet. It isn't the lack of recycling. It's the mass production).

And, in terms of "it's EE's property, we want it back. That'swhy yoi can'tkeep it". That's petty coming from such a prestigious business. Hub's are the equivalent to you as crayons are for a children's school. And, you refurbishment and recycling costs money. So, you would lose less money letting us keep them because you wouldn't have to recycle or refurbish.

But, obviously, you have contracts to honour, etc... with the ethical trash collectors of the planet that have never taken advantage of loop holes to avoid doing what we actually expect them to or got involved in money laundering after accepting some charesmatic investors to virtually take over their industry... 

But, here is my last question. Who recycles them, and where ? Failing to give a clear answer (as in name of company and location) will prove that you are hiding something. And, please don't talk about security concerns. I don't expect many people are plotting to make a heist in a BT hub recycling centre...How would they sell the hubs ? Where would they sell them ? Would the profit be worth the risk ? Please. Be serious.

[EddyIceshack]

Lol

Yes. Hub sent by the providers are notorious for always beeing 100% optimal ^^

Bud. Come on. Who are you kidding here ?

[EddyIceshack]

I returned your router.  You said ty for it and told me I helped you reduce waste.

Mh question is, wouldn't I help you reduce more wast if I had just kept the router and not have a new one sent in. Can't BT and Liberty global sit at a table and work out kne router for all ? 

One router, to connect them all ^^

And then, when necessary, we upgrade it. 

Because, at the moment, we get brand new routers. We get them delivered in boxes and ship them back in plastic bags using diesel or petrol vans...And that is just the peak of the Iceberg. You probably get them from ship containers, which are ran around in lorries. Before the ship (which doesn't run of fairy dust) it's probably ran around on other lorries around a developing country. Before that it will probably be assembled in a factory that has it's components produced somewhere else (more lorries) that probably dumps a lot of it's own waste (chemicals, scraps, waste, etc...) in the local river due to the fact that emerging or developing countries seriously lack infrastructure.

These are the places in south Asia where tourists don't usually go to. This is what you're "reducing waste strategy" looks like, atm...

But yeah...it's your crayon. You want it back. And that is more important than the people in Laos.

[XRaySpeX]

Now that you express it that way, that's a good point!

The obvious solution is no more ISP routers! There might be a few exceptions but in general ISPs stop giving out routers. Thus no more waste & transportation of them. You go out & buy the generic router of your choice with the functionality you require & the price your BB service is accordingly reduced 😉 .

EE & BT's recycling centre is Net Lynk Direct, 1 First Ave., Minworth, Birmingham, B76 1BA