When can I switch to a new provider?

[#1]

Let’s say my contract expires on the 26th of May, is this the date I can switch, or is it the 27th? It will be away from PlusNet to another Openreach provider.

[#2]

@dan17 I would suggest the 27th, but bear in mind that the transfer may not always go as planned. The best option, as transfers are Gaining Provider Led, is to contact your new provider and see if they will agree to switch you on the 27th, if possible.

[#3]

Given the 27th is a Saturday, you could ask your new provider to move on the Friday or wait until the Monday . Either way it does not make much difference as you will have paid in advance, you just need to wait for the final bill and the refund due.

[#4]

The implications of switching early are that you will pay Early Termination Charges which will be a fee per day till the end of your contract.  The daily fee will be a bit lower than you would be paying for each day that you where still connected.

The implications of switching late are that you will pay for each day at the "out of contract" price for your products.

Either way a few days either side shouldn't be costing you a large amount extra, and your internet connection will just continue with possibly a little downtime on the day of switchover (unless there are problems), so it doesn't necessarily need to be a big deal.

[#5]

@dan17 

As @Mustrum says, you pay a month in advance so your 26th April bill will fully pay up your contract. Any time you leave from then on will simply reduce the refund that you will be due for the days from when you leave up to the 26th May. You can request the change for the 26th May but it is only a request. Openreach need to do work regardless of you changing to another ISP also using their network, they are well known for failing to meet requested dates. Assuming that you have not cancelled your contact and are leaving the takeover of your service to the gaining ISP you have two choices.

1. Leave earlier in the month and have a reduced credit when Plusnet cancel you account.

2. If Openreach delay the changeover you will need to pay Plusnet out of contract rates for the days after your changeover.

If you cancel the account with Plusnet your service will be cut off on the agreed date rergardless of whether there is a service from your new ISP. This is a recipe for all sorts of problems getting your service back.

The choice is yours. Remember that you will lose all access to the contents of your Plusnet email account when you leave.

Edit.

@pjmarsh types faster than me

[#6]

I don’t love the tone of your reply to be honest. Is this supposed to scare me into staying?

[#7]

@dan17  Why would you think that? @Baldrick1 is a customer, not a Plusnet employee, he is just telling you the facts. in a clear and concise manner.

[#8]

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@dan17 wrote:
I don’t love the tone of your reply to be honest. Is this supposed to scare me into staying?

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Why do you perceive "tone" here - just because possibly you do not understand the real world considerations, which are potentially far from simple?  Staying put (no change) will always be the least risk option, any change has potential risks and the level of exposure to those risks is substantially down to the decisions made by YOU the user.  With all of the information on what might go wrong, you become fully informed to make the decision which best suits your needs.

1. Leaving Plusnet (rather than re-contracting) will if you have used Plusnet's email services (you@youraccount.plus.com) bring about the loss of that email service potentially giving rise to extended communication issues
   1. if you have never used / had Plusnet's email services, this will not be a consideration for you
   2. if you have used this service, then BEFORE changing ISP you need to think about how you will manage changing your email address know by "the world" before your Plusnet account closes
2. Telling Plusnet that you are leaving on a given date will cause Plusnet to place a service cease order on the line which will (under BT Openreach rules) inhibit all other providers from placing orders on the line until AFTER the service cease date - we see a good number on Plusnet new joiners complain that they have no internet (their existing supplier cut them off) ... all arising out of the user not following the correct (gaining provider led) migration process
3. Even following the process, there can be no assurance that the change will happen exactly on the contract anniversary date
   1. the new provider might have difficulties processing the order with BTOR - we see issues with BTOR's data far too frequently here requiring extensive effort from Plusnet to rectify before the orders can be processed
   2. BT engineering resources might not be available if required when required - some migrations do not require engineering resources; those involving a LLU providers (e.g. Sky or Talk and their associates) will require in exchange engineer resources

If the migration does not happen on the exact anniversary date, there will be adjustment charges as others have detailed.

NOTE: Plusnet will continue to deliver service until either the date YOU tell them to terminate service (with the consequential risks mentioned above) or they are advised by BTOR that the service provider has changed.  This ensures that as far as possible there will be no break in service - this WILL result in you being invoiced (and charged) in advance for the month following the end date.  This will be adjusted in the final bill which is typically produced 21 days after termination, refunds due are usually paid soon after that to the same account / method payment was taken.  Again user action of cancelling that payment facility will cause delay to refunds being paid because that will require an out-of-process cheque repayment.